Rachel Rosen, founder of SPARK Equity in Action, believes that everyone’s story counts. A seasoned facilitator and DEI strategist, she is committed to helping people work better together — and with a community-centered approach grounded in theory and practice, she is doing just that one intentional conversation at a time.

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and how you came to found SPARK Equity in Action.

From as early as I can remember, I’ve always been fascinated by and super curious about what it takes to get people to come together across all of our differences. Sometimes we have to live things to truly understand them, and my journey into diversity, equity, inclusion, anti-racism, and belonging (DEIAB) work began during my tenure as a teacher and school administrator in Oakland, California. I saw and experienced inequities my students faced firsthand, which ignited my passion for learning more about the conditions and fostering more inclusive environments. Recognizing that I had a lot to learn, I pursued a master’s degree and focused on educational leadership and organizational development. The more I learned, the more questions I had, and the more questions I had, the more I began creating solutions. In 2017, I founded SPARK Equity in Action with a vision that was grounded in helping people be better together. Our mission has always been to spark and sustain conversations and strategies that ignite more equitable and inclusive conditions, one connection at a time. Our work emphasizes activating awareness, taking intentional action, and integrating accountability as vehicles for sustaining the change we want to see.

You have some core values, the five I’s, that guide everything you do. Can you talk about those?

Yes! The five I’s — inclusion, integrity, innovation, introspection, and intentionality — are the core values that underpin all of my work as a leader and all that we do at SPARK Equity in Action.

• Inclusion: I deeply believe that everyone’s story matters and that diverse perspectives enrich our communities.
• Integrity: I believe it’s important to walk the talk and do the work alongside my clients and colleagues. This work is more than a job. It guides my way of being in the world.
• Innovation: Creativity is an engine for progress. I always strive to develop responsive and innovative solutions to complex DEIAB challenges.
• Introspection: I am a work in progress and always learning. I have biases and blind spots, so I engage in continuous self-reflection as well as thorough preparation, planning, and debriefs to stay in alignment.
• Intentionality: This is at the heart of everything I do. Words matter deeply with DEIAB work, so I try to approach everything with purpose and take deliberate steps so that I can make sure my intent matches with my impact.

These values guide both my way of being as well as our interactions and strategies, ensuring that we remain aligned with our mission to ignite equitable and inclusive change.

You lead with a collaborative, community-centered approach. Can you explain what that means in practice?

To me, a collaborative, community-centered approach involves engaging stakeholders in the DEIAB process. There’s no checkbox or cookie-cutter approach in the way we work. We work alongside organizations to co-create strategies that reflect their unique cultures and needs, fostering a sense of ownership and collective responsibility. We also take time to build trust and strengthen bonds through inclusive community-building experiences, as trust is a necessary condition for sustainable DEIAB progress. In practice, this could look like tailoring each session we facilitate to the folks in the room. It also could look like asking in advance which voices need to be involved and which voices are impacted by the conversation at hand. No matter what, our facilitation style creates a container to have intentional conversations that serve as vehicles for change, ensuring that all the diverse voices in the room are heard and valued.

You’ve described DEIAB work as being “head and heart work.” What exactly do you mean by that?

To me, “head and heart work” means that this is not just a cognitive exercise. We can’t divorce our identities from this conversation, so this highlights the necessity of integrating intellectual understanding with emotional engagement. The “head” aspect involves learning, acquiring knowledge about systemic inequities, understanding historical contexts, and developing strategic approaches to foster inclusion. The “heart” aspect requires self-awareness, empathy, curiosity, and a genuine connection with others’ experiences. This allows DEIAB principles, pillars, and/or goals to not only be understood, but deeply felt and authentically practiced.

In your e-book Inclusion Starts with “I,” you wrote, “People experience and contribute to racism, inequities, and a lack of inclusion on three different levels: individual, structural, and institutional. That means change requires us to work on those three levels as well.” Can you elaborate on that?

This is a longer conversation, but at a high level, addressing DEIAB challenges necessitates interventions at multiple levels:

• Individual: This involves personal reflection and growth, recognizing one’s biases, and committing to behaving more inclusively with our words and our actions.
• Structural: This pertains to the teams, systems, and norms that perpetuate biases and inequities. This is the place individual biases begin to be reinforced or interrupted, and this is where cultural narratives can live.
• Institutional: This focuses on the specific practices, policies, patterns, and cultures within organizations and systems that unintentionally or intentionally contribute to biases, exclusion, or inequities. Oftentimes, folks inherit these institutional barriers, and they’re so insidious and institutionalized it can even be hard to see them.

Bottom line, effective DEIAB work requires simultaneous efforts across all three levels. Individuals must engage in self-reflection and learning, teams need to assess and work on making their internal practices more inclusive and equitable, and there is almost always a need for broader systemic changes to dismantle entrenched inequities and biases.

Folks can take several steps to enhance their personal DEIAB journey:

• Self-education: Engage with resources that broaden understanding of DEIAB concepts, such as books, workshops, and webinars.
• Reflective practice: Regularly assess personal biases and behaviors, seeking feedback from peers and mentors.
• Active engagement: Participate in or initiate discussions about DEIAB topics within the community, fostering an environment of learning and growth.
• Advocacy: Champion inclusive practices and policies, even if the broader organization has not yet prioritized them.

No matter a person’s role, we can all ignite positive change, and individuals contribute to the culture, regardless of the organization’s stance on DEIAB.

Whether or not a camp professional is working for a camp/organization that is proactively and openly striving for equity and inclusion, what are some steps they can take to work on their own personal awareness, accountability, and action?

I always start with and come back to our three foundational levers for change: awareness, accountability, and action. We can all take steps to enhance and improve the following areas.

• Activate awareness: Develop a habit of self-reflection and education. This could include reading, attending trainings/webinars, listening to diverse perspectives, and reflecting on how personal experiences or biases shape your worldview. It’s important that we all engage in spaces that challenge our assumptions and foster our growth.
• Intentional action: Commit to tangible steps that align with your values. This could start with a simple pause before talking, or checking an assumption before speaking, or asking a clarifying question before assuming, or using your voice to amplify marginalized perspectives. Curiosity and listening are our golden tools in this work. I always say “micro-moments lead to macro-changes” and I mean it. It truly is the small actions — like asking the right question, or creating space for someone to share their story, or asking HR about a policy that doesn’t seem to be equitable — every little step can have a big impact.
• Integrate accountability: Find ways to solicit feedback and track your progress. This might mean partnering with a trusted colleague or mentor and asking them to provide honest feedback about something specific. This could also look like setting personal goals around inclusive practices and having someone hold you accountable for taking the steps you said you’d take or creating an accountability group where you can learn and grow with peers.

Ultimately, whether or not an organization is fully on board with DEIAB work, individuals can lead by example and inspire others to follow. A blazing campfire always starts with a single spark.

You have a great quote from Inga Beale (former CEO of Lloyd’s of London) in your e-book Inclusion Has Us in It: “We all have the ability to promote a culture of acceptance and inclusion — and that is something I believe every leader has a responsibility to do. It starts with having a dialogue until we are all comfortable and no longer have the fear of saying the wrong thing.” That fear is so real and sometimes so debilitating. What advice can you offer to camp leaders about how to allay that fear to achieve more open, honest, two-way communication?

I get it, and I have been there! The fear of saying the wrong thing runs so deep and often stems from a fear of being judged or causing unintended harm. To foster open, honest communication, camp leaders can focus on three principles: intentionality, humility, and courage.

1. Intentionality: Create deliberate community agreements and be explicit about wanting to foster an environment where mistakes are seen as opportunities to learn, not as reasons for shame. Take time to co-create clear norms around dialogue that prioritize curiosity, respect, and growth.
2. Humility: Acknowledge that no one knows everything and that missteps are part of the process. As leaders, it’s so important that we model the behaviors we want to see. To me that means actively listening, embodying the SPARK stance, apologizing when needed, and learning openly.
3. Courage: Push past the discomfort by focusing on the bigger picture. DEIAB work isn’t about perfection — it’s about progress. Lead by example, and encourage leaders and staff to step into these conversations with grace and a willingness to improve.

To build trust, we as leaders have to start by practicing vulnerability ourselves. A simple first step can be to share your own learning journey and invite others to share theirs. When people feel safe to make mistakes, they are more likely to engage fully and authentically.

You wrote that “listening is the connective tissue that builds and supports relational trust across cultural differences” and that “we don’t just listen with our ears.” Can you explain what you mean?

• Listening is truly one of the power tools for DEIAB work and relationships in general. Research backs this up too. And I believe active listening is a multidimensional practice. When I say we “don’t just listen with our ears,” I mean that true listening requires attention to both verbal and nonverbal communication, as well as an awareness of context and emotions. This requires:
• Listening with your ears: Pay attention to what is being said. This includes the words, tone, and intention behind the speaker’s message.
• Listening with your eyes: Observe body language, facial expressions, and other nonverbal cues that provide insight into how someone is feeling or experiencing the conversation.
• Listening with your heart: Approach conversations with empathy, curiosity, and a genuine desire to understand the other person’s perspective, even if it differs from your own.
• Listening with your whole self: Be fully present in the moment. This means silencing your internal dialogue, setting aside judgments, and resisting the urge to formulate a response while the other person is speaking.

This isn’t easy! I’m a work in progress every day, but I believe this holistic approach to listening fosters deeper understanding and connection, building the trust necessary to bridge cultural differences and work toward inclusion.

Any other pearls of wisdom you think are important for the camp community to keep in mind?

Here are the first things that come to mind:

Prioritize relationships over quick fixes: Sustainable DEIAB work is about cultivating trust and fostering genuine relationships. Take the time to truly know your staff, campers, and community.

• Start small, but start somewhere: You don’t need to have a perfect plan to begin. Small, consistent steps toward inclusion can ripple outward and create significant change over time. #micromomentsmacrochange
• Celebrate progress, not perfection: DEIAB work is a journey, not a destination. Celebrate milestones along the way, and use setbacks as opportunities to learn and grow.
• Leverage the power of storytelling: Stories create connection. Share personal stories of growth and resilience, and invite others to do the same. This can create a shared sense of purpose and belonging.
• Center joy in your work: Remember that inclusion isn’t just about solving problems; it’s about creating spaces where everyone can thrive and feel a sense of joy and belonging. Approach the work with hope, creativity, and a belief in the possibility of transformation.

Hopefully, these reminders support us all to create environments that are not only inclusive, but also deeply enriching and inspiring for everyone involved.

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Photo courtesy of Cheley Colorado Camps, Estes Park, CO.

Interview conducted by Marcia Ellett, editor in chief of Camping Magazine.