Two years ago, we asked our membership to contribute to an assessment of the state of environmental education in North Carolina, and diversity, equity, and inclusion was one of the topics you all mentioned repeatedly. The board agrees with you that this is a critical issue for our field, and identified it in January as one of our five key priorities for the next three years within our strategic plan. EENC is proud to announce that we are addressing this over the next year through a variety of workshops!
For members, we will provide two different full-day training sessions in the fall to support you all so that EE is more welcoming and accessible for all . The first will be an introductory workshop that will be held in conjunction with our conference in September at Atlantic Beach - as if you need any additional reasons to join us! The second will expand on this experience for a broader conversation in Raleigh on December 13, 2018, facilitated by the Center for Diversity & the Environment. Registration for this second training will open in the fall after the conference. Both of these opportunities are funded in part thanks to grants from NAAEE.
We are also addressing this within our organization at the member and board levels. The board and executive director will be participating in a training on incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion into our strategic plan and how we can focus on implementation of such practices at our upcoming meeting in June.
While EENC is able to offer these learning opportunities, a workshop alone won't be able to have an impact without your participation and buy-in! Save the date, spread the word, and know that our board and staff have heard your request for support and action on this. Let's work together to expand our collective reach to engage more of our state’s citizens in environmental education!
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