Racial Justice at yli

At yli, are practicing Racial Justice by:

  • Ensuring that our staff and board members reflect the communities we serve – and our belief that change must be led by those most impacted by the current system. Over 90% of our program participants, 95% of our staff, and 71% of our board members are people of color. 
  • Actively addressing anti-Blackness within our organization through organization-wide trainings and planning processes that work to root out white supremacy in our systems, structures and relationships
  • Partnering with organizations and funders who share our values by creating a policy on Donations We Accept to ensure that we are not unwittingly promoting the very systems we are seeking to dismantle
  • Grounding our programs in a social justice framework so our youth participants can better understand how current conditions are shaped by white supremacy, and can dream of a liberated, decolonized world
  • Compensating Black staff for work they do on racial justice at yli

Our areas of growth include:

  • Implementing a social justice curriculum across yli programs as a foundational training for youth and staff
  • Bringing on a consultant to lead efforts to strengthen anti-racists policies and trainings across the organization Implementing social justice curriculum across yli programs as a foundational training for youth and staff