December 2020: YPE NYC Diversity Team Update

On June 5, 2020, the YPE NYC board released a statement of solidarity denouncing all forms of racism and prejudice. In this statement, while promising to follow up on future intentions, we expressed the following immediate goals:

• A commitment to a new executive position, Diversity Lead

• A commitment to representing 1+ persons of diverse background on each of our future panels

• A new committee to help YPE NYC maintain momentum on diversity & inclusion initiatives

• The creation of a new, invitation-only pseudo-board position, Diversity Advisor

We’re extremely pleased to note the following successes over the past five months:

• The formalization of the Diversity Lead position

• Four new Diversity Advisors

• A virtual career chat for students involved in the City Parks Foundation Learn Programs

• The creation of a demographics survey

• New partnerships with organizations (5+) in the energy industry that specifically highlight BIPOC voices

We’re also excited for 2021 and are making big plans!

• A spring semester career series with Rutgers University MEET

• A joint blog post with Women of Color Collective in Sustainability

• A mentorship program for undergraduates interested in pursuing careers in the renewable energy and cleantech fields

• A formal Diversity Action Plan, articulating the importance and benefits of an active focus on diversity and inclusion, and how YPE NYC aims to maintain continuity and accountability within the Board

You all have been incredibly involved with us over the past year, even as we transitioned to virtual-only programming. We would like to ask anyone who is interested in sharing their career story with high school and undergraduate students to submit their information here; we will be compiling a list and reaching out to interested parties as opportunities arise, and we’re expecting many more will!