Equity at Nature Linc

By Lily Gordon, Program Coordinator

Nature Linc’s Strategic Planning process over the past two years has continued our organizational movement towards becoming even more centered around equity and anti-racism, working to align our Vision, Theory of Change, and commitment to DEI practices. 

In a deeply collaborative process with Staff and Committee members, we developed the following vision: “Farrington Nature Linc’s Vision is a just world where every child has a deep sense of belonging in nature and every community ensures equitable access to the natural world.” This new vision captures how our equity work is meant to go beyond just impacting individual youth to transforming communities.

In our effort to transform communities, we are implementing a new program pathway: expanding our partnerships with mission-aligned organizations in the Greater Boston area. For instance, we recently hosted First Connections, an organization that supports new parents with free programming, for the second nature-based play group onsite at Nature Linc. Another example is our “Nature Exploration” series, a new partnership with the Assabet River Refuge in Sudbury, MA. 

On the staff level, FNL takes many steps to ensure equity in our staff hiring process and culture. We prioritize hiring staff of color, bilingual staff, and staff from low-income backgrounds, pay staff competitive wages, and maintain pay equity and transparency. Staff regularly attend DEI-focused trainings such as Mental Health First Aid, the Appalachian Mountain Club BIPOC Outdoor Leadership Training, and Out of School Time Agenda for Children Trainings. Staff closely collaborate and deeply value each other’s unique skills and perspectives. 

Our Board of Trustees has also undergone recent changes to better align with our value of equity. The Board is now BIPOC and women-led, and we are making an active effort to bring in new members who reflect our mission demographic. One of the goals in our Strategic Plan is to implement a “shared leadership model,” which encourages more active collaboration between Board and Staff. This deeper collaboration has already started to shine with the example of the new Vision statement process. 

We are excited to continue our DEI work. We know that the work of anti-racism and DEI is never finished; rather, it is a continuous process of reflection and growth. Nature Linc is committed to continuously re-examining its policies, programs, structures to align with equity. We would like to sincerely thank the Mass Cultural Council for awarding us a generous general operating grant to help us continue our equity-driven work.