OP Equity & Inclusion

Every girl is welcome & included at Ophelia’s Place.

Inclusivity Statement

Ophelia’s Place serves and welcomes girl-identifying youth of all races, religions, national origins, immigration status, sexual orientations, beliefs, sizes, abilities and economic status. Ophelia’s Place also recognizes an expansive definition of girl. We are for all trans girls and cis girls, as well as for nonbinary youth, gender non-conforming youth, and genderqueer youth who feel or have a connection to girlhood or girlness.

Equity Statement

Ophelia’s Place is committed to embedding equity and inclusion into all levels of our organizational framework and culture. We continue to outreach and collaborate with diverse communities in order to improve access and utilization of our services by marginalized youth. Through strategic planning and program development, we can enhance the quality and relevance of our services for diverse communities of youth. We envision a future in which girls of all backgrounds feel at home in Ophelia’s Place and see themselves reflected throughout our organization. We are committed to ensuring all girls in our community feel safe, valued, and empowered, including those who are marginalized by experiences of oppression.

What does that look like? Let us show you.

  • More than 10 years of providing Young Amazing Women of Color groups to hold space for self-identified girls of color to come together and share their unique intersectional experiences of being both a girl and person of color in our culture

  • In-person and virtual therapy to individual youth and groups to make support more accessible

  • Ongoing Queer Space Group to all girls and trans youth of any gender who are queer-identified and/or are exploring their gender or sexual/romantic identity

  • Professional development training for youth-serving providers with topics like how to better serve girls with Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Recruiting, hiring, and retaining a diverse staff, board, and group of youth-serving interns

  • Supportive and educated conversations around body positivity and wellness in our after-school drop-in spaces

  • Accessibility and translation tools on the OP website

  • And much more to come

The Ophelia’s Place Land Acknowledgement

The lands on which Ophelia's Place carries out its mission are the traditional homelands of Kalapuya, Chelamela, and Tsankupi peoples many of whom are now citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde and the Confederated Tribes of Siletz Indians. They have lived harmoniously with these lands and water for countless generations before the onslaught of colonization. Like Indigenous Peoples across the Americas, they have experienced genocide, ethnic cleansing, theft of their land and waters, and forced removal. Our ability to live, work and enjoy this area is connected to their deep loss. Ophelia’s Place resolves to invite the Kalapuyan, Chelamelan and Tsankupi peoples to share how OP can support their youth, to welcome them to join OP’s staff, board, and community, and to continue listening and learning how we can build a shared, sustainable future for all. We ask all, including our governing bodies, to respect and to learn the true history of the lands on which we reside.