Regional Animal Services of King County (RASKC) staff recently completed the Companions and Animals for Reform and Equity (CARE) Racial Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (REDI) training. The coursework consisted of more than four hours of challenging curriculum followed by a test which provided continuing education credits to staff. By taking this course, RASKC staff committed to a personal and professional journey toward being an advocate for social justice and an ally to all Black, Indigenous, and people of color (BIPOC) communities.

“Congratulations on becoming a CARE REDI Bronze Certified Organization!” said Alina Luna, Ph.D., dean of the Circle of Learning and Leadership at CARE. “Under your leadership, Regional Animal Services of King County engaged in a very intentional undertaking of the CARE REDI Bronze curriculum which resulted in over 65% of your team earning their badge in that course.”

The shelter team completed REDI, the animal control team completed REDI Copper, and the veterinary services team completed Vet REDI. Each level of training was specifically designed for their lines of work.

Benefits of REDI Bronze, according to CARE:

• REDI provides an entire ecosystem of lifesaving in animal well-being.
• Working through a REDI lens helps organizations see opportunities to partner better with the community to reduce animals entering the shelter.
• REDI can also reduce implicit bias in pet adoption and fostering, thereby reducing the shelter population.
• REDI can help reduce implicit bias found in hiring. Research has shown more diverse teams perform better.

Learn more about CARE and the REDI curriculum at careawo.org.