Our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Pledge

In June 2020, the Camp Ma-He-Tu Board of Directors established the below pledge to our community. Since then, we have taken several steps and followed through on several of our promises. Though we recognize these efforts are life-long and not ever “complete”, here is what we have been working on:

Camp Ma-He-Tu’s mission is to empower young women to become the best that they can be. We provide them freedom from the daily pressures of life so they may grow together in a supportive and fun camping community to develop and embrace their spirituality, appreciation of others, and their value as individuals.

We endeavor for our organization to be a positive environment for women and girls of all races and identities. As part of that, we are committed to being an anti-racist organization by opposing racism and promoting racial tolerance and we pledge our dedication to this journey.

It is our goal to move toward eliminating injustice and inequality, including dismantling invisible culture, and implicit bias. We assembled a task force to take action as an organization. Here are some of the items the Board of Directors, in consultation with the task force, has committed to:

Establish a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee on the Camp Ma-He-Tu Board of Directors to guide the organization.
Perform DEI organizational analysis through professional guidance for the Camp Ma-He-Tu Board of Directors.
Provide additional training to summer staff on DEI curriculum.
Build a more diverse Board of Directors by actively recruiting additional Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) individuals to join the board.
Prioritize diversity in our staffing and campers. That includes increased staff and camper recruitment efforts in diverse communities and seeking out partnerships that support diversifying the camping experience.
Engage campers and staff in meaningful dialogues that aim to have a positive impact on their experience and promote lasting learning and empathy within our communities.

We are sharing the above commitments to hold ourselves accountable and to continue the important conversation with our extended community. Every one of us must play a part in helping build a better world. A critical step in creating change is raising our family’s and our own awareness.

Here are some additional resources for parents and families:

We recognize these commitments and resources are not exhaustive. We believe they are important, concrete steps forward.

We want to hear from you! Please share your ideas for ways in which you would like to join the conversation or with your suggestions and experiences. Please contact us at dei@mahetu.org or anonymously via this form. Let’s stay connected, practice empathy, and actively support each other, now more than ever.