Our Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion

DEI/Volunteer Recruitment Committee

Formed in 2020, the DEI/Volunteer Recruitment Committee purpose is to make Junior Achievement of Western New York a more inclusive organization with diversity at all levels and a commitment to equity by overcoming unintended and/or systemic bias. This committee can connect with diverse organizations to help engage and diversify our JA volunteer base to better represent the communities we serve.

Key Objectives:

Ensure that all JAWNY committees are culturally inclusive.
Ensure that JAWNY staff, board, committees, and volunteers reflect the diversity of the students we serve, the Pathways we teach, as well as the geographic breadth of the counties/communities we serve.
Outreach to local community organizations to engage the broader community.

Accomplishments To Date:

Participation in the United Way of Buffalo and Erie County (UWBEC) 21-Day Racial Equity Challenge.
Participation in Deloitte Culture Path survey to understand and measure internal opportunities for growth.
Continued education and training, nationally and locally, including: UWBEC Alice Simulation, UWSCC Cultural Responsiveness Training, national partnership with Paradigm Reach platform, JA USA training with Denise Thomas.
Ensuring all JA virtual programs and website content will meet 508 compliance requirements.
JAUSA has retained consultants to fully review all learning experience material to look for any unintended bias.
Translation of JA programs into Spanish (ongoing).
ALL JAWNY volunteers receive classroom training that addresses classroom diversity.

Committee Members: