Virginia Planners for Ethnic and Cultural Diversity (ECDC) is an educational and networking committee within the Virginia Chapter of the American Planning Association (APA).
ECDC is VAPA’s response to the challenges identified at the Diversity Summits sponsored by APA at those last two National Conferences. APA’s leadership has renewed its commitment to ensure that our membership enjoys the benefits of a strong and diverse work force. VAPA, under the leadership of President Denise Harris, has taken this initiative one step further with the creation of a new committee.
The Ethnic and Cultural Diversity Committee of VAPA was inspired by the success of a similar committee created by a New York chapter more than ten years ago. However, our initiative has its own flavor, color and identity. Many of our programs and initiatives are original ideas that have resulted from the enthusiastic participation of many VAPA members.
ECDC’s mission is: “the active promotion of diversity among Virginia planners and planning-related organizations recognizing the unique values and perspectives that diversity brings to the workplace and work product and the promotion of diversity by establishing an ongoing forum for networking and education related to diversity and the Planning profession”.
Although the primary target audiences for several ECDC projects are minorities, we believe that promoting diversity is an “all inclusive” effort. ECDC intends to be a resource for those who are in a position to mentor and nurture diversity in the work place regardless of whether they are minorities. Experiences with inter-ethnic and multicultural communities are skills that have a broad to appeal to professional planners even if they don’t belong to any specific minority group.
