Equity Initiatives
The Climb4Community program’s goal is to increase access to climbing, break down systemic barriers and build lasting connections. Hiring a DEI coordinator can help facilitate this growth in your gym.
Vera Naputi has multiple identities. She is a blend of mother, rock climber, nature-lover, teacher, instructional and leadership coach, and curriculum designer. Vera has extensive experience working with teachers and leaders in schools and communities, and has been most instructive and dedicated to the growth and development of management and coaching teams at Boulders Climbing Gym in Madison, WI. As part of her deep quest to contribute to a more compassionate and just society, she believes in holding inclusive spaces for all on their equity journey. Vera has worked at the intersection of community building, education, culture, and equity for a long time! She designs and facilitates personal and professional learning experiences that seek to deepen understanding of racial equity and loves to co-create spaces that blend systems-thinking with creative problem-solving, always with the value and belief in the power of collective learning.
She is currently in a dual role at Madison East High School teaching pre-college preparatory classes for majority Black and Brown youth. She also serves as an instructional coach emphasizing the development of racial literacy and culturally responsive teaching and programming. Vera is a descendant from Indigenous Chamorros and holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Speech & Language Pathology and a Masters of Science in Education from the University of Utah, and 30 years of teaching in Salt Lake City, UT, and Madison, WI.
TRAININGS:
Equity as Your Autobiography
Through Equity as Your Autobiography, educators, climbing professionals, and community leaders work to uncover and discover who they are in relation to their work and personal life experiences in the context of race. Participants will be invited to do writing exercises and have discussions that unearth biases and stereotypes. By working deeply with hearts and minds to discuss anti-racism, white supremacy, and oppression, the possibilities to change structures and policies that truly embrace diversity, equity, inclusion, and accountability expand and deepen.
Leading a Community Towards Equity
Through highly interactive learning, this experience provides direction and understanding about oppression and inequity in communities and organizations, while also fostering racial literacy and consciousness. Participants will address systems and relationships that bring people together who are collectively working towards a common goal. Using a framework for problem solving and action, this course builds leaders’ capacity to navigate the challenging terrain towards equity, which ultimately enables leaders to take purposeful action.
