From the District Office of Diversity & Inclusion

Developing Culture of Passion around Diversity & Inclusion

Welcome to the Diversity and Inclusion webpage of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, Seventh District. Join us as we embark on a journey to refine our Diversity and Inclusion objectives at all District levels. The operational plan calls on each member, regardless of position, to identify unintended disincentives to recruiting and retention at all levels and to work to eliminate them through a process of training and mentoring. The top priority is to make the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary "The Volunteer Organization of Choice" in the United States. We must now sharpen our focus and pinpoint district needs and requirements for a successful Diversity and Inclusion Plan.

The Seventh District program will be measured by how well our leadership can identify and capitalize on our members’ talents, finding the best in everyone. We must work to ensure that trust is at the foundation of each of our initiatives. Our members must know where the lines are drawn, what is acceptable and unacceptable behavior toward other members, and we must use training at all levels to build an inclusive environment, promoting Diversity of thoughts, ideals, and competencies. We must also be certain that each member knows their role in Diversity, Inclusion and Equity and how it ties to the mission of the Auxiliary. This will enable us to work on building high performance teams and empower us to mission readiness and excellence.

As the largest of the of the Auxiliary Districts, the more than four thousand (4,000) men and women of the United States Coast Guard Auxiliary Seventh District are dedicated to assisting the boating public and supporting Coast Guard units in their mission areas. Seventh District’s geographical area includes the states of South Carolina, Georgia, nearly all of Florida, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and the United States Virgin Islands. We proudly volunteer our time and resources to support six Coast Guard Sectors, four Coast Guard Air Stations, 20 Coast Guard small boat stations, and eight Coast Guard Aids to Navigation Teams.

Let’s Review Our Core Ethical Principles:

HONESTY - Be truthful, straight forward, sincere, candid. Do not mislead or deceive.

INTEGRITY - Live by principles, show the courage of your convictions. Stand behind your beliefs, and put principle over expediency. Walk the talk.

COMMITMENT - Keep your promises, be reliable, take action, and accept responsibility.

LOYALTY – Be faithful, supportive, adhere to accepted cases, and pledge allegiance.

FAIRNESS - Strive to be equitable, be open-minded to people and ideas, recognize and overcome prejudice, do not discriminate on an improper basis.

COMPASSION - Be considerate, kind, caring, charitable, and unselfish.

RESPECT - Be courteous, deferential, and tolerant to policies & procedures, individuals and groups. Appreciate the freedom, dignity, and rights of others.

CIVIC - Willingly perform assignments and a fair share of the work. Abide by rules and laws; participate.

PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE - Identify deficiencies. Do your best at all times, take pride in your work, always strive to improve.

ACCOUNTABILITY - Consider consequences and accept responsibility for actions and inactions, do not shift blame or make excuses. Correct errors and misunderstandings.

The core elements of Diversity that a person cannot change; birthplace, ethnicity, race, and gender. The elements of Diversity a person can change; language, religion, beliefs, educational level, profession, some cultural aspects, etc.

In understanding diversity and inclusion, it is important to realize that diversity’s call for treating people as equal does not mean treating them as if they were similar. People are equal in their right to dignity and respect, but they are not equal in their abilities, nor should we mistakenly think that they are similar. Effective diversity training will help Auxiliarists become more open to differences in general, and more skilled in handling problematic Diversity issues.

National Diversity and Inclusion site includes policy statements, news, training materials and resources.  We encourage everyone to review these items with particular emphasis on: (1) USCG Commandant's Intent 2022, (2) Auxiliary Policy Statement 2022 and (3) the USCG Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan - Total Workforce.

THE U.S. COAST GUARD's VISION FOR

DIVERSITY & INCLUSION

The Coast Guard will be distinguished as the "Service of Choice" within the federal government for recruiting, retaining, and sustaining a ready, diverse, and highly skilled workforce.

FEMA Courses:

• FEMA - Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Course | IS-20.24: Diversity Awareness Course 2024
• FEMA - Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Course | IS-21.24: Civil Rights and FEMA Disaster Assistance
• FEMA - Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Course | IS-368: Including People With Disabilities & Others With Access & Functional Needs in Disaster Operations
• FEMA - Emergency Management Institute (EMI) Course | IS-505: Concepts of Religious Literacy for Emergency Management