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Equity & Inclusion Statement

MoCPA actively promotes and recognizes principles of fairness, equity, and social justice in relation to, and across intersections of race, age, color, faith, religion, ancestry, national origin, citizenship, sex, sexual orientation, social class, economic class, ethnicity, gender identity/expression, family status, disability, body type, marital status, veteran status, or political orientation, and all other identities represented among our diverse membership.

By appreciating the importance of inclusion, we acknowledge that the collective and individual talents, skills, and perspectives of members, constituent groups, and partners foster a culture of belonging, collaborative practice, innovation, and mutual respect. MoCPA seeks to empower and engage professionals, scholars, and partners in actions that productively contribute to accomplishing the goals of our association.

In an effort to continuously support our Equity & Inclusion Statement, the MoCPA Board has established the following goals and objectives.  The Conference Committee will strive to ensure that equity and inclusion are at the forefront of the overall conference experience.

Goal 1: Increase Association participation of underrepresented and marginalized populations.

Objectives

  1. Include the ACPA and MoCPA Equity & Inclusion statement a part of all MoCPA recruitment and marketing materials.
  2. Actively recruit members of under-represented and marginalized populations to run for Association leadership positions.

Goal 2: Promote and provide educational opportunities focused on equity and inclusion.

Objectives

  1. Actively solicit and sponsor programs and topics related to special populations, equal opportunity, social justice, and intercultural competence.
  2. Actively seek contributions and publish topics pertinent to diversity, social justice and intercultural competence for Association Newsletters and other publications.

Goal 3: Promote ongoing training and development programs that promote greater cultural awareness and understanding.

Objectives

  1.  Market training opportunities and conferences available in Missouri.
  2.  Create at least one program per year that is devoted to social justice and inclusion.

Social Justice Pre-conference workshop

New to the MoCPA conference experience, a social justice pre-conference workshop will be offered to conference attendees on Sunday, October 9 from 1pm-5pm.  Attendees should sign-up in advance on their registration form.  There is an additional fee of $40 for each participant. 

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Jessica Pettitt

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Jessica Pettitt on YouTube

Social Justice Panel Discussion

New to the MoCPA conference experience, a social justice themed panel will be held on Tuesday morning.  Panelist will be experts from across the state, as well as national experts, in the area of social justice, equity and inclusion. 

Social Justice Open Space Learning featuring Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit

During Tuesday’s breakfast, an open space learning environment will be created to allow attendees to connect and learn from one another.  The focus of the experience will center around social justice issues, ideals and opportunities.  Attendees will be encouraged to move freely from one hot topic table to another. 

Additionally, a simulated version of Allies for Inclusion: The Ability Exhibit will be available.  The Ability Exhibit promotes the inclusion of people with disabilities.  Using a multi-media and hands-on approach, the exhibit offers suggestions for becoming disability allies and educators.  A similar experience was available at the 2011 ACPA Convention.  Thank you to the generosity of Dr. Karen Myers and Saint Louis University Leadership and Higher Education Department for making this opportunity available to the MoCPA annual conference.   

To view a video of the Ability Exhibit, click here to be taken to a YouTube page.

Accessibility Needs and Requests

The MoCPA Annual Conference Executive Board is also working to make this conference as accessible as possible for all of our conference guests and their families. Upon request we will be happy to provide any conference guest detailed information about accessibility at the Lodge of Four Seasons, which we have worked with the Lodge to provide. However, should any conference guest have any accessibility needs, the Lodge of Four Seasons has requested to have guests contact the hotel directly to make sure the facility provides the most positive experience possible. For specific questions, please contact 2011 Conference Logistics Chair Brandon Kesler at brandon.kesler@live.com.