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Breaking bad philanthropic habits

This blog series by Justice Funders examines problematic aspects of philanthropy and discusses practices to better serve movements we support: http://justicefunders.org/category/breaking-bad-philanthropic-habits/

Lumbersexuality and Its Discontents

“One hundred years ago, a crisis in urban masculinity created the lumberjack aesthetic. Now it’s making a comeback.” In this Atlantic essay, Willa Brown addresses class as it relates to the “lumbersexual” aesthetic that is prevalent in the outdoor industry. This is a great think piece that prompts questions such as: (1) was outdoor recreation always aimed at the middle and upper classes?; (2) does the industry’s “lumberjack” aesthetic constitute cultural appropriation of a particular class of people? Complicated, but a great read if you’re interested in how class has played into the aesthetics of outdoor recreation. Read the article here.

The Ways

The Ways is an online collection of videos, stories, maps and information about the Great Lakes Native communities. The creators help us learn and explore concepts of connection to land, animals, and language in the Great Lakes Native communities. Check out more here.

Toolkit on Implementing the President’s Memo on Diversity & Inclusion in Public Lands & Waters

We built this toolkit to help you implement the Presidential Memorandum issued on January 12th, 2017. The memo is available online here. The toolkit is attached.

Environmental Justice and Environmentalism: The Social Justice Challenge to the Environmental Movement

This collection of essays explores the complex relationship between environmentalism and environmental justice. The contributors approach how the goals of both environmentalism and environmental justice can be achieved. Among the fields represented are anthropology, environmental studies, natural resource sciences, philosophy, public policy, rhetoric, and sociology. Read here.

Crimes against Nature: Squatters, Poachers, Thieves, and the Hidden History of American Conservation

Crimes against Nature reveals the hidden history behind three of the nation’s first parklands: the Adirondacks, Yellowstone, and the Grand Canyon. Focusing on conservation’s impact on local inhabitants, Karl Jacoby traces the effect of criminalizing such traditional practices as hunting, fishing, foraging, and timber cutting in the newly created parks. Jacoby reassesses the nature of these “crimes” and provides a rich portrait of rural people and their relationship with the natural world in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The book is available for purchase online here.

The Rise of the American Conservation Movement: Power, Privilege, and Environmental Protection

This book by Dorceta Taylor reveals the untold stories of the American conservation movement as they relate to race, indigeneity, gender, and other historically marginalized ideas and perspectives. Highly recommended for outdoor education and recreation folks. A must-read for anyone in the conservation or environmental sector (including advocacy, conservation, preservation, land, water, and wildlife management, and environmental education). The book is available for purchase online here.

The Limitations of Teaching ‘Grit’ in the Classroom

This Atlantic essay examines the pervasive use of “grit” (and “resilience”) in the American education system, and why the use of these words is “irresponsible and unfair” because students who have been exposed to trauma (a) already possess grit and resilience; and (b) cannot change their mindsets without changing the situation around them. For outdoor education organizations that have “grit” and “resilience” as outcomes, read this for a new perspective. Read the article here.

Madness & Oppression

The people at the Icarus Project put together this mapping tool for anyone to map out how oppression impacts their health.

In the words of the authors, “Mad Maps are documents that we create for ourselves as reminders of our goals, what is important to us, our personal signs of struggle, and our strategies for self-determined well-being.”

You an access the book for free here or, please consider, paying $8 for this resource here.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Justice Vocabulary

We have compiled this vocabulary sheet to provide you with some basic definitions of key words and phrases. This vocabulary sheet represents how we at the Avarna Group commonly talk about DEIJ concepts and are a reflection of our learning over the years. However, this is not meant to be a definitive list and we have provided other resources in this vocabulary sheet that provide more definitions, particularly from impacted communities themselves. Moreover, language and ideas move faster than we have capacity to update this sheet. Please use this information as a starting point for understanding rather than a definitive resource.

A Path to Environmentalism

Black Girl Dangerous contributor, Jasmine Kumalah, succinctly and precisely discusses her own path to environmentalism, which includes understanding the complexity of human relationships to the environment and social hierarchies. Read here.

NADOHE Standards of Professional Practice for Chief Diversity Officers

The National Association of Diversity Officers in High Education has created this useful guide that covers everything from the need for a Chief Diversity Officer position to the scope of that person’s responsibilities and areas of competency. Though geared toward institutions of higher education, this guide is useful for any organization seeking to hire a Chief Diversity Officer. Read more here.