FOSTERING INCLUSIVITY
EVERYONE HAS A PLACE IN NATURE
THE IMPORTANCE OF OUR COMMITMENT
SUSTAINABLE STEWARDSHIP
Colorado's demographics are changing. We will change with them to provide an engaged volunteer workforce for future Coloradans.
EQUITABLE ACCESS
& AMENITIES
Nature is everywhere, and everyone deserves to enjoy it. We will shift some of our work into cities and rural areas to truly care for all of Colorado.
FOR THE PEOPLE,
BY THE PEOPLE
Who better to tell us what they need than the people themselves? We will diversify our volunteers and partners to better serve all Coloradans.
OPEN ARMS,
OPEN DOORS
Positive experiences inspire additional outdoor activities, education, and career paths. We will work to make everyone feel safe and welcomed.
HONORING ORIGINAL STEWARDS
Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) acknowledges the original stewards of the lands we serve today. Prior to their forced removal, many Indigenous peoples called Colorado home and we thank them for their care of the lands, waters, and wildlife we enjoy today. We also recognize their continuing commitment and connection to the land, and we honor the enduring wisdom they contribute to stewardship today.
Additional Resources:
WHAT WE'RE DOING
In 2022, VOC’s Board approved a new Strategic Plan to implement through 2025 with a focus on broadening the VOC community.
This work includes:
- Working closely with an external consultant, the Watson Wenk Group, to develop short and long-term business and community strategic needs assessments through the lens of equity
- Expanding Healthy Community Projects to address the health and wellbeing of residents while improving environmental outcomes in neighborhoods where issues such as air pollution, water quality, heat island effect, and lack of green space/wildlife habitat negatively affect environmental health
- Fostering partnerships through our Affinity Partnership Program to more intentionally welcome, develop, and deepen different perspectives and voices within the broader stewardship community.
- Developing a more diverse volunteer leadership base
- Adding diversity, equity, and inclusion concepts into our OSI Crew Leadership training curriculum
- Fostering partnerships to provide outdoor stewardship and leadership training for underrepresented groups and in urban locations
We will also continue our regular organizational learning to better understand the experiences of others and assess our programs, staffing, and Board structure on an ongoing basis to further identify opportunities to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion.
WHAT WE'VE DONE
Since 2015, we have been working to diversify our volunteer base along the lines of age, gender, and ethnicity. To do so, we focused on three main approaches:
- Developed partnerships and participated in coalitions to expand our involvement with communities not traditionally engaged with VOC, such as the My Outdoor Colorado coalition, which serves a predominantly Latino community in Denver's Cole and Westwood neighborhoods;
- Reduced barriers to entry through more representative marketing, new project types including half-day and weekday options, and
- Expanded our project offerings to create inclusive spaces, including our Pride Month project, Women's project, ASL-supported projects, family-friendly opportunities, etc.
THE VOC CREED
"At Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado, we believe that everyone has a place in the outdoors and in caring for them. No matter your background, we share the land as our home, and it is up to us to maintain it for the benefit of all living things. No matter how you connect with the outdoors, we believe we can find common ground in nature, and can be united in our efforts to leave it better than we found it. We welcome everyone to be a part of our stewardship community, and to find your place with VOC."
Questions? Contact Elise Martinez at 303-715-1010 ext. 120.
