{"id":727092,"date":"2025-01-12T19:59:12","date_gmt":"2025-01-13T03:59:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=arcnews&p=727092"},"modified":"2025-01-12T14:36:28","modified_gmt":"2025-01-12T22:36:28","slug":"creating-a-culture-of-care-in-geography","status":"publish","type":"arcnews","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/arcnews\/creating-a-culture-of-care-in-geography","title":{"rendered":"Creating a Culture of Care in Geography"},"author":5752,"featured_media":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","castos_file_data":"","podmotor_file_id":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[461441,430081,282062],"tags":[11062,1631,1621,209142,276802],"arcnews_issues":[491292],"class_list":["post-727092","arcnews","type-arcnews","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-equity-social-justice","category-from-the-meridian","category-geography","tag-aag","tag-collaboration","tag-communication","tag-geographers","tag-higher-education","arcnews_issues-winter-2025","arcnews_sections-gis-people"],"acf":{"short_description":"AAG has developed a set of inventory- and listening-based tools for assessing and addressing care work within departments and institutions.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Whether pinpointing the impacts of global events or mapping various conditions that affect societies and ecosystems, geographers, like other researchers, strive to be accurate, objective, and credible. Yet there are other crucial and complementary values that can be elevated as well to strengthen research, such as committing to fairness, mentorship, and connection and striving to support the whole person. These values are the backbone of a care-focused approach to supporting geographers of all backgrounds so they can flourish in long and fruitful careers.\r\n\r\nHow is it possible to balance rigor and care in research while also staying attuned to and addressing geographers\u2019 less visible needs, particularly those of people who have been\u2014and still are\u2014underrepresented? The American Association of Geographers (AAG) took on this challenge when it piloted a toolkit called TLC GRAM, which stands for training<\/em>, listening<\/em>, communications<\/em>, governance<\/em>, reports<\/em>, advocacy<\/em>, and membership<\/em>. It is as set of inventory- and listening-based tools for assessing and addressing care work within a department or institution."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":728952,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"When I first designed this toolkit with the AAG committee that\u2019s focused on fostering inclusion and promoting fairness, the intent was to guide AAG\u2019s own efforts to fulfill its strategic plan, which recognizes inclusion and fairness as essential to strengthening the geography discipline. Now, the toolkit is contributing to the creation of a framework for building a culture of care across the field of geography. It addresses the value of listening; exchanging diverse perspectives; and building on existing practices to advance institutional support for employees, faculty, and students."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

What Is a Culture of Care?<\/h2>\r\nA culture of care, as defined by the Othering and Belonging Institute at the University of California, Berkeley, involves intentionally engaging in practices that foster connection and growth. This includes \u201cbridging\u201d\u2014creating an ongoing feedback loop between idealistic policies and their real-world application in communities, as shaped by people\u2019s lived experiences.\r\n\r\nA culture of care exists within, despite, and often because of uncaring conditions that might otherwise prevail. The institute encourages people to proactively examine and address how systems either embody or fall short of care. In this sense, a culture of care is viewed as a positive, generative type of resistance and adaptation."},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"

Bringing Care to the Forefront<\/h2>\r\nThe TLC GRAM toolkit helps leaders elevate the act of caring for colleagues by conducting focused listening sessions with collaborators\u2014such as employees, faculty, students, or community members\u2014and then analyzing the care strategies identified during those listening sessions to carefully measure outcomes. Anyone filling out the toolkit worksheet is encouraged to list the caring strategies or practices they have already planned or implemented and assess which of the following domains they may show up in:\r\n

Caring Domains (TLC)<\/h3>\r\n