2018-19 Fellow: Pathways to Equity
Credit: Open Architecture Collaborative
“Equity: just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential”
PATHWAYS TO EQUITY is a design leadership experience for social equity, grounded in the values of inclusion, access, co-creation, equity, diversity, justice and reciprocity. And i get to be one of 24 Fellows for this inaugural program!
The Fellowship runs Sept 2018 - Apr 2019, is led by Shalini Agrawal and Garrett Jacobs, and is a collaboration between Open Architecture Collaborative and Association for Community Design.
We are learning proactive processes such as active listening, engaged research, personal self-reflection and responsive iteration towards responsible social impact design methods. And we get to absorb these rich lessons through designing and implementing public projects side-by-side with community partners. The lessons are not without their pain points, yet overall, i’m squealing with excitement to have this opportunity.
Equity is a big word. What do the leaders of this Fellowship mean by Equity? In this context, equity is “just and fair inclusion into a society in which all can participate, prosper, and reach their full potential."
Feeling deeply grateful and inspired by this opportunity to continue learning such a critical life lesson, being a human in these days and times. I have a lot to learn - about the grossly imbalanced privilege and pervasive oppression built into our everyday systems and structures, about showing up as a middle-class white woman in my work, and about what it takes to be a true ally.