After working with so many athletic departments and sports organizations across the country, Jen Fry noticed that a lot of the folks tasked with doing diversity, equity, and inclusion work were underprepared for certain parts of their role. Though they were eager to do the work and had the skills and knowledge to succeed in some areas, they didn’t know how to create the tangible results their departments and organizations were asking for.
That’s why Jen created the Sports Equity Collaborative. The Sports Equity Collaborative is a 12-week, cohort-based, dynamic and skill-building program. Participants will have a high-level of support from Jen and her team and gain the foundational skills and knowledge needed to help their institutions and organizations make progress on their diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts.
The program has spring, summer, and fall start dates. The inaugural cohort begins Sunday, February 6.
Jen has brought together a group of experts and the program covers the following topics:
- Organizational Culture with Dr. Nef Walker
- Assessment with Dr. Kimberly Walker
- Audits with me
- DEI Strategic Planning with Jennifer Hunter
- Trauma-informed DEI with Michelle Jalali
- Crisis Management with Danielle Johnson-Webb
Jen created the Sports Equity Collaborative specifically for sports professionals, knowing that experiences are different given the unique context of athletics and sports. Those experiences are nuanced, complex, and layered in ways that people outside of sports don’t always understand. Additionally, the program is cohort-based, so participants will be able to make connections and learn from others doing similar work and understand what it’s like doing DEI work in sports and athletics.
As many folks working in DEI know, if you want to see the change in culture in your organization, if you want to be effective in your role, you need to have the skills and support needed to succeed. You need to be able to identify the obstacles that are keeping your organization from cultivating a welcoming, inclusive culture where folks feel like they belong and can be their authentic selves so that you can recruit and retain coaches, staff, and athletes.
The Sports Equity Collaborative focuses on reflection and implementation and provides the foundation, necessary skills and knowledge so that participants can start creating change and shaping their organization toward a culture of belonging.
To learn more, visit http://sportsequitycollaborative.com/.
