Applications for the DEI Committee | 2021
Updated on 2.22.21
Hello AMGA Community,
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee applications are closing soon (Sunday, February 28)! We appreciate everyone’s patience and flexibility as we navigate this new application process. Below, you’ll find some updates on this work. As always, please reach out to [email protected] with any questions, concerns, or feedback.
Committee Purpose
In recent months, the DEI committee has been focused on the critical work of clarifying and nailing down its purpose and scope of work—to provide both internal and external clarity, especially in the wake of the committee’s promotion from ad hoc to standing committee. We are still working to finalize language. Below we’ve some draft language.
“The purpose of the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee is to act as an advisory group to the Board of Directors of the AMGA with respect to issues of diversity, equity and inclusion. This may include: Representing DEI perspectives as they pertain to guides, climbing instructors, employees, the public and all other AMGA stakeholders.”
We’ll continue to work to share updates on our efforts to fully define the committee’s purpose and work as we grow from our grassroots beginnings to a fully-fledged group.
Committee Gaps
As a committee, we’ve tried to identify some of the most prominent gaps in our membership, which are outlined below. We realize that other gaps in the committee’s knowledge and experience also exist, and that it’s unlikely that we’ll be able to have a committee composition that represents absolutely everyone. However, our hope is that by being diligent about regularly rotating our committee’s members and intentionally selecting new members, we can do work that serves and reflects the diverse community of guides and climbing instructors in the US. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t check any of these boxes; there are many ways to contribute!
- Our current committee composition is skewed towards the rock discipline. We encourage applicants with connections to the snow/ski/ride community to apply.
- Upon Paul Koubek and Erica Engle’s departure, we will have no representation from the Instructor Team other than the president (who is an ex-officio member of the committee). We encourage IT members to apply.
- Our current committee, excluding one outgoing member, is composed entirely of cis women. We encourage those from other gender identities to apply.
- Our committee does not have representation from the community of guides and climbing instructors with disabilities. We encourage guides and climbing instructors with disabilities to apply.
Committee Time Commitments
While the DEI Committee is still working to define clear time commitments, the current work schedule involves a monthly, two hour meeting that generally includes about one hour of prep time. Additionally, based on committee members’ availability, they may take on from 2-10 hours of project-specific work in any given month. The DEI Committee will work with incoming members to further define time commitments, but the current work schedule puts members at anywhere from 5-13 hours of work per month. Past projects include:
- Reviewing and editing relevant materials, including BIPOC Scholarship Fund proposal and committee charter and strategic priorities, among others.
- Reviewing and providing feedback on relevant documents, including AMGA bylaws and draft policies/procedures, among others.
- Facilitating difficult conversations with members and other sub-groups within the AMGA about topics related to diversity, equity, and inclusion such as last year’s BIPOC listening sessions.
- Supporting staff as needed.
Committee Selection Process
Members have also asked for details on how the final selections will be made. The DEI Committee, along with two additional volunteer BOD members, will score all the applicants using the rubric provided previously. After the applications have been scored, this team will convene via video call to make the final selections. Final selections will be made via consensus.
If you’re interested in joining the DEI Committee, please apply here or encourage someone who you think would be a good fit to apply! We hope to announce final selections by the AMGA’s May Board of Directors meeting at the latest.
We hope these updates are useful to everyone. Again, for questions, concerns, and feedback about this new process, please feel free to reach out at [email protected].
We hope that 2021 can be a year of learning and growth for our community, on the heels of some hard and valuable lessons in 2020. The DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) Committee is kicking off the new year with a call for applications for new members to join!
