Youth Diversity Pledge
The Youth Diversity Pledge is a quick activity—only requiring 45 minutes to one hour. Throughout this time, your club will discuss the meaning of diversity and how they have experienced the importance of diversity in their own lives. At the end, to show that you have taken the Pledge, your club members can sign a Pledge Card. With this, you can post on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram with the hashtags #YouthDiversityPledge and #AmericanRedCross to spread the word on the importance of diversity in your community. Ask your chapter for more details and feel free to reach out to us with any questions!
The Field Relations Working Group took the Youth Diversity Pledge and so should you!
Read below to see what Diversity means to each Field Relations Working Group member.
Angela Z.: Celebrating diversity is important to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels respected. The youth diversity pledge is a commitment to embracing the individuals around us, who embody unique experiences and backgrounds. When I volunteer with other people, I need to be mindful of their differences and value their contributions. It is with the diverse perspectives of our volunteers that we as an organization can better serve the diverse communities around us.
Michelle G.: As humans, we all have similarities and differences – whether that be sexual orientation, religion or ethnicity, etc… when we embrace those similarities and differences, it makes us stronger. Diversity is having a range of different backgrounds allowing for an influx of different ideas and collaboration. I believe everyone should be respected for their distinctive skills, experiences, and values because that makes a group stronger. The youth diversity pledge acknowledges that the Red Cross wants volunteers and the organization to be inclusive and accepting of everyone’s background, which I think makes the American Red Cross an amazing organization to be a part of.
Cody T.: How curious our world is, in all its glory, that we can all be so unique, yet so strikingly similar. Standing here today, I could never imagine the countless peoples, experiences, and stories that exist. In history, the story goes that we are divided into our constituencies, to which we are members of and can never leave. The idea of diversity challenges us to think differently, something that’s needed in our world. Where ideas clash, disputes never end, and antagonism runs rampant, the forces of unity and cooperation hide in shadows. It’s up to us to bring them into the light and to promote the general welfare and working for the common goals of mankind. Embracing the differences that make each one of us one-of-a-kind yet becoming empowered by that which brings us together—that’s the key. To accept it, with gracious and open arms, will be the first step to unlocking that wondrous portal toward a brighter future.
Ivy K.: Personally, diversity is one of my favorite concepts, because I think that it is such a beautiful phenomenon, and I love that the Red Cross community incorporates this into all of its aspects. I grew up in an area where the majority of the population shared a similar background, and I often didn’t feel comfortable expressing my differences (e.g. being a low-income, first-generation college student, etc.); however, ever since I entered college, I have met so many kind, welcoming, and inspirational individuals from all different backgrounds, and it has been so enlightening learning about so many societal divisions that I had never been exposed to previously. Moreover, I love how, collectively, everyone on my campus is so incredibly accepting and respectful of everyone’s differences, and it reminds me a lot of the Red Cross principles of impartiality, neutrality, unity, and universality, which I want to strive to uphold more as I volunteer.
Additionally, the Youth Diversity Pledge discussion facilitation is a heartwarming activity that really hits home for me — for the past two summers, I have served as a New Student Advisor (i.e. new student orientation leader) for UCLA, and one of the discussions we facilitate with our groups during our sessions is structured almost identically to the one for the youth diversity pledge. I think it’s a wonderful way to establish a sense of community and bring people closer together both in the moment and in future endeavors.
Sujai J.: We often hear the word “diversity,” but only a few truly understand this word’s meaning. Diversity isn’t just word to describe a group of people with different cultural, political, and socioeconomic backgrounds- but instead, it is a word establishing a community between these different people. At the American Red Cross, we have a global base of volunteers as well as a worldwide support network, meaning that to help our communities, we need to truly understand the distinct parts that create them. The Youth Diversity Pledge does exactly this. It cements our organization as a pioneer in building bridges with all sorts of different people. Our Red Cross values aren’t for one gender, race, or ethnicity. In our increasingly interconnected world, the Youth Diversity Pledge helps volunteers connect with and serve their communities and their nation.
