Diversity. Equity. Inclusion. They are more than just words for us at Ocean Partnership for Children (OPC). They are the definitive principles that guide how we serve youth and families, cultivate community relationships, and create an agency where everyone, regardless of gender, race, gender identity, ethnicity, religion, national origin, age, sexual orientation, education, disability, citizenship, veteran status, or other dimension of diversity, feels welcome, valued, and respected.

We are committed to developing an agency and community where all individuals feel safe being present as their authentic, whole selves and to challenging those systems, institutions, and practices that do not support this goal.

We strive to educate and foster equal opportunities that promote growth for all while ensuring every individual is included and has a voice.

At OPC, we find that when we listen and celebrate what is both common and different, we become wiser, more understanding, and more capable of change.

Why Does OPC add pronouns to their signature line?

Typically, society has taught us to make automatic assumptions about what pronouns to use for someone. If a person’s gender expression (the way they appear in terms of gender) seems to be male, we’d likely use he/him/his when talking about that person; if a person’s appearance seems to be female, we’d be likely to use she/her/hers. However, gender is not always that simple. Sometimes a person’s gender identity (the way the person identifies internally in terms of their gender) doesn’t align with their gender expression (the way they look). In addition, not everyone identifies strictly as male or female. So when a person includes their gender pronouns on their email signature line (or on a nametag, when introducing themselves, etc.), they are simply taking the guesswork away for you! It’s their way of saying “when you refer to me using pronouns (opposed to by my name), these are the pronouns I’d like for you to use.” For more information….