A Commitment to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion at COEC

The past few weeks here at Sanborn Western Camps have been a time of deep reflection for our staff members, both personally and professionally. Through our recent conversations, we have identified three main areas of commitment that we believe will help us improve as an organization moving forward:

1. A commitment to raise our knowledge as a year-round staff on matters of justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity.
2. A commitment to examine each program’s alignment with our mission and create a custom action plan to increase justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity within each of those programs.
3. A commitment to partner with BIPOC organizations while exploring ways to better utilize our resources and educators to uplift those communities with less access.

We know that the outdoor experiences we regularly provide offer our campers and staff the opportunity to challenge themselves in ways that can lead to tremendous personal growth. Whether it’s climbing a mountain or setting out on an overnight horse pack trip, we strive to provide programs that bring people together in the outdoors and teach valuable life lessons.

However, it is important to recognize that the ability to choose to challenge ourselves in these ways is a privilege in and of itself. For many individuals in this country, particularly BIPOC, the everyday challenges that come with living in a society shaped by systemic racism preclude many from being able to enjoy the natural world as freely as those who benefit from white privilege.

Further, it is critical to honor, re-build the respect for, and recognize the indigenous people that lived on this land before us. The historical violence, exploitation, and forced relocation of the Ute people from the lands where we recreate, live, and learn is something we must continually acknowledge as we seek to grow as an organization, improve our programs, and work to include those who have been and continue to be excluded from the types of outdoor experiences we provide.

As we gradually transition back into highlighting our ordinary programs on social media, we remain committed to figuring out how we can continue to improve. It is not enough to simply say, “There is much work to be done.” We must commit ourselves to actually doing the work to make our organization a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment for every member of our community.

As we work towards these goals, we would also like to hear from you. We will be sending out a survey in the near future to follow up on creating actionable steps for COEC, so please be on the lookout. We value our community and your concrete ideas for further action, and we welcome any suggestions or insights you would like to share with us.