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Has your <br />organization <br />undergone any <br />Diversity, Equity, and <br />Inclusion (DEI) <br />training? If so, <br />please explain. If not, <br />please explain any <br />barriers that have <br />prevented you from <br />receiving this <br />training. <br />SKJAJA is a small but mighty local organization historically fueled by a <br />diverse group of committed volunteers. Dedicated to learning and growing <br />individually and as a team, 5 members of SKJAJA’s Board of Directors <br />attended a DEIA training hosted by the Orange County Arts Commission in <br />Spring of this year, with gratitude for OCAC’s shared equity commitments <br />and the opportunity to learn alongside our peers. 90% of SKJAJA’s Board <br />has participated in DEI training outside of SKJAJA. 50% of our Board <br />identifies as BIPOC, and/or has worked in primarily BIPOC youth spaces <br />for 75+ years collectively. Two of our Board members are long-time public <br />school music educators who center the elevation of marginalized students <br />in their professions and life’s work. <br />In 2020, SKJAJA was grateful to benefit from an angel donor who made a <br />significant contribution to capacity building for the organization. The funds <br />were leveraged to hire SKJAJA’s first professional Executive Director in <br />fall 2021. Karen Kalafatas brings 20+ years of arts and non-profit <br />management to the role, including extensive arts and DEI advocacy <br />experience. In 2020, Karen co-founded Family Music Forward (FMF), a <br />collective dedicated to creating safe and inclusive spaces in children’s <br />media industry. FMF is best known for its successful advocacy work with <br />the Recording Academy which resulted in a dismantling and restructuring of <br />racially biased voting practices for the Grammy Awards. Karen’s DEIA <br />training deepened when she taught performing arts at an elementary school <br />serving primarily BIPOC youth in the 2010s. She continues to learn and <br />lead in DEIA principles as part of her personal equity journey. <br />The pandemic was a time of change and re-setting for the organization. <br />Over the last two years, with a strong ED-Board partnership, the <br />organization has doubled its budget, and tripled its core programming. It <br />also created In-School Arts Field Trips with an equity lens to create <br />meaningful and culturally relevant arts experiences for marginalized youth, <br />for which we are applying for funds today. Nearly all of the artists engaged <br />in this program identify as BIPOC to reflect our school communities, <br />children and families. The SKJAJA Board is currently engaged in a multi- <br />year strategic plan to grow this program, which centers dignity and a deep <br />commitment to honoring and elevating the families we serve. To this end, <br />continued DEI training and learning will undoubtedly be a continued priority <br />for the organization. <br />During FY22-23, will <br />your organization <br />receive operational <br />support funding from <br />the North Carolina <br />Arts Council or the <br />North Carolina <br />Department of <br />Natural and Cultural <br />Resources? <br />No <br />Organization's EIN 262821484.0 <br />DocuSign Envelope ID: 1EE72BC9-3696-4D96-BE50-AC3605C16998