Where We Stand on Diversity and Inclusion

Diversity is, and always has been, part of the tapestry of Cincinnati Nature Center. Our Core Values spell out a commitment to providing a safe and inclusive environment for everyone. Principally, we promise to Respect All Life, to “seek to understand and celebrate diverse viewpoints.”

We acknowledge there are many obstacles—both real and perceived—that several groups within our community find prohibitive for their involvement and enjoyment of Cincinnati Nature Center. This may include people of all colors, ethnicities, gender identification, religious affiliations, ability, age, and economic means.

Our Ongoing Commitments

Cincinnati Nature Center welcomes everyone to be a part of our visitor and member community. Our natural spaces are for every race, ethnicity, gender, religion, ability, age, and economic status. A diverse ecosystem is a healthy ecosystem. Likewise, a diverse community is a healthy community.

We are an equal opportunity employer. We believe that diversity brings strength, innovation, and cultural insights. We strive to retain a diverse team of employees and board members and we work hard to ensure that they preserve an empathetic mindset.

We maintain 20 miles of hiking trails and more than 1,700 acres of land to provide unique and personal experiences for everyone. Nature is not biased. Nature provides significant enhancements for everyone’s physical, emotional, intellectual, and spiritual health.

To provide an accessible and welcoming atmosphere for everyone, we strive to connect people to nature in effective, authentic ways. We aspire to be OF/BY/FOR ALL our community. What that means to us:

• The more we can be representative OF our community, the more people feel seen and heard.
• The more programming is created BY our community, the more people feel ownership.
• The more programming is FOR our community, the more everyone wants to participate.

OF/BY/FOR ALL is a global movement, conceived by Nina Simon, former museum director, author, change leader, and activist. For more information, visit www.ofbyforall.org.

Actions We’ve Taken

Employee Trainings and Internal Committees

• Employees receive LGBTQIA+ Cultural Competency Training from Lighthouse Youth & Family Services (since May 2019).
• Employees received Empathy Training from the Department of Jobs and Family Services of Hamilton County (June 2019).
• Employees and board attended the OF/BY/FOR All keynote presented by Nina Simon at the 2019 Association of Nature Center Administrators (ANCA) Summit. Cincinnati Nature Center was the host site and conference programmer for this annual event (August 2019).
• Employees and board members govern a OF/BY/FOR ALL Committee to intentionally mitigate and proactively plan for diversity in our audiences, board, staff, and people we serve (December 2019).
• School Programs employees receive ongoing training on teaching students with exceptionalities from various expert consultants and speakers.

 Economic Initiatives

• We provide “Nature for All” admission and membership discounts for SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program) and WIC (Women Infants and Children) card holders.

Initiatives for Community Members of All Abilities

• We provide volunteer opportunities for LADD and Stepping Stones
• Every day, our school programs host children with special needs or exceptionalities.

Opportunities to Serve Underserved Youth

• We partner with Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Cincinnati to provide Summer Access Passes for Bigs. Our passes allow these valuable mentors to spend valuable and healthy time in nature with their Littles. This program is funded by the Greater Cincinnati Foundation.
• Through our EarthKids Summer Day Camp program, Cincinnati Nature Center partners with Boys & Girls Club of Clermont County and St. Joseph Orphanage to provide nature camp experiences for underserved youth.
• Through our field trips, we serve students and faculty from schools all over the region.
• We collaborate with organizations that bring inner-city youth and young adults to the Nature Center including Adventure Crew, Inner City Youth Opportunities, and Our Daily Bread.

We welcome your feedback!

How we can we do better? We are listening. Send us your thoughts to membership@cincynature.org.