The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers is committed to principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion. First and foremost, this commitment is reflected in our core service of recognizing, empowering, and elevating teen voices. Furthermore, this commitment is also reflected in all levels of the organization, from our efforts to build our staff, Board leadership, and the many partnerships that make our work possible, to our operations and decision-making.
Diversity is represented by a mosaic of individuals from a variety of races, ethnicities, religions, gender expressions, sexualities, geographic backgrounds, cultures, ages, abilities, migrant, and socioeconomic groups. The diversity of our audiences, staff, and the Board provides the Alliance with a variety of perspectives, experience, and resources that help us achieve our goals, and the Alliance’s policy is to value difference in order to maximize each individual’s unique contribution.
We define equity as fair treatment, equality of opportunity, and fairness in access to information and resources. Specific to our core service, we strive to ensure that each teenager has equal opportunity for success, by expanding and removing barriers to participation in the Awards and/or other Alliance programs.
We also define inclusion as the active involvement, participation, representation, and empowerment of the diverse individuals in our community.
Since their founding in 1923, the Awards have been defined by a mission and a vision that are grassroots and inclusive—extending recognition opportunities to those young people who are too often overlooked. Our mission, vision, and values remain, as we adapt to the changing circumstances of the American life in the 21st century, and underlie our commitment to the principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Statement approved by the Board of Directors on January 28, 2020.