Orion Grassroots Network

Resources Blog: Diversity

Embracing Cultural Competency

posted Aug 4, 2009

No “how-to” manual exists on cultural competency. And, compared to other topics in nonprofit management, little exists on the skills and strategies needed to address racism and inequity. Building cultural competency is an ongoing journey that nonprofit leaders choose to take because they know the end result will be a more inclusive, connected, and effective organization. Patricia St. Onge and her contributing authors help readers grapple with the urgent issues that can transform capacity builders into change agents in the nonprofit sector. The new book Embracing Cultural Competency is the result.

Bringing cultural diversity to your work

posted Jun 18, 2009

No matter your mission, your organization should reflect the face of society, and in the US where minorities are rapidly becoming the majority, those which lack cultural diversity will face a distinct disadvantage. To ensure that your work remains relevant to and supported by all members of the community you serve, check the resources at the the Center for Diversity and the Environment. They have lots of resources to help you think about this issue, can do an Equity Audit for you, and more. Also, you can read “Diversifying the American Environmental Movement” by the Center's director (and OGN Advisor), Marcelo Bonta, there. It's a chapter from the book Diversity and the Future of the US Environmental Movement. Another book of interest, if your organization is involved with birding or bird conservation, is Birding for Everyone, Encouraging People of Color to Become Birdwatchers by John Robinson. It explores the curious lack of a minority presence in the birding community and offers new solutions for changing the face of conservation through birding.

Listen to the Network's conference call with Marcelo Bonta on June 17, 2009, archived here under that date.

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