Equity
Community
Sustainability
KAPWA CONSULTING
Strategic Equity Advising
From high level strategy to tactics related to data analysis, community engagement, and culture shift, we provide teams custom support in applying an equity lens to their projects. We work from the design phase to implementation, serving as a complement to existing technical experts by leveraging our experience as practitioners with national best practice.
Leadership Coaching
We recognize that an equity leader is not always designated solely by title. We help our clients prepare for the work to come, no matter where they are situated in an organization, and develop the skills to navigate change processes successfully. For individuals who are designated to lead equity as part of their position, we provide support to deal with the unique racialized challenges these positions face.
Equitable Organizational Development
Organizational culture can make or break the resilience of equity initiatives. The Kapwa Team provides support for the development of tools and strategies that normalize equity within the operations and structures that reinforce the culture of an organization. Our background in organizational change management and leadership help clients integrate the long-term benefits of equity into their ongoing operations.
CLIENTS
TESTIMONIALS
"Desirée has been leading the conversation on equity, climate, and sustainability in the public sector for a long time. What stands out is that she speaks and teaches from experience – she knows first-hand what it takes to create change in complex environments."
— Nils Moe, Former Urban Sustainability Directors Network Director
ABOUT
I AM BECAUSE YOU ARE
WHAT WE BELIEVE
Kapwa – The indigenous philosophy that “I am because you are, you are because I am” is captured by this Tagalog word for humanity. The concept reflects the notion that humanity is not an individual experience, but one defined by our relationship to others. This can also be expanded to include our relationship to nature as indigenous wisdom teaches us that nature is part of our broader community. Therefore, the existence of social injustice and climate change are direct indicators that our humanity is at risk.
Equity work is fundamentally about reclaiming our Kapwa. It is the fight to be in "right relationship" with one another and our environment. When we do the work of equity, we are correcting systems that have been designed to divide us through colonialism, slavery, and ongoing institutional racism and bias. These are systems with rules for gaining power and assigning value that have resulted in tragic human and environmental loss.
These broken systems have taken away our ability to act out of love for one another. This idea of love is not a romantic one. It is a work ethic. It is a responsibility to fulfill one’s potential in order to benefit a greater good, and conversely the work to protect the opportunity for others to fulfill their own potential. It is an act of embracing each other for the opportunity of what our collective potential can bring.
Kapwa works with organizations to change systems and leaders to transform organizations so that we can build abundant communities that fulfill our collective potential for shared prosperity and a sustainable future.
CONTACT US
Trusted Partners
