Vision, Mission & Core Tenets

Vision
To be the center of the Greater Mankato area, working together to build a welcoming, inclusive, and harmonious community through diversity education and meaningful action. 

Mission
To cultivate awareness, foster connections, and fuel progress through education, to strengthen our vibrant and diverse community. 

Core Tenets
Integrity ● Diversity ● Courage ● Community 
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​At GMDC, we are dedication to enhancing the commitment of the Greater Mankato area to cultivate inclusivity, fostering a warm and welcoming community through the power of diversity education. We strive to bridge divides, ignite conversations, and empower individuals and organizations alike to embrace the richness of our differences and work collectively towards a more united, equitable, and harmonious future. 

A lot of different flowers make a bouquet.

​- Islamic Proverb

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GMDC's IDEA

At the Greater Mankato Diversity Council, we've embraced the IDEA framework: Inclusion, Diversity, Education, and Action. It's our compass for fostering a more inclusive, diverse, educated, and action-oriented community. Join us in embracing these principles for a stronger Greater Mankato. 

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Inclusion

Vertical Divider

All together with each person having equitable access, a valued voice, and  a sense of belonging

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Diversity

Vertical Divider

A mix of differences that make US unique

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Education

Vertical Divider

Sharing unbiased information to acquire knowledge and empower learning and growth

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Action

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Measurable efforts to move forward and create positive change

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Theory of Change

The Greater Mankato Diversity Council believes education is the key to building a common foundation of understanding between and among people of diverse backgrounds.  This foundation of mutual understanding is an essential pre-requisite for changing individual perspectives and behaviors that lead to action—the creation of more inclusive and welcoming communities.

Awareness
​- education -

Understanding
​- conversation -

Acceptance
​- action -

1. Awareness is about acknowledgement of one’s own biases and how we see/interpret the beliefs, values, and behavior of others.  It is through education, and the introduction of new information that we can broaden our awareness of self and others.  
   
   Once we become aware of the lenses we use to view the world around us, we can engage in meaningful discussion that can lead to mutual understanding. 
   
   
2. ​​​Understanding requires an openness to learning from and about each other as well as a willingness to engage in conversations that explore our cultural commonalities and differences. 
   
   Once we better understand what makes us who we are and why, we can begin to accept—and respect—our differences.
   
   
3. Acceptance comes from a place of understanding and is about allowing this new understanding to influence our own world view.  
   
   Once we accept perspectives or approaches different from our own, we then have the ability to reshape how we engage with the community around us.  ​

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Core Impact Areas

​Our programs seek to build a basic, shared foundation of understanding between and among people of diverse backgrounds.  Specifically, GMDC provides evidence-based, interactive training modules:
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1. In schools through our Promoting Respect Workshops and STEM Equity programs
2. In businesses through our Perspectives Business Diversity Training and special topics
3. Across communities through our Community Training Workshops

The Greater Mankato Diversity Council is also committed to serving as the region’s human rights hub, providing resources and support for all who need them.   

No one does big things by themselves... We're going to have to do it together. So be alive to one another's struggles. Stand up for one another's rights. Leave behind all the old ways of thinking that divide us."
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- Former President Barack Obama