Neighbors Commitment to DEI
Take a look inside the introduction of our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion training we use with Neighbors Mentors and volunteers.
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LGBTQ+ INCLUSION
At Neighbors, we are always proud to support, fully include, and celebrate the LGBTQ+ community in all we do. Below is a helpful list adapted from the Boys and Girls Club as we commit to providing emotionally and physically safe spaces for young people and families who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community.
Educate yourself. Make an effort to learn more about the history and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. Organizations like The Safe Zone, One Iowa, and The Trevor Project have resources available that cover a range of topics, from current issues facing the community to the best way to respond when someone comes out to you.
Ask questions. Don’t let fear of saying the wrong thing keep you from doing the right thing. Ask how you can change your actions or language to create a more welcoming space and follow through on what they’ve requested.
Listen. Give young people the space to develop and use their voice. If you yourself are authentic and lead with your heart, it will help young people feel that they belong and can open up. Be ready to listen and give space for young people to process openly with you.
Affirm. Respect and affirm gender identities and pronouns and every young person’s unique personhood.It costs nothing to simply tell a young person, “you are perfect just the way you are”. It’s probably a sentiment that young people most need to hear from the adults in their lives.
Promote Representation. Support and encourage the voices of LGBTQ+ young people and the role of LGBTQ+ mentors, board, and staff. Young people will be inspired seeing positive LGBTQ+ adults as role models in their community and in faith spaces.
Shut down anti-LGBTQ behavior. Speak out against anti-LGBTQ+ remarks and behaviors. When you see young people engage in any bullying behavior, intervene every time. When you hear peers or young people telling non-inclusive jokes, ask them to stop using hurtful language.
DISCUSS: Pick one of these practices and share why it is meaningful to you or sparks a desire to grow.
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It is not easy to create a multi-ethnic, anti-racist community. It takes the curiosity and humility to acknowledge the growth needed, and courage to take risks for the sake of others. As Neighbors Mentors, we will fight for the practice of being anti-racist to be intertwined with everything we do.
Lean into embracing diversity. It can be tempting to say “I don’t see color” or “we’re all the same”, but this practice of colorblindness assumes sameness and strips us of our unique experiences and cultures. Instead, we can work to respect and appreciate narratives of all young people, their families, and be enriched by our differences.
Spend time with people who are different. We tend to be drawn to others that look and act like us. Instead, we can we get proximate with young people, fellow mentors, and families that look differently, act differently, and live differently. Spending time with those that are different dispels our fears about those differences.
Be a learner. The best learners are eager to listen and are surprisingly not worried about having all the right answers. We can acknowledge the reality of other’s experiences when they’re different from ours by asking good questions, growing in empathy, and] fighting our defensiveness. There are great resources online of people who have devoted their careers to the subject of cultural intelligence, but these are not a substitute for real-life experiences and learning the truth of another’s struggle.
Challenge racism. It is true racism still persists and there are still many structural disadvantages that black and brown people face every day. We can not truly love young people if we do not actively care about how they may be oppressed and speak out against that oppression. Neighbors is committed to being anti-racist and inviting all those involved on this journey.
Promote healing. We desire Neighbors and our personal relationships to be a safe, healing space for black and brown people. One that nurtures their souls and minds, cares for the inequalities they face, and promotes thriving.
DISCUSS: Pick one of these practices and share why it is meaningful to you or sparks a desire to grow.
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In Neighbors, we are committed to promoting the dignity and inclusion of all people, including those with physical or intellectual disabilities. Here are some helpful practices adapted from Spread the Word.
Be role models for inclusion. As Mentors, our choice to use respectful and inclusive words and actions can make a lasting impact on the lives of young people with disabilities and how they are treated by their peers. We can model this through providing an inclusive and respectful space for those with disabilities and committing to designing adaptable programming.
Support the efforts of young people. Such as, seeking out how you can get involved or support Special Olympics or Inclusion clubs at our local schools.
Be an advocate. If you have a relationship with a young person with a disability, you can listen to and amplify their ideas and needs. We have an opportunity to learn what is important to them and share our power to make it happen.
Ask for help. It’s ok to bring other people who are dedicated to fostering inclusion into the conversation of how to care for a young person with a disability. Often there is a network of caring adults such as parents and educators that will be ready to collaborate and find a way to help meet their needs.
DISCUSS: Pick one of these practices and share why it is meaningful to you or sparks a desire to grow.
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In Neighbors, we will meet young people from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds. We have an opportunity to provide young people with new experiences, expand their possibilities, and promote their overall well-being. This holistic care is central to the vision of Neighbors and our Jesus-centered mandate to actively love our neighbors.
Don’t make assumptions. Be careful not to equate all young people of a certain racial group with a socioeconomic status. Instead of making blanket generalizations, get to know young people and their individual background.
Reduce the Gap. We can do our part by increasing access to Mentors and Neighbors programming for young people with structurally disadvantages. It’s important to remember that some families may be without technologies, money to spend, transportation, and other resources. We can close the gap by eliminating barriers or providing assistance to overcome barriers. If you have an idea, collaborate with your team of Mentors and talk to Neighbors staff about how to make it happen.
Provide Support. We can provide support by expressing care with our words and actions. We can’t do it all and we shouldn't look at ourselves as problem-solvers, but we have an opportunity as caring adults in their lives to pay attention to where they need support and play a role in their overall well-being.
Expand Possibilities. As Mentors we can expand the possibilities of under-resourced youth by sharing life skills, networking opportunities, and helping them achieve their academic and professional goals. We have the freedom in Neighbors to be creative with our programming to introduce young people to new experiences.
Share power. In Neighbors we believe we all have something to give, including those that are the most structurally disadvantaged. We all can practice modeling generosity and sharing power with young people, no matter what resources we have and lift one another.
DISCUSS: Pick one of these practices and share why it is meaningful to you or sparks a desire to grow.