A recent message from Looking Glass’ Cultural Awareness and Equity Committee (CAEC):
Here is another quarterly nomination to recognize Looking Glass staff members who exhibit the agency’s value and focus on cultural awareness and equity in their daily work within our programs and community, where each nominee is entered into a quarterly drawing for $100 VISA gift card. We appreciate all of Looking Glass staff persistence, hard work ethics, contributions and efforts! Here are our recent nominations:
Batina Pitts
“Who holds staff and youth accountable by encouraging them to be the best version of themselves. Batina always thinks about the best interests of her staff and youth, and makes sure that everyone is heard and seen. She also has no problem respectfully calling out staff and youth for pre-existing biases and/or behaviors they may possess and challenges them to think about how their thinking impairs their perceptions of others. She is also just, generally, an awesome person and presence to be around!”
Ethan Deghelder
“Ethan has went above and beyond to always be respectful and compassionate with our youth from all walks of life. He spends a lot of time educating himself and our youth in a way that they can both understand. If he is ever not aware of a youth’s culture/background or practice he will seek guidance/ answers in a professional and positive way. Ethan is always very careful of his approach to ensure that he is always showing an immense amount of cultural awareness and appreciation.”
Claire Nolan
“Claire does an amazing job meeting and supporting our kids where they are at in a clinical setting. She inspires our kids to take a stand and use their voice to stand up for others who may not possess the same privileges they may have. She really has helped cultivate an open-minded environment where youth can either ask her or floor staff any questions. When it comes to Claire, youth know they will not be met with criticism due to the work she has completed with floor staff about holding space for our youth. She encourages our youth to ask difficult questions that may help them see outside of their own experiences.”
Temple Kirk-Patten
“Anytime I speak with Temple; they are just a wealth of knowledge about so many things. A great person to have around the office!”
Cindy Rojas Villagomez
“This individual advocates for cultural awareness and expression of individual identity within our program. One day while working with Cindy, she discussed her cultural identity and heritage with the youth. She then praised the youth who told about their own cultural backgrounds and individual identities.”
Daisy Pesak
“As our cultural awareness representative, Daisy has gone above and beyond when giving the youth the opportunity to expand their knowledge of other cultures and communities. Daisy has thrived in creating a safe and comfortable atmosphere to discuss even some hard topics with our youth everyday of the week when they are here.”
Becca Pangborn
“Supports and educates youth on various cultural topics. They advocate for our youth and make sure that they are treated appropriately and treat each other appropriately, as well as providing a safe environment for our youth to learn about cultural diversity, without judgement.”
Congratulations!
Looking Glass Cultural Awareness & Equity Committee
“all human beings are born FREE and EQUAL in dignity and RIGHTS.” — International Human Rights Day