There is a great opportunity for environmental education to evolve as a field to better reflect and engage Indigenous people, Black people and all People of Color. It will require a broad, systemic shift in how we approach EE. We need a strong, diverse network of EE leaders to envision, instigate, and guide that shift.

The Decoding Whiteness: Racial Justice for a Re-imagined World course provides a critical opportunity for white environmental educators to deepen their understanding of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and learn how to embody that work in everyday life in multiple contexts.

The prominent opportunity in this project is community building and behavior change.  We will explore decoding whiteness as a foundational move toward more effective engagement in anti-racism practices and behaviors. This is a primer to better prepare white people to engage in conversations with and dialogue supporting Indigenous, Black, and people of color. We will build capacity to work together toward shared goals for a more livable and just society and environmental movement.

Specifically, the goals of this program include:

• Build self-awareness and co-create a community that is committed to ongoing, daily, sometimes painful, growth.
• Recognize the behaviors of racism and of inclusion and belonging.
• Explore content from a myriad of people to deepen our racial equity analysis and support the creation of new awareness and vision for change.
• Make tangible commitments to learning about, understanding, and practicing decolonized behavior, decoding whiteness, and engaging in regular anti-racism actions.
• Evolve a system and thinking of abundance and reciprocity.
• Action planning focused on racial equity and justice.

Program Fees: There is no cost to participate and space is limited. If you are interested in being part of this training cohort, please apply!  We will be working to balance participants of the series from different regions, roles, and other dimensions of diversity. We will contact you when a final decision has been made about participants.

Questions? Contact tpluth@cdeinspires.org

Center for Diversity & the Environment is a Training Partner in the ee360+ Leadership and Training Collaborative (ee360+). An ambitious multi-year initiative, the ee360+ Leadership and Training Collaborative connects, trains, and promotes innovative leaders dedicated to using the power of education to create a more just and sustainable future for everyone, everywhere. Led by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE), ee360+ is made possible through funding and support from U.S. EPA and twenty seven partner organizations representing universities and nonprofits across the country, and five federal agencies. Through this partnership, ee360+ brings together more than five decades of expertise to grow, strengthen, and diversify the environmental education field. Visit www.ee360.org to learn more.