statement on social injustice

The Declaration of Independence states that all human beings “are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Absurdly, our country continues to deny these rights to our Black and Brown communities.

At Change Summer, we are deeply distraught, frustrated, and saddened by the senseless deaths and instances of racial violence and police brutality that permeates society. In his “Letter from Birmingham Jail,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr, wrote,

“We must come to see with the distinguished jurist of yesterday that ‘justice too long delayed is justice denied.’”

With love and peace in our hearts,
The Change Summer Team

What we believe

Change Summer’s north star is fairness. We exist to close the opportunity gap and leverage high-quality summer enrichment programs to bring year-round social-emotional education to children from underserved communities. While Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion was part of our founding focus, we recognize now - more than ever - the importance of weaving our beliefs into every facet of our organization.

At Change Summer, a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizational family is one where all stakeholders, whatever their gender, race, ethnicity, national origin, age, sexual orientation or identity, education or mental or physical disability, feel safe, valued, and respected. We are committed to an anti-racist, anti-heterosexist, anti-transphobic, anti-ablest approach and provide equal opportunity for all members of our organizational family. We respect and value diverse life experiences and heritages and strive to ensure that all voices are appreciated and heard.

We are dedicated to modeling diversity, equity, and inclusion for our peers, partners, and supporters and to maintaining a safe environment with fair treatment for all.

Create a culture of inclusion, safety, and cohesion
Focus: Board and Staff

We are dedicated to ongoing learning and sustainable improvements, beginning with org-wide introspective work.

Examine all internal policies
Focus: Human Resources and Financial Structure

We are examining all processes and procedures to ensure they support our anti-racist commitments.

Examine all camper, team, family-facing practices
Focus: Camp - application process, programs, and ongoing relationships

We recognize the incredible responsibility to nurture campers’ mental wellbeing in new and growing ways.

What we are doing

Through all programs, initiatives, and direct conversations, we will celebrate our campers and provide a space where they can ask and answer questions about who they are - and truly be heard. Our ongoing DEI and Anti-Racism Efforts are listed below.

Organizational Culture

We are conducting focus groups with alumni campers, staff, and families.

We are developing an org-wide anti-racist decision making pathway.

Our staff and board are committing to year-round anti-racism training, led by an external group of experts.

Internal Evaluation

We are hiring an external DEI group to review all of our policies including hiring, managing, evaluating, and more.

We are working with the American Camp Association New York/New Jersey to prioritize DEI and anti-racism work for the camp sector.

We are pushing our current vendors to intentionally work with new, BIPOC-owned vendors and/or vendors with a deep commitment to racial equity.

Gender Inclusion

Camp Programming

We are dedicated to modeling diversity, equity, and inclusion for our peers, partners, and supporters and to maintaining a safe environment with fair treatment for all. Given that Change Summer’s camps are hosted on university campuses, we are diligently working with our partners to ensure all aspects of camp are inclusive. From facilities, housing, and more, our policies aim to provide ongoing safety and support for all.

Read Change Summer’s full Gender Inclusion Policy here.

We are revising our Social-emotional Learning program.

We are implementing an Educator’s Toolkit to equip all counselors with the culturally-responsive tools they need to lead our campers.

We are establishing a family advisory group to serve as thought partners and provide direct feedback to our organizational leaders.

We are conducting a thorough review of all facets of the current camp program with a DEI/anti-racism lens and incorporate these practices into every program.

Recommended Resources

Featured

Summer camp podcast

Maya Angelou said “It is time for parents to teach young people early on that in diversity there is beauty and there is strength.” This is certainly true for summer camp as well as the rest of the world. Briana Mitchell, the Director of AF Camp and co-founder of S’more Melanin (and a long time camper) describes how we can use summer camp to bring that strength of diversity to light.

Camp with Mike Callaha‪n‬

Mike Callaha‪n‬ was a guest on the podcast The Essential Lighter Side. He discusses how camp has been a positive force in his life ever since he found himself coming out of his shell as an adolescent while he was away at camp, and has been a recurring theme of his life.

The Management Center

Want to make sure that your management practices and internal operations reflect your organization’s commitment to social justice? In this section, you’ll find tools on how to manage with an equity and inclusion lens.