to create space at Washburn Center for Children in which staff
- want to develop an understanding of their own cultural self
- begin to notice the complexity around them
- develop a deeper level of consciousness
- are curious and want to see what is outside of their perspective and experience
- To build a healthy multi-cultural workplace community that balances
culturally responsive practice and collaboration with internal self-awareness and reflection. - To better ourselves and achieve our mission through nurturing those we serve.
- To work toward advancing equity – this is a life long journey!
We have made great progress, avoided it, blundered, shown compassion, understanding and respect, become despondent, excited, overwhelmed, angry, frustrated, hurt, heartbroken, exuberant, vulnerable (to name just a handful of feelings) along the way. And, while we have yet to fully realized our intention we have taken steps and we choose to remain committed to taking additional steps toward creating the culture in which what we desire is felt, practiced and experienced.
— Tom Steinmetz, CEO
What we value
Cultural Responsiveness is essential to achieving our mission. Our aspirational aim is to advance equity and work toward building a multi-cultural workplace community that balances culturally responsive practice and collaboration with internal self-awareness and reflection.
This requires a commitment, by each and every employee, to increase awareness of our own cultural beliefs, values and biases, a commitment to self-reflection and individual growth, and an intentional commitment to actively integrating diversity, equity, and inclusion into our organizational cultural at Washburn Center. The on-going practice of learning, developing and action is guided by our core values:
- We embody compassion
- We practice resilience and hold hope
- We build a multicultural community
- We transform and grow