NYSOEA’s Equity, Access & Inclusion (EAI) Committee is committed to providing educational programming for the NYSOEA membership with the mission to increase diversity, accessibility, equity and inclusion in the field of environmental education. 
​This committee finds ways to increase equity, access, and inclusivity of the NYSOEA membership by identifying avenues to bring greater diversity to NYSOEA through speakers, workshops, and collaborating with organizations that promote the outdoors to diverse audiences. They also oversee the Brother Yusuf Campership Scholarship program.

Committee Goals:
  • Provide resources and training to better equip educators to lead inclusive environmental education programs.
  • Build infrastructure through NYSOEA to recruit, accommodate, and develop diverse young professionals within the environmental field.
  • Develop a network of environmental educators to share best practices around increasing equity, access, and inclusion within the field.
  • Set measurable and achievable outcomes for each of the above goals, both qualitative and quantitative, (e.g., number of young professionals, number of events, number of organizations we partner with), to develop a network.

The EAI committee meets the third Wednesday of each month at 7pm via Zoom
​All are WELCOME
Email us for an invite: [email protected] ​​


 Year in Review:

2024:

February 3, 2024 –
​     EAI Committee Book Club at Winter Weekend:
     One Earth – People of Color Protecting Our Planet by Anuradha Rao
     “One Earth profiles Black, Indigenous and People of Color who live and work as environmental
     defenders. Through their individual stories, the book shows that the intersection of environment and
     ethnicity is an asset to achieving environmental goals. The twenty short biographies introduce readers
      to diverse activists from all around the world, who are of many ages and ethnicities. Author and
     biologist Anuradha Rao, outlines how they went from being kids who cared about the environment to
     community leaders in their field. One Earth is full of environmental role models waiting to be found.”

February 2024 –
        NYSOEA Pathways articles (Winter 2024):
     ● Learning from Future Leaders – 2023 NYSOEA Conference Highlight: The Equity, Access & Inclusion
        Committee Presents a Youth Panel by Pammi Price
     ● Equity, Access, and Inclusion (EAI) Committee Article Discussion – Indigenous Fire Ecology (GOOD
        FIRE) with Amy Christianson by Pammi Price

February 28, 2024 –
     Counteracting Biases that Women Face in the Workplace virtual bias training –
     The workshop was based on training and resources developed by  LeanIN , a global community
     dedicated to helping foster leadership, advancement, & inclusion for women in the
     workplace. Participants were asked to do 15 minutes of pre-work, and during the session engaged in
     conversations via breakout rooms. 

March 23, 2024 –
     Maple Celebration at Sharpe – Student Conservation Association helped the EAI committee out and did drinks      (hot cocoa, coffee, and tea). Thank you SCA! We broke even.
     May 1, 2024 – SSC learning discussion –
    Children are Not Colorblind: How Young Children Learn Race by Erin N. Winkler, Ph.D -
     https://inclusions.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/Children-are-Not-Colorblind.pdf

May 2024 –
     NYSOEA Pathways article (Spring 2024):
     ● EAI Action Newsletter – Something to read, Something to listen to, Something to watch, Something
     to do, and Something to Join compiled by Dan Kreisberg

June 12, 2024 –
​     SSC article discussion –
     “Diversity, Equity & Inclusion: 26 Ways (& More) to be an Ally in the Outdoor Industry”
     https://www.browngaltrekker.com/new-blog/dei26waystobeanallyintheoutdoorindustry

2023:

January 16, 2023 -
​     Safe Space Commitment Article Discussion
     Article: How To Be An Ally In The Outdoors, Posted: February 25, 2020, Author: Danielle Williams -
     https://www.outdoorresearch.com/blog/how-to-be-an-ally-in-the-outdoors

February 2023 –
​     NYSOEA Pathways articles (Winter 2023):
     ● Equity, Access, and Inclusion (EAI) Committee – Article Discussion: 10 Steps to Protect BIPOC
     Scholars in the Field by Christina Edsall
     ● Insight into Social Emotional Learning from the Perspective of a Classroom Teacher by Mariah
     Shelhamer

February 11, 2023 -
     Book Club at Winter Weekend:
     All We Can Save: Truth, Courage, and Solutions for the Climate Crisis by Ayana E Johnson and
     Katharine K Wilkinson “Intermixing essays with poetry and art, this book is both a balm and a guide
     for knowing and holding what has been done to the world, while bolstering our resolve never to
     give up on each other or our collective future.”

February 27, 2023 –
​     SSC Article Discussion -
     Dr. Robert Bullard: Lessons From 40 Years of Documenting Environmental Racism, The Ask - April 17,
     2019 - by Tara Lohan - https://therevelator.org/bullard-environmental-justice/ “The pioneering
     researcher shares what he’s learned from studying environmental racism — and the movement
     working for justice — for more than four decades.”

March 25, 2023 -
     Maple Celebration at Sharpe -We made $600

April 10, 2023 -
​     SSC Article Discussion –
     Park Inequities Are Symptoms of a Bigger Problem by Sarah Moore August 9th, 2019 -
     https://healthyplacesbydesign.org/park-inequities-are-symptoms-of-a-bigger-problem/ “It’s hard to
     write about the health benefits of parks with any sincerity while processing two more mass shootings,
     and the fact that one of them was motivated by white nationalism. As the New York Times Editorial
     Board bluntly observed, we have a white nationalist terrorist problem. In the current context of
     threatening, anti-immigrant rhetoric and acts of violence against people of color, it feels hollow to say
     that increasing park access could do anything to help. We know that trauma impacts individual health.
     And right now, there are a lot of people carrying trauma that no park can heal”
     May 2023 – NYSOEA Pathways articles (Spring 2023):
     ● Maple Celebration Helps EAI Committee Earn $600 toward Camperships by MaryLynne Malone
     ● Learning Equity, Access, and Inclusion at Any Stage by MaryLynne Malone

May 22, 2023 –
     SSC TEDx Talk discussion -
     Youth Perspective on Environmental Justice and Racism | Cristal Cisneros | TEDxCherryCreek
     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oa8dDBP5-d8  “Youth have a lot to say about the future of
     their planet and I want to make sure I am sharing their message in an honest way and inviting them
     to the table. Because ultimately they are the future and the future of the planet is in our hands. We
     must act. Knowing that I get to share the stage and use my platform to highlight the voices of youth
     of color is what drives me to continue to teach environmental justice to the brilliant youth scholars.
     This video is about how we can invite youth of color to the larger conversation around climate
     change and environmental justice.”

July 17, 2023 –
     SSC article discussion –
     “American environmentalism’s racist roots have shaped global thinking about conservation”
     https://theconversation.com/american-environmentalisms-racist-roots-have-shaped-global-
     thinking-about-conservation-143783

August 14, 2023 –
      SSC podcast discussion –
     from Changing Planet Justice Podcast – Fatalists, Skeptics, and The Art of Persuasion: An Interview with
     Climate Change Educator and Disaster Justice Expert, Josh De Vincenzo - Feb 09, 2023 “To convince or
     not to convince...how do we confront climate change skeptics (and flat-out deniers?) Should we even
     bother? The solution is found in climate communication and education”
     https://changingplanetjustice.podbean.com/e/fatalists-skeptics-and-the-art-of-persuasion-an-
     interview-with-climate-change-educator-and-disaster-justice-expert-josh-de-vincenzo/

September 25, 2023 –
     SSC podcast discussion –
     Indigenous Fire Ecology https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/indigenous-fire-ecology-good-fire-
     with-amy-christianson/id1278815517?i=1000532247440 – “Cultural burns. Prescribed blazes. A healthy
     forest. What exactly is “good fire?” Let’s ask Indigenous fire scientist Dr. Amy Christianson, who is a co-
     host of the podcast ...Good Fire. This wonderfully generous and informed scholar took a quick break
     from her Canadian wilderness vacation to fill me in on Indigenous history, collaborations between
     Western science & First Nations elders, Aboriginal thoughts on cultural burns, flim-flam, evacuations,
     snowmelt, hunting strategies, land stewardship, happy trees, climate strategies, and the social science
     behind wildfire education.”

November 4 -
     2023 NYSOEA Annual Conference YOUTH PANEL! –
     At the 2023 Annual Conference the EAI committee presented a Youth Panel on Saturday, November
     4th. Eight New York State youth shared their experiences around working with four organizations –
     Kite’s Nest, Kingston YMCA Farm Project, Groundwork Hudson Valley, and Sarah Lawrence College
     Center for the Urban River at Beczak.
     December 4, 2023 – SSC podcast discussion –
     from Agents of Change (an environmental justice podcast with many followers) Robbie Parks on
     climate justice and mental health – March 22, 2023 “Dr. Robbie Parks joins the Agents of Change in
     Environmental Justice podcast to discuss the need to treat destructive storms, hurricanes and typhoons
     as public health and justice issues.” https://agentsofchangeinej.org/podcast/robbie-parks-on-climate-
     justice-and-mental-health/

​December 18, 2023 -
     Cookies & Cocoa –
     Our Equity, Access, and Inclusion Committee is one of our most active and does some of NYSOEA’s
     most important work. Join the call on Monday, Dec. 18 to hang and network with some of the minds
     behind this powerhouse environmental education and environmental justice team that brings us year-
     round workshops and resources to make our sites and programs more equitable, plus the EAI panel at
     our annual conference. And you know, cookies.

2022 Activities and Accomplishments:
  • BOOK CLUB AT WINTER WEEKEND
  • COOKIES & COCOA
  • CONFERENCE PANEL/WORKSHOP
  • FIRST NATIONS TRAINING AND COORDINATION WITH NYSDEC
  • 2 DAY TRAINING VIRTUAL
  • CENTRAL/WESTERN NY TRAINING
  • SAFE SPACE COMMITMENT
  • PATHWAY ARTICLES
  • ARTICLE DISCUSSIONS
  • FUNDRAISING FOR CAMPERSHIPS AT SHARPE MAPLE CELEBRATION
  • FUNDRAISING AT WINTER WEEKEND RAFFLE
  • JUNETEENTH INFOGRAPHIC
  • NEW MEMBERS!
  • VIRTUAL WEBINAR FOR NAAEE 2021 CONFERENCE
  • MEMBER EVENT:EQUITABLE FUNDING PRESENTATION & EQUITY IN EE WEBINAR W/ MOHONK PRESERVE​
2021 accomplishments: 
  • In January and February,  a two-part Book Club to discuss The Colors of Nature: Culture, Identity, and the Natural World
  • February - “Re-Frame the Narrative”, a virtual interview with Priya Parrotta, founder of Music & The Earth International, featuring original music compositions and a discussion about enhancing EE with music through a global social justice lens
  • Three more events this year in May, September, and during NYSOEA’s annual conference in November
2020 accomplishments: 
  • June - Zoom call for general NYSOEA membership - attended by 53 members- discussing best practices around creating equitable, digital EE programming with your organizations
  • Highlighted 7 ways that we can educate and advocate for environmental justice, through an original infographic 
  • Conducted a poll with NYSOEA members, learning that many of you wanted to learn about specific environmental education programs with effective inclusion practices
  •  September - virtual speaker panel discussing Allyship & Partnership with Katina Grays, Outdoor Afro; Susan Hereth, Kingston YMCA Farm Project; and, Taylor Morton, WE ACT for Environmental Justice. 
  • November - ( part of the 2020 Annual Conference)
  • “Inclusion and Access Workshop: Trauma Informed Approaches in Outdoor Education”, facilitated by Simone Gamble and Tom Mackey. 
  • Speaker panel “Making Our Programs Inclusive: What does inclusion really look like?” included Geovani Caldera, Solar One and CLEA co-founder, and  Nicole Jackson, National Parks Conservation Association.
Resources
Books
  • White Fragility: Why It’s so Hard for White People to Talk About Racism, by: Robin DiAngelo
  • For White Folks who Teach in the Hood, by: Christopher Emdin
  • Additional Resource: Reality Pedagogy by Christopher Emdin VIDEO HERE 
  • The Home Place: Memoirs of a Colored Man’s Love Affair with Nature, by: J. Drew Lanham
  • Trace: Memory, History, Race and the American Landscape, by: Lauret Savoy
  • Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain, by: Zaretta Hammond
  • Black Faces, White Spaces: Reimagining the Relationship of African Americans to the Great Outdoors, by: Carolyn Finney
  • Racism without Racists, by: Eduardo Bonilla-Silva​
Organizations: to learn from & connect with
Podcast Episodes
Code Switch - This podcast is produced by NPR and explores current topics in the news through the lens of systemic racism, housing segregation, and ethnicity. 
  • “Made for You and Me” - an episode that deals with the lack of diversity in the outdoor recreation and organizations that are working to facilitate outdoor experiences for a wider range of Americans. 
  • “It’s Getting (Dangerously) Hot in Here” - this episode examines the disproportionate affects of climate change on communities of color. Hurricane Katrina and extreme heat waves are both discussed through interviews with people who have experienced climate change-related events. 

Articles
Facebook Groups
YouTube Videos Curricula
​Additional Resources from this Conference: 
Resources on the harmfulness of “color-blind” attitudes towards race and how we might move beyond them: