The SCTA has made it a strategic priority to promote Diversity and Inclusion throughout our Section, emphasizing inclusion. Inclusion means leveraging the power of diversity in a respectful environment that encourages all to participate and contribute to further our mission.We want to create inclusion throughout the SCTA and our tennis community. The SCTA will invest resources and use processes to build a more diverse tennis community. We will work with community groups in implementing programs and services that meet their needs via our adult, junior and marketing department.
We will implement engagement councils to help promote inclusion throughout the Section. The councils will make sure that inclusion of differences is embedded in the SCTA mission and goals. Among our immediate areas of focus will be Hispanic Outreach. To be successful, we will put in place a Hispanic Engagement Council that will include staff, our Diversity and Inclusion committee, board members and tennis & non-tennis community leaders.
At the SCTA we want our tennis community to show the unique diversity that makes Southern California so great. We are striving for diversity in ethnicity, age, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic background and everything else that makes our Section great. To carry out our mission, we will strive to remove barriers and create opportunities wherever we can.
One of the biggest assets we have to create opportunities is building upon the success of our NJTL program. We offer the program at 50 sites year-round and 150 sites during the summer and service over 10,000 kids throughout the year. The program gives kids an opportunity to learn tennis for a nominal fee and removes any barriers to try tennis. We will continue to grow our NJTL program and continue to remove barriers and make sure we are giving ALL kids the chance for future opportunities.
Diversity and Inclusion is and will be a top priority for the SCTA and will be part of all that we do.
If you want to help us with our mission to be inclusive, please contact me and tell me what you think at esmith@scta.usta.com
“We are less when we don’t include everyone,” Stuart Milk