July 20, 2022
SKIDA STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY, EQUITY AND INCLUSION:
As a predominantly-women staff and women-led, bodily autonomy and reproductive justice are simply our daily lives.
First, we will donate to three registered organizations that are either fighting for reproductive rights or funding access to abortion:
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National Network of Abortion Funds
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Vermont for Reproductive Liberty Campaign
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Chelsea's Fund (The only Wyoming-based, registered abortion access fund)
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Travel for Access to Reproductive Health Services Policy: Through this policy, Skida will provide reimbursement for any reasonable travel and lodging costs to obtain reproductive health services in other states for all U.S. employees residing in a state where access to reproductive health services is restricted based on state/local laws or regulations. Please contact Skida Accounting for more details and guidance on expense reimbursement (inquiries will be treated as private health information).
Third, we have prepared a shared resources document that is living and open for any team-wide contribution, reference, and collaboration to keep the dialogue going and further awareness of initiatives to support abortion access, reproductive rights, and bodily autonomy.
These actions are just the beginning of our ongoing support for reproductive justice.
October 16, 2020
SKIDA STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:
On May 25, 2020, the murder of George Floyd ignited a rapid and intense reawakening of racial disparity and violence against Black people in the United States. Over the last five months, the spotlight has brought focus to many racial injustices and has revealed our country’s history of racism spanning more than 400 years. None of this pain is new, it is just congealed in a way that can no longer be ignored.
In the past few months, we have been working to identify actionable steps to better support Black people, People of Color, and people with disabilities in outdoor spaces and within our community.
In June 2019, our team came together at our annual retreat to identify our longterm goals and objectives for the upcoming seasons. From the discussion emerged the awareness that we need to increase our efforts to be more inclusive, and work to better represent the diverse community of outdoor enthusiasts. But it wasn’t until this past May that we realized there was much more work to be done. Our intentions needed to be reinforced by more impactful and thoughtful action. In the last few months, we have taken the time to begin to put action behind our words.
We have been listening to and learning from Black people, professionals in the diversity and inclusion space, and BIPOC voices from within our growing community. We wanted to share with you, our community, some of the actionable steps that we have taken to change how we practice inclusivity. Below is an update on these actions as a follow up to our Statement on Diversity and Inclusion shared on June 5th, 2020.
- We have been working with a professional in the diversity and inclusion space to help us structure our efforts towards change and dismantling white supremacy in outdoor spaces the communities we exist in.
- We have divested our Google/Facebook/Instagram ad spend and reallocated those dollars towards working with more Black and BIPOC creatives, photographers, and athletes.
- We have been making a conscious effort to include more Black and BIPOC representation in our choices of models and brand ambassadors so that more members of our community can see themselves represented in the outdoors and our brand.
- We continue to support organizations specifically serving Black Folx, BIPOC, and people with disabilities.
- Members of our team have been attending online discussions around JEDI* with professionals in the diversity and inclusion space.
- We have gathered educational resources for our team including books, movies, articles, and discussion topics so that we can continue to foster open conversations about diversity, inclusion, and equity within our workplace and the outdoors.
These actions are just the beginning of our efforts to dismantle white supremacy and its existence in the outdoors. We are committed to continuing this work towards shifting our perspectives, holding ourselves accountable, and having a more positive impact on our community. Our aspiration and our mission is to bring people together, encourage play, generate smiles, and make a better place. We acknowledge that the work is ongoing to become better allies in the outdoor spaces that we occupy and we pledge to put in the effort.
June 5, 2020
SKIDA STATEMENT ON DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION:
It is time for Skida to make bigger steps toward diversity and inclusion, particularly in how we relate to Black, Indigenous, People of Color (BIPOC) and other marginalized identities.
In the past several days we have been listening to Black stories and voices in response to heartbreaking current events around racist violence, urging us to consider ways in which we can become actively anti-racist. We acknowledge that we have a lot of room to learn and improve in order to become better allies in the outdoor spaces that we occupy.
As a company, we are ready to do the work. As a first step, we’re donating to Living Proof Mentoring* and The Loveland Foundation**, and matching all employee donations to organizations who are making a positive impact in Black communities.
We will make time going forward to create and revise our diversity pledge to hold us accountable to the action required to be more inclusive and actively anti-racist in our local and national community. In addition to building this pledge, we are creating resources for our team to do important DEI work both in the office and at home so that we can continue to foster discussion and conversation around the issues that this country has faced since its founding.
Going forward, we are committing to diversifying our marketing spend. We are divesting our dollars from advertising on digital marketing platforms and instead, investing our money in people. We will do this by working with more creators, athletes, artists, and photographers of Color. We acknowledge that we have a long way to go, and we are going to do our part in making outdoor spaces safer and more inclusive for Black Folx and other People of Color. #blacklivesmatter
*Living Proof Mentoring is a Vermont-based mentorship program founded by Wayne Miller that “provides kids with living proof that, despite the rural isolation they might feel, they are not alone. They provide proof that as Black people, we are not restricted to fulfilling any particular role or limited aspects of our identities, stereotypical or otherwise. Our mentors are living proof that Black people can thrive, survive, inspire, and succeed in community.”
**The Loveland Foundation is committed to showing up for communities of color in unique and powerful ways, with a particular focus on Black women and girls. Founded by Rachel Cargle, their resources and initiatives are collaborative and they prioritize opportunity, access, validation, and healing. Through fellowships, residency programs, listening tours, and more, ultimately the Foundation hopes to contribute to both the empowerment and the liberation of the communities they serve.