Inclusion
Readiness Assessment

Social sectors in your community

University of Minnesota Extension developed the Inclusion Readiness Assessment to better understand the challenges and successes of both organizational and community-led efforts to be inclusive of all residents. To learn how welcoming or inclusive a community is, we ask questions about seven overlapping social sectors:

1. School system

2. Health care system

3. Law enforcement

4. Local government

5. Non-profit (includes social services organizations, service clubs, and local foundations)

6. Religious organizations

7. Business community/chamber

As these sectors experience and adapt to change differently, we want to understand how each sector addresses inclusion.

Glossary of terms

To ensure we're all on the same page, we’d like to offer definitions for terms used in our reflection questions:

Diversity. Diversity encompasses the range of similarities and differences among individuals and groups, including but not limited to national origin, language, race, color, disability, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, socioeconomic status, veteran status, location of residence, and family structures.

Inclusion. Creating spaces to grow as individuals, sectors, and community through sharing, learning, collaboration and action to unite people and remove barriers to equal opportunity and responsibility in community and life. Our focus is on several types of inclusion: race or immigrant status, socio-economic status, location of residence, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status and religion.

Exclusion. The opposite of inclusion: intended or unintended acts that prevent people from participating fully in activities or feeling a sense of belonging.

Lived experience. Lived experience refers to the first-hand accounts and impressions of living as a member of a group that has been underrepresented or excluded from participation in activities or from feeling a sense of belonging.

Equality. Treating everyone the same. Seems like a great idea, but it only works if everyone started out at the same place.

Equity. Ensuring that everyone has what they need to be successful -- that there are policies, practices, and procedures in place to promote equitable outcomes.

Individual vs. systemic exclusion. Exclusion can happen both at the individual level through acts of bigotry as well as at a system level where norms or procedures (doing things the way they’ve always been done) can exclude. Sometimes we aren’t aware that policies or practices can promote exclusion.

Assessment questions

During the virtual meeting, there will be seven focus groups for each of the seven social sectors. In these focus groups, we'll ask you questions about one specific sector. Our meeting time will only allow you to attend one focus group. So, if you would like to offer input on other sectors, or if you were unable to attend the April 14 meeting, please fill out one or more of the below surveys.

Surveys will be available until Friday, May 13.

Next steps

University of Minnesota Extension will evaluate the responses from the assessment and we will share our findings at separate community meetings for each school district area in May or June 2022.

Questions?

If you have questions about this assessment, please contact Scott Chazdon, Extension evaluation and research specialist by phone 612-624-0982 or email schazdon@umn.edu.