BRAVE SPACE
Belonging, Respect, Acceptance, Validity and Equity
What exactly is a BRAVE Space?
“BRAVE” stands for Belonging, Respect, Acceptance, Validity and Equity.
In 2021, thanks to COVID relief funding from the Rhode Island Department of Health, the BRAVE Space project started as a collaborative pilot between the MLK Community Center and the Newport Health Equity Zone LGBTQ+ Health Working Group to create a Safe Zone certification applicable to non-healthcare organizations.
To become BRAVE, participating organizations must examine both client and employee relations and policies and learn how to create a truly safe and welcoming environment for the LGBTQ+ community, all through an intersectional lens. “Intersectionality” here means the ways that systems of inequalities based on gender identity, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disability, class, and other forms of discrimination “intersect” to create unique dynamics and effects.
The goal of the project is to make significant changes in each organization’s culture and create parameters to work toward more equitable policies and procedures in the future.
Together, we can all be BRAVE!