ASTC Policy Statement on Diversity, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Equity
Approved by the ASTC Board of Directors on July 28, 2021
The Association of Science and Technology Centers (ASTC) is committed to advancing equity and social justice as foundational and essential values in all of our work.
These values are essential to the practice of science, technology, and innovation which require seeking out and engaging a diversity of peoples, ideas, perspectives, life experiences, disciplines, knowledge systems, and approaches. ASTC values, and celebrates contributions, discoveries, and novel solutions, regardless of their source. When all people are welcomed, respected, and included in our human pursuits, and when everyone has access and opportunity to pursue their aspirations, and when all people can participate fully and actively in creating and building the future, our association, members, and global society will be more equitable, prosperous, just, and resilient.
We will bring these values to bear across our work, and we will seek teammates, collaborators, board and committee members, and partners who will work to advance diversity, accessibility, inclusion, equity, and social justice in the communities we serve and engage throughout the world.
ASTC’s Work to Prioritize Diversity, Accessibility, Inclusion, and Equity
ASTC believes that diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity are paramount values in our increasingly connected global society. Over the past decades, we have invested in and will continue to invest in action for the field in support of these values—including our Diversity and Leadership Development Fellows Program, our collaborative support of the Cultural Competence Learning Institute, the long-running YouthALIVE! initiative, the focus we place on inclusion in STEM during International Science Center and Science Museum Day, and multiple grant-supported programs focused on broadening participation in our field and in STEM around the world.
From hiring practices to staff development, from governance to member services, we commit to learn from others, develop open and self-reflective processes and operations, and prioritize diversity, accessibility, inclusion, and equity in all aspects of our work. With input from our board, members, and external experts, our we are continually evaluating and implementing operational policies, procedures, and approaches that advance diversity, accessibility, equity, and inclusion. A wide array of perspectives, views, and experiences allows us to be a stronger, more effective, and more creative association and workplace.
It is our hope that ASTC will be recognized by its members and partners as a truly welcoming and inclusive organization, with staff, leadership, and a Board of Directors who bring innovative ideas and approaches that reflect and support the diversity of our members.
In this context, the ASTC Board of Directors has established a Racial Equity and Social Justice Task Force that is charged with developing a set of shared principles to inform ASTC-members’ commitment to advancing racial equity and social justice. The principles developed by this task force are intended to provide ASTC members with a shared vision and common direction for their work to advance racial equity and social justice within their organizations and communities. Read more about the task force.
If you would like to support ASTC’s work in these areas, please consider making a gift to the ASTC Diversity Challenge Fund.