Early Childhood
Justice, Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion
JEDI
LEARNING
JEDI Community of Practice (CoP)
The JEDI CoP is a learning community of individuals working to foster and support practices of racial justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity in the outdoors and environmental work. Every other month, we come together on Zoom to learn, dive into different topics of interest, hear from guest speakers, and grow as a community. This is a place to learn from and with each other, to grapple with the inequities that exist in our field, and to practice dialogue around these topics with honesty and empathy. Stay in the loop by signing up for the JEDI CoP listserv to keep the conversation going between meetings, and to receive reminders of upcoming events.
The CoP meets bi-monthly on the third Thursday, 12 pm - 1 pm ET. There are no prerequisites for joining a session, but preregistration is required. Register for each event below to save your spot and receive the Zoom link for joining.
To learn more about the JEDI CoP, take a look at the 2023 JEDI CoP Report.
Register for the Next Meeting
Thu, Oct 17ZoomOct 17, 2024, 12:00 PM – 1:00 PMZoomThis is a learning community of individuals working to foster and support practices of racial justice, equity, inclusion, and diversity in the outdoors and environmental work. Bi-monthly, we come together to learn, dive deep into different topics, hear from guest speakers, and grow as a community!
October 17 Guest Speaker
Olivia Griset (she/her)
Executive Director
Maine Environmental Education Association
The Maine Environmental Education Association (MEEA) is a small nonprofit that serves as a statewide network in Maine working to advance equity and justice in the field of environmental education. In this Community of Practice conversation, Olivia will share some of the lessons learned on their evolution in doing their own internal work creating shared leadership structures and equitable compensation as well as some of their experiences in external equity work creating shared learning spaces about anti-racism and equity for environmental educators and youth/young professionals in Maine. All are welcome to join the conversation!
2024 JEDI CoP Session Recordings
Guest Speaker:
Leandra Foreman, FoodChain
Guest Speaker:
Bruce Young, North American Association for Environmental Education
Guest Speaker:
John Pollpeter, Woodlands Nature Station at Friends of LBL
Guest Speaker:
Roberta Burnes, Kentucky Division
for Air Quality
Download the Digital Accessibility PowerPoint. Enable editing to see the alt text within the ppt.
Questions? Contact the CoP Co-Facilitators.
Roberta Burnes, roberta.burnes@ky.gov | Jackie Lomore, jlomore@sayreschool.org | Brittany Wray, brittany@kaee.org
JEDI Book Club
Join us for our current read, Praisesong for the Kitchen Ghosts by Crystal Wilkinson. This book may be available in your local public library. If not, ask about an interlibrary loan. Crystal Wilkinson will be the Keynote Speaker at the 2024 KAEE Conference.
Register for the Upcoming Book Club Meeting
Tue, Oct 29ZoomOct 29, 2024, 4:00 PM – 5:00 PMZoomThis book club provides an opportunity for members to delve more deeply into topics beyond the Community of Practice (CoP) sessions.
Questions? Contact the Book Club Co-Facilitators.
Jennifer Beach, jennifer.beach@kentonlibrary.org | Perry Thomas, perry@kaee.org
eeCourse | JEDI101
This course is designed to provide a strong foundation in the language, concepts and principles of equity work. It is meant to be an introductory course and spark interest in further learning around justice, equity, diversity and inclusion. This course was developed through a partnership between the Center for Diversity and the Environment, EcoInclusive, Environmental Educators of North Carolina, Kansas Association for Conservation and Environmental Education, Kentucky Association for Environmental Education, and Youth Outside.
This is a six-week, asynchronous course offered each spring and fall. Participants will complete coursework on their own time with required weekly submissions. Please see the syllabus for details. Learn more and register at the links below.
RESOURCES
A significant part of our work at KAEE centers around cultivating collective impact and bringing people together to create a stronger and more inclusive movement. With this in mind, and looking to our fellow NAAEE Affiliate friends for best practices in information dissemination, we share here a collection of equity and inclusion resources—from articles to videos to recommended books to podcasts to experts—with our members, donors, and the wider community.
ACTION
JEDI Action Team
KAEE wants to ensure that everyone in Kentucky, inclusive of race or ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, background, disability, economic status, or any other aspect of identity, has the opportunity to experience and lead environmental and outdoor learning in ways that are relevant to them. Just as diversity is necessary for strong natural communities, we are stronger because of our differences as humans.
Action Team Members
Jennifer Beach, Kenton Co. Public Library
Tina Brouwer, Red Oaks Forest School
Roberta Burnes, Kentucky Division for Air Quality
Ginny Delaney, Jefferson Memorial Forest
Sagan Goodpaster, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
Meg Gravil, Eastern Kentucky University
Alice Hilton, Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government
Hannah Harris, Red Oaks Forest School
Maddy Heredia, Kentucky Division of Forestry
Jeri Howell, Josephine Sculpture Park
Beverly James, Floracliff Nature Sanctuary
Rae McEntyre, Retired Kentucky Department of Education
Pattie Stivender, Bluegrass Greensource
Perry Thomas, Oldham County Conservation District
Wendy Warren, Berea College Forestry Outreach Center
Carolyn Waters, Eppley Institute for Parks and Public Lands
Leadership Team
Co-Chair: Jackie Gallimore, Sayre School
Co-Chair: Pony Meyer, Raven Run Nature Sanctuary
Ashley Hoffman, KAEE Executive Director
Brittany Wray, KAEE Deputy Director
KAEE, as part of the NAAEE Affiliate Network, practices the lifelong learning that is required for effective diversity and inclusion work. We are refocusing our efforts toward safe, equal access to the outdoors for all. Read more about this work that centers social and environmental justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility on a national level.