As discussed in last general meeting, our sponsor, Nick shared proposed bylaw amendments. This will be voted on by members in a separate email next week with details for your review.
Proposed bylaw changes include:
Create staggered terms: Nominations would remain in the current cycle, with nominations for some positions opening immediately and elections taking place in May. Approximately half of the current ELT positions would be up for election immediately, and the other ELT positions would stay in position until June 2025 instead of June 2024.
Pros: Allows some current ELT members who are just getting programs started and building their committees and bodies of work from scratch. This option allows the momentum gained to continue forward. This option facilitates the long-term sustainability of continued operations and transfer of knowledge from one elected ELT to the next. Each position moving forward is guaranteed two-year terms.
Cons: Does not offer maximum availability for new leadership positions and delays such opportunities for an additional year.
Add clarity on appointment process in the event of a mid-term vacancy. This will still include a vote by membership to confirm said appointments as has been done in the past.
Officially define ex-officio member status.
Specify which co-chair position specifically has a one-year term and which has a two-year term. A co-chair in a one-year term also has the option, as with the rest of the ELT positions, to run for re-election to the same position in any upcoming election cycle.
Minor administrative changes such as consistent committee names.
Be on the lookout for a special delivery email sometime next week.
We are pleased to announce that HAPPEN finally has a website! Parts of the website are still being worked on, such as the Resources page, so check back frequently to see what's HAPPENing with it!
This is our collective website and you may have or know of content we should include. We are looking for artwork and photos to use. If you have original artwork and/or photos we could use, please fill out a release form for each submission.
Please send resources, events, and other relevant information you would like to see added to HAPPEN@ofm.wa.gov.
HAPPEN Mentorship Committee is Looking for New Committee Members
HAPPEN’s Mentorship Committee is looking for 3-4 more committee members to help plan the activities for the 2024-2025 HAPPEN Mentorship Program!
About the Mentorship Program: The Mentorship Program consists of people within the ANHPI community looking to advance their professional opportunities and network. Mentors are paired with a mentee, encouraged to meet once a month one-on-one and attend monthly cohort meeting, where all mentor/mentee pairs come together to build professional skills and connections.
About the Mentorship Committee: The Mentorship Committee comes together every month to plan for the cohort meetings, create resources for the mentorship program, and facilitate the cohort meetings.
Time Commitment: August 2024 to May 2025; 5 hours a month consisting of around 1.5-2 hours of planning meetings, 1-1.5 hour of individual work (creating presentations, handouts, etc.), and 1.5 hours of helping facilitate cohort meetings.
Who can be on the mentorship committee? Anyone in state government who has a passion for mentorship, professional development and/or networking! Whether or not you have participated in a mentorship program before or have experience as a mentor or mentee, all are welcome to apply!
Thank you for your consideration and we look forward to your application!
For mentors and mentees, the application for the 2024-2025 HAPPEN Mentorship Program is anticipated to open in June! We will announce more details as they become available.
In case you missed it (ICYMI), we watched part of the video We Need To Talk About Anti-Asian Hate, followed by a rich discussion on "have you experienced or witnessed Anti-Asian hate, sentiment, discrimination, or bias?" We encourage you to watch and share the video as you are able.
HAPPEN general membership meetings are scheduled the second Wednesday of the month from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. Our next meeting will be April 10th. Please download and import the following iCalendar (.ics) files to your calendar system.
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What's HAPPENing in the BRG Family
March is Women's History Month
Governor Inslee has proclaimed March 2024 as Women's History Month. The national theme this year is "Women Who Advocate for Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion" and highlights women past and present who have been leaders in lifting up others with awareness and understanding and who see differences in culture, thought, race, abilities, and worldview as strengths that are helpful and necessary.
ICSEW encourages you to support Women's History Month by attending events in your local area.
The ICSEW general membership meeting will take place from 8:30 am to noon March 19, 2024,via Zoom. Meetings are free and open to anyone, regardless of gender or employment status. There will be a 20-minute voluntary networking opportunity before the formal program starts at 9:00 am.
Register at the ICSEW meetings page or to see the meeting agenda. Once you are registered, you will receive an email confirmation with instructions on how to join the meeting.
The presentation this month will be:
“What is Neurodiversity and How to Support Neurodiverse Team Members.” Renae Smith and Amber Brookswill guide us as we explore the mysteries surrounding Neurodiversity, the effects on the workplace and how to effectively support coworkers.
RAIN provides trainings to Washington state agencies and institutions of higher learning to promote LGBTQ+ inclusivity and best practices in the workplace. For more information you can view their upcoming trainings website. If you have questions or trouble registering email rain@ofm.wa.gov.
The 3rd Annual DIN Respect, Acceptance and Dignity of persons with Disabilities (RADD) Awards are Coming July 2024!
This award is for state agencies, higher education institutions, divisions, managers, teams and/or individuals working in state employment that have shown exemplary leadership in Disability Inclusion. Nominations for the upcoming awards will open April 2024.
Is there someone you know that deserves to be recognized? Start thinking about who might be worthy of recognition.
Stay tuned for open nominations!
The Washington Immigrant Network (WIN) Business Resource Group will be hosting the Immigrant Heritage Month celebration at the L&I Headquarters building in Tumwater, Washington.
Mark your calendars to attend in-person or virtually for June 4, 2024.
Stay tuned for more details!
The Washington State Office of Equity is excited to announce that the 2024 PEAR (Pro-Equity Anti-Racism) S.T.A.R. (Show, Transform, Act, Reflect) Award nominations are open!
The Office of Equity understands the value of uplifting the remarkable work happening within agencies and our communities. They want to know who is showing up and making a difference. Please nominate those who serve as great examples of how we can all be instrumental in creating a sense of belonging for all. We are accepting nominations for one state agency and one community organization for each of the 15 Determinants of Equity. Thank you in advance for your efforts to ensure the unrecognized are now celebrated in this area.
The winners will be recognized at the first-ever PEAR S.T.A.R. Awards ceremony during the 2024 We the People Convening!
The Fiscal Year 2023 Disability Employment Report (wa.gov) is now published on the OFM Publications webpage. This report contains disability employment data for executive branch and agencies with 100 and more employees. State HR is making efforts to bring a broader awareness of this report and would like to share it with BRG leadership. This report has been distributed to agencies’ Disability Employment contacts, statewide HR Managers group, and will be shared with the Deputies group in the near future.
Highlights from the Disability Employment Report
Comparisons of Workforce, Hiring, Separation, and Movement data (HRMS) of People with Disabilities (PWD) in the workforce.
Employment support from state disability employment services: number and percentage of PWD received state employment through services from Department of Services for the Blind (DSB) or DSHS Division of Vocational Rehabilitation (DVR).
This data resource can be utilized for
Statewide disability employment status awareness
Recruitment and retention planning
Reasonable accommodation planning
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging efforts
Collaboration plan with DSB and DVR
Have Something to Share?
We try our best to curate meaningful and relevant content, opportunities, news, etc., we think will be of interest for our members and allies. Representing over 100 countries and more than 50 communities makes it difficult to stay apprised of everything HAPPENing related to our collective community. We greatly appreciate when opportunities are shared from our members.
This is your bulletin. Feel free to send articles, resources, event information, etc., to be included in future bulletins, and eventually, our website and social media.
Process:
Submit items by emailing them to HAPPEN@ofm.wa.gov by Thursday morning for the following week's bulletin.
Time sensitive items submitted will be reviewed and included in the next bulletin.
Non-time sensitive submissions will be added to the list to be included in future bulletins when we may be looking for content to share.
Bulletins will usually be distributed on Mondays. Special bulletins will be sent only as needed to provide an update on something already shared or of an urgent nature.
Thank you in advance for sharing, uplifting, and elevating our voices, culture, and opportunities! This is what community looks like.
Stay connected with the community and get the most up to date information by following HAPPEN on social media.
The Hawaiians, Asians, and Pacific Islanders Promoting an Empowering Network (HAPPEN) Business Resource Group exists to improve lives by increasing Asian, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (ANHPI) representation in leadership and general state employment and advocating for policies that promote anti-racism, equity, inclusion, diversity, and belonging in the workplace. We work to build a culture of inclusion and belonging that gives voice to the ANHPI experience.
Please share this information and encourage your colleagues, state-employed family, and friends to attend and get involved! We are a formal, enterprise-wide resource group conducting official state business. Participants are not required to take leave to participate per State HR's policy. If you experience any challenges in participating, please let us know.
