Focus on Equity: ASE Internships | For Mentors | ASE | Saturday Academy

For Mentors

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Saturday Academy's Commitment to Equity

Saturday Academy is dedicated to working towards a society without systemic disadvantages based on race, ability, age, gender expression and identity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We recognize that these identities can intersect and that advocating for all is essential to make progress towards equity.

We acknowledge that we can do better to inspire all young people to pursue life-long learning and critical thinking, and we are committed to continuous improvement. We are working to identify and amend the ways that dominant culture, privilege (e.g. white privilege) and implicit bias occur in our workplace environment, our recruitment of instructors, mentors, and students, and in educational spaces. We know there is a lot of work to do, and our goals will continue to change and grow.

Equity in our organization means breaking down systemic barriers and making our programs accessible to all. We aim to foster an inclusive climate in our workplace, classes, camps, and internships, where people with any identity and background will feel that they belong. We must provide learning communities where children can explore their curiosity while feeling heard, respected, and safe. To achieve this, we must communicate openly with one another and with our broader community.

Read our full equity statement here.

The Invaluable Role of Mentorship

Having a supportive, culturally aware mentor is one of the most valuable assets anyone can have as they start out in a career in STEM. This means understanding how culture has shaped your own beliefs and those of your mentees, and being responsive to the lived experiences and specific needs of your mentees. Here we ask you, as an ASE mentor, to engage with the resources in each step to the left & reflect on how you can help your intern(s) to have an inclusive, positive and impactful experience in your workplace. Please click through the flags to read and watch selected resources, and complete a short reflection in step 5 to conclude the training. See step 6 for further reading materials on Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, & the systemic exclusion of certain groups from STEM.

To understand why our commitment to and work on equity is important, we turn to this picture painted by Rukaiyah Adams about the history of wealth inequality in America. Rukaiyah Adams is the Chief Investment Officer at Meyer Memorial Trust. Please click here to watch Homegirls’ guide to being powerful | Rukaiyah Adams | TEDxMtHood (14 min). You will be asked to reflect on it in step 5.

Optional

For a deeper dive, watch the PBS Documentary "Against All Odds: The Fight for the Black Middle Class" (1 hour, 15 minutes). Journalist Bon Herbert discusses "the harsh and often brutal discrimination that has made it extremely difficult for African-Americans to establish a middle-class standard of living, while also exploring the often heroic efforts of Black families to pursue the American Dream in the face of unrelenting barriers".