The Florida Trail Association (FTA) welcomes everyone. As an organization, we advocate for issues that further the interest of the Florida Trail and our mission. The FTA commits to welcoming and embracing all forms of diversity within our community of trail users, volunteers, members, staff, and partner organizations. This includes, but is not limited to, diversity of race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, veteran status, age, political affiliation, socioeconomic status, and outdoor experience/ability.
Our organization is working internally, and collaboratively with our partners, to:
• Acknowledge that many demographic groups are underrepresented within the FTA community.
• Identify barriers to becoming involved with our organization or hiking our network of trails, and reduce those barriers to the greatest extent possible.
• Recognize that there have been historical injustices that have prevented people from accessing Florida’s public lands. We view these obstacles as moral opportunities to bridge gaps for underrepresented communities.
• Acknowledge original inhabitants of Florida and their historic legacy to Florida’s public lands.
• Establish an expectation of mutual respect in the interactions that happen across our Association.
• Foster an inclusive community that values and engages the perspectives and contributions of all individuals beyond social, political, and cultural boundaries.
• Encourage all trail advocates and enthusiasts to join us in investing time in broadening our understanding of systemic barriers.
The FTA is actively working toward these goals, and we welcome feedback on how we can achieve them more effectively. We recognize that our individual actions and words do matter. We are committed to perpetual growth and learning and will continually observe successes and mistakes in our efforts to enhance justice, equity, diversity and inclusion within our organization.
Recreating on trails should allow all people the ability to connect with nature, to grow as individuals and to heal. Members of the FTA community share a strong bond in our dedication to the Florida Trail and hiking in Florida. Everyone who shares an interest in our mission should feel welcome and safe in the FTA family.
Passed by the FTA Board on June 25th, 2020