ATA’s Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Action Plan consists of specific long-term goals to work towards transforming our workplace, programs, and industries to be more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive. Every employee contributes to this work, and at the end of every year we come together as an organization to evaluate our progress. Department leaders’ progress reports and goals for the future are evaluated anonymously by volunteers at every level of the organization before being published in preparation for the next year’s work. After two years of hard work, intensive review, and lessons learned, we expanded the scope of our work, originally called the Anti-Racist Action Plan.
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2023 Q1 Newsletter
ATA’s Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Action Plan consists of specific long-term goals to work towards transforming our workplace, programs, and industries to be more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive. Every employee contributes to this work, and at the end of every year we come together as an organization to evaluate our progress. Department leaders’ progress reports and goals for the future are evaluated anonymously by volunteers at every level of the organization before being published in preparation for the next year’s work. After two years of hard work, intensive review, and lessons learned, we expanded the scope of our work, originally called the Anti-Racist Action Plan.
2022 JEDI Annual Review
ATA’s Justice, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (JEDI) Action Plan consists of specific long-term goals to work towards transforming our workplace, programs, and industries to be more just, equitable, diverse, and inclusive. Every employee contributes to this work, and at the end of every year we come together as an organization to evaluate our progress. Department leaders’ progress reports and goals for the future are evaluated anonymously by volunteers at every level of the organization before being published in preparation for the next year’s work. After two years of hard work, intensive review, and lessons learned, we expanded the scope of our work, originally called the Anti-Racist Action Plan.
2022 Year in Review
A Year of Firsts! As 2022 comes to a close, we look back on the many ways that our year astonished, changed, and motivated us! In Educational Travel We operated over 40 programs in 2022, and 14 were with new partners! These included Wondrium, Boca Grande Community Center, ArtNews, Zagat, Decanter, Chautauqua, Road & Track and The First Division Museum. The Rhone Valley’s diversity of wines attracted an international audience ready to taste the rich Viogniers of Condrieu, the wild Syrahs of Cornas, and the glorious Grenaches of Gigondas. (Decanter magazine) Two trips—to Iceland and New Orleans—showcased the resilience and adaptation of local populations in the face of climate change. (Chautauqua Institution) An epic, four-country performing arts patron trip arrived in London two hours after Queen Elizabeth’s death was announced, and travelers were treated to a unique experience unlike anything they could have ever planned. (The Philadelphia Orchestra) A group of very lucky history aficionados followed in the footsteps of the US Army’s heroic 1st Infantry Division to the World War II battlefields in France. (First Division Museum) In Study Abroad After two+ years of program closures and interruptions, many of our programs came roaring back with record-setting enrollment to Florence, Czech Republic, Taiwan, and Japan. This fall, in cooperation with the University of Minnesota, a review committee comprised of faculty and study abroad professionals traveled to Jordan and evaluated every aspect of our Arabic language program, from orientation to faculty development and support. We’re pleased that their final report gave the program such high marks, particularly in the areas of academics and student services! Four of our US-based staff recently hosted a well-attended webinar that focused on the future of study abroad in Greater China. When will the mainland open to study abroad, and what will be the health/safety concerns once students can return? Our experts shared their thoughts on these timely questions! New Relationships We welcomed the following new partners to the ATA family in 2022: Our Priorities in DC: JEDI (Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) and Sustainability On the JEDI front In 2022, we spent time reflecting on the first two years of our Anti-Racist Action Plan—what worked well, what didn’t, and who’s voice was left out—and internally launched a new JEDI Action Plan that continues to involve all staff. We hosted three “Food for Thought” discussions and a JEDI book club and attended Diversity Abroad’s conference. On the Sustainability front We’re thrilled to announce that our decarbonization fund, in partnership with Cool Effect, is investing in three projects this year in Honduras, Indonesia and Tennessee. We also participated in the US Tour Operator Association’s inaugural “Sustainability is Responsibility” Summit in Bodo, Norway. Our Incredible Team Previous Next The hybrid office model we introduced in the spring balances flexibility with the in-person togetherness we seek from each other. Next year, we will be piloting a new reduced hours work schedule. Heartened by data coming from organizations such as Four Day Week Global, we are eager to join other firms who see the social, economic and climate benefits of this move. With fresh passion and commitment to our partners, students and travelers in 2023, we send you our heartfelt thanks and best wishes for the year ahead. Chase Poffenberger
Walking The Talk: Weaving Sustainability, Diversity and Inclusion Into Trip Themes
ATA’s Program Team has the company’s dual priorities of sustainability and diversity & inclusion at the front of their minds when they design new programs. These goals are connected, as poverty and inequity are threats to sustainability and marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by the effects of climate change. Therefore, when we find partner organizations who are interested in uplifting underrepresented voices and developing products to ensure travel experiences are more inclusive of and speak to these audiences, we are also considering the impact these programs will have on the environment. So how exactly does our Program team weave these themes into new programs?
Cuba Never Fails to Surprise Us
In late October, Hector Cruz Feliciano, Director of Latin American Programs at ATA’s study abroad division (CET), and I met in Havana for a week of exploration. Our goal was to see…
