Ford received the 2022 Walk the Walk Diversity, Equity & Leadership Award from Untapped, an online recruiting platform focused on helping employers build more representative workplaces. Ford is one of 100 individuals from across the country to receive this honor, which recognizes leaders in diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging who “challenge the status quo” and push “DEIB forward in their organizations and communities.”

According to Untapped: “This year’s ‘Walk the Walk’ Diversity Equity & Inclusion Leadership Award winners are a shining example of what individuals can accomplish when they inspire others to prioritize facing uncomfortable truths and committing to meaningful, real-world change. From C-suite executives to grassroots organizers, our list showcases DEIB leaders across industries and their innovative strategies, groundbreaking programs, and impressive results.”

Ford said she was shocked and honored to be recognized for her work with the AYF to be acknowledged among the other award recipients.

“It was inspiring to read what the other 99 leaders were doing at their organizations. I was proud to be listed with them,” she said. “It just makes me happy to keep doing this work because it is important and necessary.”

Ford joined the AYF full-time team in fall 2021. Under her leadership, the AYF has created a 16-member DEI Committee to assess the AYF’s larger mission and values, revamped the Mulcahy Fellowship program, and created Community Care Teams to better support emotional and mental health during summer 2022 programming.

AYF Vice President Liz Marshall said Ford’s recognition for her work with the AYF is well-deserved. “She’s bringing new perspectives, asking great questions, and working to make our programs true places of belonging,” Marshall said. “I love working with Bre, and I’m glad others can see what a bright light she is. I’m thrilled with her contributions on every level of AYF.”

Ford said this list of awardees shows the power and importance of creating inclusive, equitable spaces that welcome everyone. “It’s really good to know I am doing something bigger than me, and that it is happening at so many other places, as well,” she said.

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We recorded the webinar for those who weren’t able to make it. We hope it provides insight into the AYF’s progress toward creating powerful, inclusive, transformational program communities at Merrowvista and Miniwanca.

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“It’s so important to support our words with real, measurable action,” Ford said. “The most important step the AYF is taking right now is leaning into those difficult yet rewarding conversations. We are creating committees and attending trainings. I like to call this our forming year, and this first half is everyone getting on the same page.”

One key element of this work is the creation of the AYF’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee, which had its inaugural meeting in February. Ford said this year, the 16-member committee will assess the AYF’s larger mission, goals, and values through a DEI lens and develop a strategic plan that will serve as a roadmap of actionable steps that will further the AYF’s DEI goals.

Ford and Vice President Liz Marshall conducted a thorough search for committee members who could add to the diversity of voices in the discussion.

“It is important the committee represent different demographics, identities, and experiences within the AYF, including the amount time spent with the organization,” Ford said. “The committee includes people who have experienced programs at Miniwanca, Merrowvista, and National Leadership Conference.”

The DEI committee also represents a mix of ages and personal affiliations with the AYF, including current and former AYF full-time and seasonal staff, camp and NLC alumni, and current members of the AYF Board of Directors.

“We need to have as many voices at the table as possible, so they can advocate for those who aren’t present,” Ford said.

The DEI committee and the Board of Directors will work closely with Strength Perspective founders Jen (Dusty) Clitheroe and Polly Williams, to help the organization pursue its DEI goals. Clitheroe recently met with the Board at its March meeting in St. Louis, where they discussed how to make the AYF a more inclusive community accessible to all.

“It was powerful to see the Board engaging in this work and truly assessing equity and inclusion in our organization,” said Marshall. “The Board is looking closely at the program communities and asking how we can be more aware, welcoming, and inclusive as we seek to inspire youth to live at their best.”

Another key element of the AYF’s DEI work is the Mulcahy Fellowship. This initiative intentionally honors, supports, and uplifts seasonal staff who identify as historically underrepresented members in AYF program communities. The goal is to address the lack of diversity in leadership positions within our programs and recognize that individuals with these identities provide more emotional labor than other camp staff.

The AYF will host a retreat for current Mulcahy Fellows at Miniwanca in early June. Ford, who is also a member of the 2019 class, said the retreat will allow the 17 members to reconnect after nearly three years apart.

“Because of the pandemic, we haven’t seen each other since 2019,” she said. “Some of the fellows have never actually met in person! This retreat will give us a chance to bond and to discuss what it means to be part of this group and the future of this fellowship in our lives and in within the AYF.”

The AYF is currently accepting applications for the 2022 Mulcahy Fellowship. Details are available online.

Finally, the AYF full-time team recently completed an online webinar hosted by Let’s Empower, Advocate, and Do (LEAD). The webinar, Black Lives (Still) Matter: Using Microinterventions to Interrupt Race-Based Microaggressions at Camp, taught participants how to recognize and disarm race-based microaggressions during program.

“It’s important that everyone on our team knows how to be effective allies for our BIPOC participants and staff,” Ford said. “All these actions – those we’ve started and those still to come – are important as we continue to educate ourselves and put action behind our words.”

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‘Under the leadership of Ambrean Ford, LLMSW, the new Director of Community Life, Diversity, and Inclusion,  the AYF will launch a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion committee in early 2022. The DEI committee will advise our organization in the continuous integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion into all aspects of the American Youth Foundation.

We understand there are certain traditions, sayings, and names within the AYF that have unintentionally caused harm to some past and current community members. The DEI committee will address those issues head on and help us continue to grow. The AYF wants our programs to be spaces where all people who align with our mission and values feel like they belong. If you would like to help make that possible, consider applying below to join this committee and help the AYF advance further.

A strategic plan shapes and guides what an organization is, who it serves, what it does, and why. Although we will work through the tasks in order, you will find the process can be circular. As we move through the DEI strategic planning process, we may return to earlier tasks in order to change and/or expand on our original thinking. Treat this as a flexible — rather than a rigid — process.

The purpose within AYF’s mission of inspiring people “to discover and develop their personal best, to seek balance in mental, physical, social and spiritual living, and to make a positive difference in their communities and in the wider world,” stands out when applied to the organization’s commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

AYF’s dedication to improving the organization’s ability to deliver on their program outcomes (best self, balanced living, inclusive community, and making a positive difference) plays a critical role in the organization’s ability to address DEI. As the DEI committee creates the DEI mission/vision, it will be tied to the AYF’s overarching mission and reflect these ideals. To do so, the committee will need to identify how AYF defines diversity, equity, and inclusion.

The DEI committee will:

• Participate in continual education training provided by the AYF
• Review the AYF’s current definition of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.
• Review the AYF’s culture and traditions
• Connect DEI activities to the AYF’s strategic plan and create a DEI Strategic Plan
• Continually work toward specific goals and hold the organization accountable

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