Values
We take a responsive approach. The Inclusion Office functions as both a critical resource to internal departments, and a bridge towards the outcome of expanded diversity, equity, and inclusion throughout our community.
As we work together to build the Inclusion Office, every function must be built to fit the needs of our locality. We approach this work with a posture of support, and prioritize meeting people where they are, in order to assess, identify, evaluate, and take coordinated action to begin closing gaps.
We actively listening in order to build stronger relationships, improve communication, increase clarity, deliver critical education, facilitate and support strategic collaboration, and expand connection throughout our locality. We do this so that we are consistently positioned to respond to local inclusion, diversity, and equity needs throughout our locality.
Our values shape how we take action on our core purpose as we work together to create a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable Athens-Clarke County.
We build trust
- We invest in trust-building to support our residents and staff in bringing their whole, authentic selves to the work, even when we disagree.
We respond to our locality
- Our actions are in direct response to outcomes, patterns, disparities, inequities, impacts, lived experiences, and stories shared by residents and staff. Rather than taking a reactive approach, we aim to consistently respond to shared needs by taking action in ways that impact outcomes. We ask questions, and pay close attention to patterns, processes, policies, disparities, structures, systems, and outcomes throughout our community, and use that data to inform our choices.
We meet you where you are
- We make choices and design processes that place the people and communities we serve at the center of the work we do.
We are focused on outcomes
- We use data to help us identify gaps and make better decisions in order to impact outcomes. We are committed to fostering a culture of shared collaboration in order to avoid reinventing the wheel while expanding positive outcomes for all residents.
We make it actionable
- We take proactive steps to make diversity, equity, and inclusion accessible and actionable.
We function as connectors
- Serving our community effectively requires sustained coordination across multiple entities, institutions, and sectors. We aim to function as connectors in our community to help expand access to resources and improve outcomes, as we help to build a shared language and facilitate coordinated action that expands inclusion, diversity, and equity throughout our locality.
We share stories to build connection
- The most human way we can connect and build shared understanding is through the power of telling our stories.
We support transformation
- We actively cultivate an environment where people and institutions can share in this work, and become empowered to take action to create a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive Athens-Clarke County together. Nothing the Inclusion Office does is accomplished in isolation.
We listen first
- We prioritize thoughtful listening and actively seek out input in order to grow and maintain a responsive approach.
We are willing to grow
- We are not the source of the answers. The Inclusion Office functions with a posture of support. We are here to do the work with you.
We promote a Culture of Practice
- We understand that inclusion, diversity, and equity doesn’t happen in a single training, event, or discussion. The impact of our choices take place as we commit to practice: in our values, in our systems, in our conversations, in our daily interactions. We’re committed to supporting our community and workforce as we normalize this practice. The work of creating an Athens-Clarke County that actively values inclusion, diversity, and equity belongs to each of us.