DEI Toolkit 1: Foundations

About the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Toolkit
Activating and fully integrating your organization’s values for diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) will increase your organizational resilience, promote more ethical community partnerships, and increase your reputability and leadership in the field. Our 7-part DEI toolkit series provides frameworks and guidance so you can thoughtfully address historic inequities while building better practices and increasing your organization’s ability to work for a just and healthy world everyone can enjoy. 

Each toolkit is themed for accessibility and ease of use. You’ll find webinars, workshops, guides, templates, and activities to increase your organization’s readiness, competency, and capacity for diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout all components of your work. 

TREC is committed to growing our offerings through these toolkits, so please check back in for new additions throughout the year.  

DEI Toolkit 1: Foundations provides historical context, clarification, and activities to promote essential competencies so that your organization can build stronger consensus towards the changes you want to make. Whether you are just getting started or decades into your DEI work, this toolkit is a cornerstone for conservation leaders to build from and return to.  

Toolkit Resources

Laying the Foundations for DEI Work in Your Organization: An Introduction to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

In this webinar, The Avarna Group will build the foundations for DEI with TREC clients by (a) introducing precise language around diversity, inclusion, cultural competence, and equity so clients can become more fluent in foundational terminology; (b) map out the various reasons why DEI work is critical to the future of the conservation movement; and (c) provide an overview of what DEI work entails.

Colonialism and the History of Conservation

Beginning with a foundational exploration of how colonialism is one form of oppression that pervades conservation history, we will discuss the history of colonialism and settler colonialism and its impacts. We will end with stories highlighting the efforts of people to decolonize this work today so that participating conservation organizations have an understanding of some ways in which they can work to decolonize their work.

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Terms and Definitions

Not everyone speaks the same way about social issues or experiences; having a shared understanding of terms can help groups and individuals communicate better and support their collaboration. We recognize that many of these terms in this list can feel quite jargon heavy or academic—however, precision and clarity are useful when naming and dismantling deep rooted assumptions, behaviors, or practices.

US Conservation and Colonialism Timeline

This US Conservation and Colonialism Timeline was collated from published scholarly research, journalism, and community-led historical recovery efforts. It was created to support environmental and conservation organizations committed to fulfilling their missions through a justice lens. This timeline is not all inclusive...

The Four "I"s of Oppression

The Four “I”s of Oppression are a common framework used to illustrate the ways systemic injustices are able to perpetuate in society and over time. Oppression manifests itself in four overlapping and interdependent ways; individually as internalized oppression; socially as interpersonal oppression; it is reinforced through institutional oppression; and perpetuates across time and space as ideological oppression. Being clear about how oppression operates can help everyone work concretely to dismantle oppressive systems and foster alternatives individually and across society.

Background Image: American Rivers | Scott Bosse