JEDI Resources

We are committed to creating and maintaining a diverse, inclusive, welcoming, and equitable environment for all.  This begins with embracing a diversity of race, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, military status, age, socioeconomic status, outdoor experience, and life experience.

We believe that diversity helps to provide our campers and our staff with the perspectives and skills they need to thrive in a complex, multicultural, and increasingly connected world.  We believe that as a leader in the youth outdoor adventure industry, we must also lead in the realm of inclusion and equity.

We recognize that the staff and participants within the outdoor education and summer camp industries have traditionally been largely people of privilege.  We recognize that people with less privilege have historically felt excluded and even unsafe at some outdoor programs and camps.

To learn more about Avid4 Adventure's diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, please visit this page on our website. 

Skills & Adventure (6 years - 12 years)

PROPERTY- What are examples of some things that you brought to camp and that you would like to have others respect at camp? Group answers. What are examples of Avid4 property we might be using this week? Group Answers. Absolutely! We have a ton of fun gear that we’ll be using this week- bikes, helmets, climbing gear. We need to take care of it so it works property to and so that future campers have the chance to use it. We’ll also be careful around other peoples’ things and while we’re at camp we’re going to be especially careful to not share food and we’re going to keep out things in our bubble. Do age-appropriate explanations/demonstrations of a personal bubble. 

OTHERS- It is so important to respect other people! What are some ways that you can respect other people in this group? Get answers from the kids. Nice! Add other suggestions if needed. We also need to try and keep space between us this week, so we’re going to do our best to stay in our own bubbles and not run into anyone else’s bubble. If we do come close, that’s ok, we’re all going to do our best. There are all kinds of different people here at camp, in our towns, and in the world. Not everyone has the chance to come to camp and we are so privileged to get to adventure together this week. I’d like to hear from the group, what are some differences we might be bringing to this group? This could be about experiences, preferences, personalities or anything else. Get answers from the group. Excellent examples! While we’re at camp, we want to respect everyone’s differences including race, religion, and experiences prior to camp. One of the great parts of camp is having a richness of diversity of people in each group. Part of respecting others is about practicing equity. Does anyone know that equity means? Who can share? Take answers if someone volunteers. Equity means doing what is needed to ensure that all people have opportunities. It might mean working harder for some people than for others because of a previous lack of opportunity. We’re excited to continue this conversation through the week during lunch and other times. 

NATURE -  Obviously, our whole camp experience is going to be outside and in nature. What are some ways that we can help protect nature while we’re at camp? Get answers from the group. Excellent ideas! Share more if needed. Does anyone know what Indigenous means? Share. Yes! Indigenous means the first people who lived in an area. Before we used this land for camp, people lived here and called this place home- these are still indigenous lands and indigenous people are still here. We want to honor them by respecting nature this week. 

YOURSELF - Respecting yourself is incredibly important this week at camp. What are some ways that you can support yourself while adventuring? Get answers from the group, add in ones they leave out: Drink water, put on sunscreen, take breaks if you need to, wear a hat, wash your hands, wear your mask. Yes! Such great ideas, we should try to do all of those throughout the week. We are so lucky to have camp as a way to take a break from every-day experiences: maybe being around siblings all the time, social media, family, etc. Camp is particularly special this summer after we’ve all had a lot of changes in our lives due to the pandemic. We get to free ourselves from stressors and we want to support you here. If you want to talk about anything that’s worrying you (at home or at camp), we’re here for you! It’s totally normal to be nervous or unsure about something at camp. We want to help you through that and ensure you feel safe while testing your limits. 

Adventure

“My name is XX and I use pronouns they/them which means that if you’re speaking about me to other people and I’m not around, I should be referred to as ‘they’ instead of he or her. I like to include my pronouns so that everyone knows how I identify or express myself and so that you can respect me by using my pronouns. We invite you to do the same so that we don’t assume anyone’s gender identity or expression, and it’s totally optional. We’re going to go around the circle and share our name, your pronouns if you’d like (she, he, they are some examples), and something you’re excited for this week.”

What if you accidentally misgender someone? 

If you accidentally misgender someone, it could be as simple as saying "thank you for the correction, I will make sure it doesn't happen again."

Similarly, if you hear someone being misgendered in their absence, you’re encouraged to correct those around you. We can approach these conversations in a way for people to feel called into the community, rather than called out. 

Click here to view a presentation on Recognizing and Stopping Microagressions. This presentation was created by ChangeWorks Consulting for the 2021 AORE Inclusiveness Summit. 

Click here to view How to Respond to an Offensive Comment at Work, a site that provides general guidelines and intervention tactics related to microaggressions. This is sourced from the presentation linked above.