Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Statement
What DEI Means to Us (Vision)
Respecting and honoring diversity and inclusion is the source of our connection to one another and the communities we serve. We embrace and dedicate ourselves to the promotion of equal and equitable inclusion and advancement of all persons.
Why It Matters to Us
The very foundation of our Lasallian heritage is one that holds sacred respect for the dignity of all persons, the freedom of the human person, and equal and inalienable rights. This is the foundation upon which we build our commitment to always do what is best for young people, in content and approach, and for all those we serve.
Our strength lies in our people, and our success depends on being able to recruit, develop, and retain talented individuals from diverse backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities. We encourage and foster an inclusive culture of authenticity, creativity, and innovation in our service of helping young people and those committed to their well-being.
How We Approach DEI (Working Strategies)
- We are strengthened by our employees’ distinct identities, perspectives, and experiences, and we value bringing one’s whole self to share with one another, to guide and shape the work that we do and how we do it.
- We nurture employee awareness and exploration of greater inclusion of diverse populations, especially those that are underrepresented or marginalized in any way, through company educational experiences organized by an employee-driven team. We encourage and support continuous learning, especially learning that helps us identify and shed conscious and unconscious bias toward diverse communities and persons.
- We set intentional strategies and actions to recruit for diversity, and we set specific goals for interviewing and hiring an inclusive workforce, ideally at least 30 percent of new hires from diverse communities by 2025.
- We offer BIPOC fellowship funding to provide opportunities, experiences, and mentorship.
- We seek to work with diverse and inclusive population vendors and suppliers in our procurement of goods and services. We screen vendors and suppliers to ensure that they also embrace diversity, equity, and inclusion practices and that they demonstrate a commitment to these communities as part of their company practices and statements.
- We work to promote businesses owned by diverse individuals or groups with like-minded missions of service to young people’s human and spiritual development.
- We recognize that our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion is never “done” and that this commitment is dynamic and constantly evolving. We continuously seek avenues to advance our understandings.