We take responsibility.
We call for a world where all people, regardless of color, can lead and succeed without discrimination, inequality, and systemic racism. We at Outward Bound Costa Rica know that opening a participants’ mind through experiential education is an effective way to change perspectives, prejudices, and biases. To this end, we dedicate ourselves to expanding minds, just as we have expanded ours in the past few weeks.
For over two decades, we’ve strived to create an inclusive and safe environment where no one is treated differently based on the color of their skin, race, religion, or gender in our workplace and on our programs. But we must do more. We recognize now that we are part of a system where white people are the beneficiaries of more international education experiences than Black populations. There is an imbalance; there is no equity in our own industry.
As a start, we at Outward Bound Costa Rica are committed to making the following changes in solidarity and support of Black communities:
Our Plan of Action
1. Scholarship Accessibility. Revising our scholarship issuance standards to provide greater access and international opportunities for diverse participants.
2. Staff Training. Elevating annual staff trainings to include a dedicated anti-bias, diversity, and inclusion workshop.
3. Course Discussions. Challenging perception through instructor-led self reflection opportunities and group discussions on racial injustices, equality vs. equity, white privilege, racial bias, and discrimination during our programs.
4. Workforce Diversity. Increasing the diversity of our workforce so that more voices and points of view are represented in our own organization.
5. Outreach Efforts. Expanding our marketing efforts to reach wider audiences and creating intentional partnerships with a diverse range of organizations in order to increase accessibility of our programs to Black communities.
6. Performance Standardization. Furthering the standardization of our staff performance assessments to ensure objective evaluation, and continuing to allocate projects, assignments, and consider all ideas equally.
7. Voting From Abroad. Supporting our international staff’s ability and knowledge of how to vote while working abroad, and covering all mailing costs for absentee voting.
What can you do to help?
Keep listening and learning about the barriers faced by Black communities, so that you can take action to help change our broken systems. Challenge your workplace, school, place of worship, community leaders, and politicians about what they are doing to change the system. If we can find racial equity imbalances in the international travel industry, you can find it in your industry too. Help move the needle yourself by having hard conversations and challenging people’s views. Systems we created generations ago can change and we can elect leaders who are committed to making this change. Our social culture can evolve. This is not the time to sit back and say nothing. If you are uncomfortable, that is the point. Work with one another. Stand up. Speak out. Take action. Demand change.
Stand up for human rights. Black lives matter.
How You Can Help
DONATE — to causes in need of financial support, including Black Lives Matter, Official George Floyd Memorial Fund, National Police Accountability Project, Reclaim the Block, Bail Funds, and more.
PROTEST — make your voice heard. Don’t forget to read up on how to prepare beforehand so that you stay safe.
SIGN PETITIONS — demand that action is taken to Defund the Police, ban the inhumane use of rubber bullets for crowd control, Pardon Crystal Mason Imprisoned for Voting, increase protections for Black Trans Women, call for justice for George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, and more.
VOTE — for change. REGISTER to vote for new leadership and laws.
EDUCATE — yourself on the history of racism and on current issues. Read articles and books written by black authors and share this knowledge with your social circle. We recommend the following: Reflections from a Token Black Friend by Ramesh A Nagarajah, What I mean when I say I want to abolish the police by Victoria Gagliardo-Silver,
A World Without Police, The New Jim Crow by Michelle Alexander, and the Black History Month Library by Black Lives Matter.
SHOP CONSCIOUSLY — rally support, promote, and purchase from black-owned businesses.