EMPOWERING COMMUNITIES: Non-Profit DEI Efforts in Focus

The landscape of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) organizations, both for-profit and non-profit, has evolved significantly in recent years, reflecting a growing societal awareness of the importance of addressing systemic inequalities.

In the wake of global movements advocating for racial justice, gender equality, and the rights of marginalized communities, DEI has become a central focus across various sectors.

In this article I will focus on the Non-profit DEI organizations. In fact those ones play a critical role in advocating for underrepresented groups, providing education, resources, and support to both individuals and institutions. These organizations often focus on grassroots efforts, community empowerment, and policy advocacy, aiming to create lasting structural change. A beautiful example of Non-profit organization is United Networks gUG .

United Networks (UN) gUG is a non-profit alliance that was established in 2021 by six self-organized initiatives centered around BIPoC communities. Today, it consists of eight partners: five original founders and three new members.

The initiatives within the alliance actively collaborate, designing joint formats (UN Actions) while also pursuing their own individual projects. With the addition of new partners, UN operates across six federal states: Berlin, Hamburg, Hesse, Saxony-Anhalt, Rhineland-Palatinate, and Bavaria.

The alliance's primary goal is to uplift, empower, and connect marginalized BIPoC artists and cultural workers, amplifying their voices and perspectives. Moreover, UN aims to foster fairer working conditions in the arts and culture sector.

The organization receives support from the “Verbindungen F?rdern” network, an initiative by the BFDK (Bund Freie Darstellende Künste). This network is dedicated to strengthening cross-regional alliances in the independent performing arts by providing funding, facilitating networking, and encouraging training and knowledge exchange.

UN's core principles and P.I.S.C.E.S. values are as follows:

• Political Impact: Shaping cultural policy and influencing public discourse
• Innovation: Creating and sharing new knowledge, tools, and structures
• Solidarity: Building solidarity among BIPoC actors and anti-racist allies
• Care: Prioritizing mutual care in both internal processes and community work
• Equity: Advocating for intersectional justice
• Safety: Ensuring safe spaces for those facing multiple layers of marginalization

I asked few questions to Yvette Robertson , DEI Lead and Consultant at United Networks. Yvette is a US native with over 25 years of extensive experience spanning three continents—North America, Europe, and Asia.

Her career spans the U.S., France, Sri Lanka, and Germany, specializing in HR consulting with a focus on Learning & Development, Diversity & Inclusion, and intercultural competence. Experienced in both academia and corporate sectors, she is now a permanent resident of Germany, continuing to drive impactful change in her field.

Hi Yvette! How are you? Thank you for taking the time. Please introduce yourself and provide an overview of your role as DEI Lead, and how it fits within the organization's overall strategy and objectives?

My name is Yvette Robertson and I work as an expert in the areas of DEI Change, Transformation, and Systemic Organisation; Intersectional Ethical Cultural Competence; Social Justice, and Allyship. I train, coach, consult, and manage projects for individuals, companies, educational institutions, and non-profit organisations. Since my move to Germany nearly 25 years ago, I have assembled a wealth of knowledge and experience from my role as an educator as well as my interactions with various communities in Berlin and worldwide. My passion is learning and sharing knowledge and I wholeheartedly believe that one is never too young or too old to learn and transform. I currently work in the area of Transformation and Systemic Organisation for a non-profit organization dedicated to the creation of a more equitable landscape for BIPOC performing artists in Germany. In this role and others, I am known for creating inclusive work environments through the design of quality management systems and innovative cultural structures. I am an expert in spearheading and delivering tailored training programs that strengthen diversity, equity, and inclusion practices, and I am able to leverage my bilingual proficiency to bridge cultural communication gaps. I am committed to fostering continuous improvement?in a variety of settings, from corporate boardrooms to international forums. With my robust knowledge of DEI policies and practices?across Germany and the United States, I am well-equipped to empower organizations to navigate and thrive within complex, intersectional landscapes.

What are the key responsibilities and day-to-day tasks that you undertake in your position?

In my position, I undertake a variety of key responsibilities and day-to-day tasks:

-Consulting the organization's shareholders with the Transformation process. -Consulting the Director and the operational team with with their hiring, onboarding and offboarding processes. -Surveying and tracking the operational team's performance and satisfaction and providing periodic reports and recommendations for improvement. -Preparing for and conducting quarterly organizational development team retreats together with the organization's external consultant. -Consulting the organization's design of their awareness concept for their community outreach events. -Participating in the organization's external events. -Participating in the documentation of the organization's transformation processes in their published handbook.

Can you share some specific initiatives or programs that you have implemented to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace?

As an independent consultant with and internal perspective, I was able to help my organization reflect on the value of diversifying their operational team and push for even greater diverse inclusion. I assist in refining their interview processes to ensure that new hires bring a solid intersectional perspective to their work. I also consult the organization on the design of a process to ensure that each operational team member understands how their work aligns in practice with the organization's goals and values. I consult the Director of the operational team with the design of a performance evaluation process that includes a section addressing the results of a team satisfaction survey. This enables our diverse operational team members to have a voice and engage in discussions that center on improving organizational processes.

More info here:

https://www.dhirubhai.net/in/yvette-robertson-a09a3544/

https://linktr.ee/unitednetworks

https://unitednetworks.eu/en/home-15/