DIVERSITY – Diversity

At MARS, we endeavor to cultivate a culture that includes people of all backgrounds and divergent perspectives to create a fair and impartial organization and community that promotes anti-racism and fosters belonging.  We remain vigilant in our efforts to be equitable through the promotion of IDEA+B, while exemplifying anti-racism and promoting true belonging.  MARS understands that all aspects of IDEA+B – Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism + Belonging – are essential to realizing our mission to serve our community, especially underserved populations, by providing accessible mediation, restorative practices, and housing resource navigation services.  MARS strives to promote a larger community of conflict resolution through training and education about the application and goals of ADR.

MARS purposefully reflects IDEA+B internally across the composition of its leadership, staff, and volunteers to create this culture of Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, Anti-Racism, and Belonging.  We strive to exemplify our mission and reflect the individuals and communities MARS serves by nurturing an internal structure and culture of IDEA+B that can be advanced externally to spread across Anoka County and beyond.  Incorporating the diverse voices of MARS’ stakeholders and the community we serve in an equitable manner and creating a safe environment are important to MARS’ mission.  We value and engage in exposing ourselves to divergent ideas, values, and beliefs by employing our diverse Staff, Volunteers, Community Partners, service area, Advisory Board, and Board of Directors.  MARS intentionally serves people of all backgrounds including, but not limited to ability, age, appearance, caretaker status, country of origin/geographic background, creed, culture, education, ethnicity, gender identity, language, learning style/ability, marital/relationship status, military experience, occupation, personality, race, sex, sexual identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background, and any other characteristic(s) that compose an individual’s identity and/or self-expression.  MARS has also deliberately branched out to include an international roster of volunteers to help us diversify and gain new perspectives. 

Combatting all forms of racism is important to MARS.  We work to disrupt internalized/personal, interpersonal, institutional, and structural racism, which are all forms of prejudice, discrimination, bias, or antagonism against a person based on their race, including physical characteristic(s), ethnicity, and culture ascribed to an individual based on geography.

• Internalized or Personal Racism is an individual’s (internalized) beliefs, prejudice, and ideas of another individual or group of individuals, often observed or expressed through such actions as microaggressions.
• Interpersonal Racism is expressed person-to-person through bullying, verbal harassment, and negative thoughts toward the other individual.
• Institutional Racism is systemic discrimination by a political, economic, or legal institution or system often as a result of outdated systems that reinforce inequalities, most commonly seen today in education, court and corrections, wealth distribution, healthcare, and civil rights.
• Structural Racism differs from institutional, referring to a societal law, rule, or official policy that result in or continues to support the unfair advantage or harmful treatment of others based on race or ethnicity, including xenophobia (bias against people from a specific country(-ies) and white privilege.

A benefit of MARS’ diverse network of stakeholders and clients is that it ensures we are mindful of the multitude of barriers against minorities and traditionally underrepresented or excluded peoples.  MARS hears from individuals with unique lived experiences and perspectives, allowing for a more inclusive and conscientious organization.

We hope that these intentional efforts and considerations to achieve our goal to be more inclusive, diverse, equitable, and anti-racist will help to foster a feeling of belonging among our stakeholders in a secure, supportive, and accepting environment.