Cultivating Inclusivity: Embedding Equity and Belonging in Illinois Extension

The Living Our Values series for Illinois Extension staff is designed to explore and celebrate the core values that guide our work and define our impact: Collaboration, Credibility, Inclusivity, and Learning. These sessions help to enhance a shared understanding of the values that drive Illinois Extension's mission, provide practical insights and examples of how staff can apply these values through daily work, and foster a stronger sense of community and alignment among Extension staff across the state.

Presenter: Cultivating Inclusivity (recorded April 20, 2025) • Camaya Wallace Bechard, Assistant Director for Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Access

Time stamps:

00:01 Welcome and introductions 

05:58 Inclusivity as a core value and the historical mission of land-grant institutions

10:50 Organizational inclusion definition and benefits

17:39 Enabling vs. restricting practices in organizations

23:06 Workplace and workspace dynamics

25:25 Internal inclusion

28:33 Community inclusion

34:03 How do we live our value of inclusivity?

38:49 Strategies for living inclusively

49:49 Practices to promote inclusivity

54:14 Summary and reflection