Agenda - 09-02-2010 - 7b - Laserfiche WebLink

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45 Introduction The Social Justice Goal is intended to provide a framework for the Board of County Commissioners (BoCC) and other County government employees, as well as local residents and other stakeholders to ensure that social justice is paramount in decision- and policy-making. Delivering on the Goal will require collaborative efforts at all levels of government; careful allocation of tax dollars; and a personal and collective commitment to the ideology of equal access and equal treatment. To ensure there is common understanding of what social justice is, the Orange County Human Relations Commission has defined social justice in Orange County as a community that actively seeks to eliminate oppression2 and create equal opportunity; where individuals may sufficiently provide for their physical and mental needs and the needs of their dependents; where individuals live in physically and mentally safe communities; where the environment and economy are sustainable and where all are able to participate civically. The Social Justice Goal Impact Review Tool (SJGIRT) is both a process and a tool to identify, evaluate, and communicate the potential impacts -both positive and negative - of a new Orange County policy, program, project, or the modification/revision to an existing policy, program, or project. This tool has three (3) stages: STAGE I WHAT IS THE IMPACT OF THE POLICY/PROGRAM/PROJECT ON THE ELEMENTS OF SOCIAL JUSTICE? The aim of the first stage is to determine whether the proposed policy, program, or project will have an impact on social justice or not. STAGE II ASSESSMENT: WHO IS AFFECTED? This stage identifies who is likely to be affected by the policy/program/project. STAGE III IMPACT REVIEW The third stage involves identifying the impacts of the policy/program/project from a social justice perspective. The goal is to develop a list of likely impacts and actions to ensure that negative impacts are mitigated and positive impacts are enhanced. z Oppression is the systemic and pervasive intentional or unintentional mistreatment of individuals in a disadvantaged group. Institutional imbalances in power contribute to this mistreatment. Oppression involves the systemic use of power to marginalize, exploit, silence, discriminate against, invalidate, deny, dismiss and/or not recognize the complete humanness of those who are members of the disadvantaged group. Stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination support oppression and keep it going. Oppressive systems and ideologies are maintained through discrimination. • Stereotypes are generalizations about groups of people that do not take into account within group differences. • Prejudice is a preference or bias toward or against a group of people based on incomplete or inaccurate information. • Discrimination is active; it is preferential or biased treatment based on stereotypes, prejudice, and /or historical practices. It results in unequal access and/or representation. Puge 1 o f 12