In April 2020, SANCA formally created the IDEA (Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity, and Antiracism) Committee to establish and implement strategies to ensure that SANCA reflects its community and serves all people regardless of background, identity, and socioeconomic status.
This page, and the plan listed below, serve that effort by providing transparency about SANCA’s IDEA efforts with supporters, staff, and students, as well as with the larger Seattle and King County communities it represents. SANCA recognizes that we are just beginning this work. There is a considerable amount of work to do to unseat policies, practices, and systems that uphold white supremacy.
Further, this page is not meant to applaud SANCA for tackling this work or exist as a performative gesture. Instead, the effort is meant to point to the fact that SANCA is behind the curve in addressing systemic racism in its operations and needs to take appropriate action. That work cannot be taken on rapidly and needs careful consideration and planning. This page expresses our beginning effort so that SANCA is transparent and open with its constituents about the journey we are undertaking.
The members of this committee are as follows:
Chair: Tania Nambo-Escobar
Board members: Teresita J Bazán Beltrán, Dylan Forbes
Staff members: Sam Vasquez, Jasmine Manuel, Alyssa Hellrung, Megan Strawn, Erika Bergren
Community members: Nekole Shapiro, Lily Baumgart, Trevor Asbury
If you would like to provide input on this plan or if you are interested in joining the IDEA Committee, please contact Chair Tania Nambo-Escobar.
This plan has been updated in February 2021. The previous version of this plan was approved by the SANCA Board of Directors as of October 2020.
IDEA Committe Strategic Plan
October 2021
In 2020, SANCA formally created the IDEA committee to establish and implement strategies to ensure that SANCA reflects its community and serves all people regardless of background, identity, and socioeconomic status.
Goal #1
Transform SANCA’s leadership to increase BIPOC representation and decentralize whiteness
Objective: Add at least two BIPOC members to the SANCA Board of Directors
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Actions
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Responsible
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Measurement
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Latest Due Date
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Progress Report
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Change bylaws to allow a Staff representative on the SANCA Board
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Board of Directors
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Amended bylaws approved.
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September 2020
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COMPLETED
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Approve resolution to make next two
Board members BIPOC
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Board of Directors
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Resolution adopted by Board.
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September 2020
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COMPLETED
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Conduct selection process for staff representative to the Board with staff input; focus on BIPOC candidates
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IDEA Committee
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Staff given input on selection; candidate identified and sent to Board.
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December 2020
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COMPLETED
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Contact potential BIPOC candidates to assess interest; forward interested candidates’ contact info to Board leadership
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IDEA Committee
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Eight or more candidates contacted + three or more sent to Board.
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February 2021
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COMPLETED
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Elect BIPOC staff to the Board
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Board of Directors
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BIPOC Staff member voted onto Board.
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February 2021
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COMPLETED
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Meet with and recruit BIPOC candidates; invite interested parties
to attend Board meeting
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Board President & Executive Director
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Meetings with at least three candidates.
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March 2021
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COMPLETED
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Formally vote on two BIPOC Board members
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Board of Directors
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One or two BIPOC members voted onto Board.
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June 2021
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COMPLETED
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Objective: Add BIPOC Members to Staff Leadership
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Actions
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Responsible
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Measurement
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Latest Due Date
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Progress Report
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Create IDEA Committee with BIPOC staff members as leadership
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Executive Director
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IDEA Committee active and meeting with BIPOC chair(s).
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May 2020
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COMPLETE and
ongoing
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Add at least one BIPOC member to
Staff Leadership (“Directors”)
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Executive Director
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BIPOC Member hired as a Director.
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August 2020
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COMPLETED
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Update and revise Staff Recruitment Policy to seek out, encourage, and assist BIPOC candidates
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Executive Director, Director of Staff Success, IDEA Chair
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New policy adopted by Board of Directors.
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May 2021
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IN PROGRESS Director of Staff Success is currently working on rewriting personnel policy
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Create IDEA director position led by BIPOC person
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Executive Director
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Hiring a person in this position.
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January 2022
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IN PROGRESS
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Goal #2
Provide educational opportunities on antiracism to SANCA staff and community
Objective: Provide educational opportunities
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Actions
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Responsible
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Measurement
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Latest Due Date
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Progress Report
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Create Antiracist Book Club for staff
and SANCA community
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Lily B.
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Book club established
and meeting regularly.
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August 2020
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COMPLETED
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Install Land Acknowledgement that states that SANCA operates
on land that was originally occupied
by the Duwamish Tribe.
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Trevor, Jasmine
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Approved by the Board
of Directors; posted on
website.
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November 2020
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COMPLETED
Draft written & approved by IDEA Committee. Approved by Board.
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Create the Power of Three to share three antiracist resources (books, podcasts, movies, etc.) every Tuesday on social media to help the SANCA community learn how to be better allies to marginalized communities
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Tania, Trevor
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Power of Three and Blackout posts are broadcast every Tuesday.
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December 2020
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Started and ongoing
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Create a glossary that will be accessible to all of the SANCA community (students, coaches, directors, & board members). This glossary will provide the SANCA community a common language or a shared vocabulary on various topics.
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IDEA Committee
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Host a forum to help
staff and Board
understand terms and objectives.
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April 2022
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Resources on topics collected within the IDEA Committee has started.
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Conduct required staff and Board
trainings on antiracism.
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IDEA Chair
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Trainings conducted
and attended by all
staff at least once
annually.
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May 2021
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COMPLETED for directors in April 2021; COMPLETED for Staff & Board in May 2021
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Actions
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Responsible
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Measurement
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Latest Due Date
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Progress Report
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Investigate cost and feasibility of outside speakers for future antiracism trainings.
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IDEA Committee / Executive Director
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Create roster of potential speakers with costs for consideration in the budget.
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November 2021
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Investigating potential speakers during 2021
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Host at least one outside speaker on antirasism
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IDEA Chair
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Conduct trainings with attendance by staff and board.
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2022
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Reevaluate needs from the community in relation to discussion groups
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IDEA, IDEA Chair
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Surveys or informal conversations with community members.
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Winter 2022
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IN PROGRESS
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Objective: Spotlight BIPOC circus artists
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Actions
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Responsible
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Measurement
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Latest Due Date
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Progress Report
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Social media Tuesday Blackout features BIPOC Circus & Performing Artists – with no posts about SANCA
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IDEA Committee / Marketing Director
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All social media accounts feature only these posts each Tuesday.
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Ongoing
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Started Summer 2020; completed and ongoing
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| Create a collage on Coach Wall in Front Office to spotlight Indigenous Circus Arts |
Jasmine, Trevor
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Wall installed featuring artists.
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June 2021
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IN PROGRESS
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Goal #3
Be accountable and transparent in antiracist efforts to SANCA’s community
Objective: Create opportunities for reporting and input with the community
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Actions
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Responsible
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Measurement
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Latest Due Date
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Progress Report
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Invite community members to IDEA Committee
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IDEA Committee
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At least two community members present at IDEA meetings.
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November 2020
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COMPLETED
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Highlight antiracist efforts in SANCA
Annual Report
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Executive Director, IDEA Chair
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IDEA Committee’s efforts reported in Annual Reports beginning in 2020.
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March 2021
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COMPLETED FOR 2021
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Host forums and community
conversations to further the dialogue
on SANCA’s antiracist efforts
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IDEA Committee
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Conducted at least once per year.
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Sometime in 2021
and ongoing
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Town Hall held in August 2020
discussed antiracism framework and usage. Town Hall in February 2021 informed the SANCA community about the committee’s projects and goals.
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Create webpage on SANCA website
that features this plan with progress
updates and other information on
SANCA’s antiracist efforts
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IDEA Committee to draft content; Marketing Director to update website
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Page created and
published; updated
with new information at least quarterly.
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March 2021
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COMPLETED
SANCA has a page on the website dedicated to IDEA. This page has been updated wit the content from the committee
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Assess engagement on our community education efforts
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IDEA Committee
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Create survey to ask community if they are reading and using the resources we are providing.
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March 2021
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Sent out the first survey in August newsletter
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Publish a shared vocabulary for the SANCA community
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IDEA Committee
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Information public on the SANCA website.
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September 2021
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IN PROGRESS IDEA Committee is consolidating information and editing a prototype.
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Goal #4
Allocate organization resources for IDEA Committee’s work
Objective: Invest SANCA resources in antiracist efforts and programs
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Actions
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Responsible
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Measurement
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Latest Due Date
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Progress Report
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Add a line item to the annual budget for antiracist efforts
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Executive Director
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Board-approved budget includes line item for IDEA Committee.
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December 2020 for
the 2021 Budget
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COMPLETED for 2021 budget
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Set a minimum monetary amount for IDEA work
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Executive Director, IDEA Chair, IDEA Committee
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Minimum set and will be based on the hours allotted to the chair and staff for attending meetings and working on projects.
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June 2021 |
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Create a budget for the IDEA committee
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Executive Director, IDEA Chair, IDEA committee
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Budget is created and has proposed monetary values.
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November 2021
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Present an IDEA budget to the board for approval
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Executive Director
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Board-approved budget installed.
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December 2021 for the 2022 Budget |
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Include funds in the annual budget for staff training on antiracism
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Executive Director
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Board-approved budget includes line item for staff training.
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Each December
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COMPLETED FOR 2021 ONGOING FOR 2022
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Commit annual funding to programming for marginalized community members
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Executive Director
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Board-approved budget includes line item for Celestial Circus and other similar programs.
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Each December
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COMPLETED FOR 2021 ONGOING FOR 2022
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Create equitable compensation policy
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Executive Director, Director of Staff Success, IDEA Chair
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Public record of pay structure; staff payment accessible internally.
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May 2021
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COMPLETED for coaching positions
COMPLETED for other staff positions
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Archived Strategic Plans Can Be Found Here
Check out the Antiracist Discussion Group! This (online) space is set up for white people to work through tough or uncomfortable conversations with facilitation by members of their own race. We hope to relieve Black and Brown community members (often femmes) of the exhaustive labor of facilitation and education on these matters. However, all are welcome to join! We will meet bi-weekly to learn from readings, think critically about our actions in our own lives, and find ways to start or continue to support BIPOC people, especially Black people, in the circus community and in all aspects of life. This is a space for learning, come as you are and with a mindset of growth. Register here.
