Increase equitable access to services for BIPOC transgender and gender-diverse (TGD) youth, specifically addressing systemic barriers that limit engagement and retention in care.

Engage in difficult conversation (both internal and external) regarding systemic barriers

Increase accountability at all levels to ensure that we stay aligned with our mission of equity.

Build our capacity to engage in difficult but necessary conversations, with the understanding that more of these discussions will arise as we move forward—and that our ability to work through them will grow

If we are successful, we would be able to as a team engage in difficult conversations, address identified systems barriers, and see an increase in access for BIPOC youth.

TEAM CHLA

·       Learn about what other organizations/agencies are doing and using information that to inform some of our own antiracism work.

·       Gain support around coming up with actionable items to implement in our program

·       Learn about opportunities and tools to evaluate our current policies and practices to identify areas for improvement in regards to anti-racist practices (tools like the SMART The Self-Assessment for Modification of Anti-Racism Tool, etc.)

·       Learn how to assess / anticipate how changes in policy may differentially impact various marginalized communities / the communities we serve (e.g. Racial Equity Impact Assessments, etc.).

·       Learn ways in which we can connect with more grassroot level organizations in our community.

·       Figuring out what has already been done and what worked in the past and how we can expand on this information.

Overall the CCTC hopes to:

1.     Deepen our understanding of the challenges of racial inequities

2.     Strengthen our ability as a team to discuss race and issues related to race so that we can better serve our patients

3.     Take actions to shift our own policies and practices so that we are actively driving better racial equity/ justice outcomes

·       There would be public and outspoken advocacy from our organization for policy change that is anti-racist. (e.g. advocating for policies that support housing as a human right, promote greater wealth equity).

·       We would be able to offer greater language accessibility in materials and programming such as parent support groups (perhaps using Zoom autotranslate tools?).

·       We would see more broad implementation of antiracist policies and practices both within our group and in the larger organization.

·       We would be able to see changes both at micro and macro level within the context of our clinic and larger hospital organization.

·       There would be regular use of a racial equity impact assessment tool as a part of enacting or proposing policy change.

·       We may have a more proactive annual review of our intake forms, report templates, etc. specifically for opportunities for revision related to capturing diversity in identity, inclusive language, disability accessibility, and identity-related trauma experiences. (things are always changing/ we're always learning/ we can always improve!!!)

·       We would see standardized inclusion of assessment of identity-based trauma experiences into our standard assessment.

·       Overall we hope to establish formal benchmarks for measuring progress. When we accomplish an action step, how do we rate ourselves? How is it measured?

Some specifics include:

*Concretizing measurement and assessment of anti-racism goals, especially establishing assessment outcomes at the outset of new initiatives, using a mixed methods approach to analyze change.

*Understanding which of our initiatives are 'landing' for our center members and most meaningfully improving conditions for our community. That is, of our many ongoing initiatives, which are having the highest impact and thus should be prioritized and invested in long-term.

*Facilitating increased investment across all members of our center, particularly supporting some members to move from passive participation/learning to actively contributing to center change

If our initiatives are successful:

*We would have a motivated, genuine, center-wide investment in anti-racism work.

*Build sustainable infrastructure to facilitate longevity and continual growth of anti-racism efforts.

*Have effective center-wide communication around anti-racism work.

Create and develop a way for medical residents to consider racial trauma and the patients they serve. Assess their knowledge of racial trauma, systemic barriers, social determinants of health and cultural sensitivity.

Further develop our racial socialization curriculum for groups that include indigenous arts, traditional arts, eco-therapy, music, dance, movement, and drama into practice.

Success would be indicated by…

…concrete and significant actions and change at participating organizations demonstrating applied strategies from at least 1-2 of the Principles of an Anti-Racist, Trauma-Informed Organization. 

…organizations solidly on a path to continue to deconstruct and reconstruct and a commitment to continuing that work beyond this initiative.

…ongoing community and connections that last beyond this initiative.  

…having more strategies to draw from, lessons learned, more experiences to share, more stories to tell - about how organizations have done this work, what worked and what didn’t work, common “potholes” along the way and how organizations can move through those and stay in the work. 

…shifts in thinking about healing to move toward more communal and collective approaches, related to work with children and families and also related to organizational trauma and change work. 

…ripple effects across the NCTSN.

·       To learn from other communities and thought leaders

·       To learn more about models/theories/tools and their applicability to our work and the communities we work alongside

·       To further our path as we seek to provide care and education with cultural humility

·       To align anti-racist approaches with and within our strategic and operational planning

·       To develop consistency throughout our work in how we advance equity and anti-racism

What would look different in your organization if you were successful? 

·       Consistency in approach throughout the reservation, urban, and rural/frontier communities we work alongside

·       A louder voice in defining, implementing, and evaluating work with the young people and families, and communities we work alongside by other entities including state government

·       Greater clarity and consistency around anti-racism and equity in communication vehicles

• We want to become more aware of what we are doing as an organization that is racist or perpetuates systemic racism. We want to hear other people’s perspectives and perspectives from other organizations. We want to learn and then be a part of moving us towards becoming an antiracist organization through sustainable change and advocacy.

• With the ITCC, we want to get further than we would alone. That is, we hope that the structure and accountability of it will keep us moving and ensure that we center these efforts instead of continuing to allow this to exist on the fringe of our work. And that we will be exposed to new ideas that challenge us and resources and tools that can enrich our relationships and be embedded in our work. And that this will give us plenty of opportunities to build trust with each other.  

• As an Institute, a goal is that we sit with and feel the deep contradiction in the healing of relational trauma in the larger context of systemic trauma. And reckon with where our work might need to shift. (e.g., “One part that feels central to me is sitting within this contradiction that we are often working to help kids/individuals “regulate” to oppressive circumstances. So while nervous system regulation is crucial for everyone, we don’t want to make our kids (particularly BIPOC kids) MORE vulnerable to how they are adaptively surviving in racist contexts. Those oppressive systems are what need to change - not how our kids have brilliantly learned their best ways to stay safe”)  

• We don't know what we don't know--I'm looking forward to going through assigned readings collectively to focus and inform what needs to be an ongoing discussion about where we have agency and authority to dismantle white body supremacy

• Developing accountability partners in this journey. Structural racism is complex and disguised. There’s no easy path forward and we can’t do this without intentionality and community. I want to learn from others how they’ve wrestled with and addressed structural racism and draw courage to make a difference.

• What would look different: white staff members would understand where we are part of micro-aggressions toward BIPOC colleagues and have an opportunity to identify our blind spots where we continue to harm unknowingly.  I'd like us to learn through proactive education rather than continually showing up with problematic behavior.  Progress would amount to recognizing where and how I need to grow and then committing publicly to that growth so I can be held accountable.  

• If we were successful, our BIPOC colleagues would feel more safe, supported, and respected in our working environment.  We would see our leadership team's composition reflect the communities we serve.  White colleagues look for ways to center and elevate voices that have regularly been marginalized.  White colleagues would be able to articulate to others (internally at TCU and externally with partner organizations) why dismantling white body supremacy is essential to our work in helping people heal from trauma.  

• Success would also look like white colleagues taking the initiative to respond to racism when and where we see it.

·         Develop strategies to sustain the work in the current anti-DEI climate

·         Develop measures to track success of the initiative’s efforts

·         Expand our network of like-minded professionals in other organizations

·         Learn additional strategies for implementing anti-racist work

·         Identify new target areas to grow as an agency (our current blind spots)

o   Self-assessment of our work (our current blind spots)

·         Learn how to continue to elevate the work of dismantling racism as a part of ending homelessness, preventing suicide, and overcoming trauma

What would look different in your organization if you were successful?

If FrontLine is successful in our anti-racism and transformational change efforts, the organization would continue to change the culture of the organization to be more inclusive. Anti-racism work would be consistently embedded in all areas of agency with all staff actively contributing.  The organization will be a space for discussion and addressing issues of racism and inequality without fear of reprisal.

Employees would have access to advanced training topics, structured mentorship, and resources to grow as leaders and change agents.  Frontline’s recruitment, retention, and promotion processes would result in a workforce that reflects the diversity of the community, with equitable opportunities for advancement.

Frontline would be an inspiration and guide to other agencies while on their anti-racism journey, setting a standard for other organizations to follow.  FrontLine would be a thriving, equitable organization where staff and clients alike feel supported, valued, and empowered to succeed.  Our anti-racism vision statement says, “As members of the broader community, we are each responsible to uphold this vision,” the changes would not only transform the organization internally but also contribute to broader systemic change, advancing equity and inclusion within the community.