It’s a typical summer day in Tennessee–hot and bright, with just enough humidity to keep the possibility of threatening thunderheads firmly in the back of your mind. And a Southeast Conservation Corps (SECC) trail crew is out for a typical day of trail work too, wielding loppers and saws and hiking to their worksite on Chestnut Mountain. But the members of this crew all have something in common that’s not immediately apparent: they represent the Southeast’s first ever American Sign Language inclusion (ASLi) crew. The members and leaders all identify as Deaf, Hard of Hearing, or CODA (Children Of Deaf Adults).

Members of SECC’s first session of the inaugural ASLi crew.

Brenna Kelly, Director of SECC, decided to look into developing a crew model that would serve the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH) community just over two years ago. “We were already running a successful Youth Conservation Corps program,” she said, “and it was time to expand it to include a more diverse spectrum of participants in order to bring needed equity and inclusion to SECC, as well as the greater field of conservation and land stewardship.” Although SECC isn’t the first corps to run a Deaf inclusion crew, the model is the first of its kind in the Southeast. Currently, no other corps models exist within the region for D/HH youth to gain job-training skills related to conservation and natural resource management. As such, one of the most exciting aspects of the ASLi program is that it can equip members with the skills needed to seek employment within the outdoor industry.

Brenna (pictured far left) explains the project work for the crew alongside Trisha Johnson of partnering organization The Nature Conservancy.

In creating the ASLi program, Brenna reached out to CorpsTHAT for assistance with development. CorpsTHAT is an organization that provides support services and programs that create more inclusive spaces in the outdoors for the Deaf community. “We could not have run our ASLi program without them—nor should we have,” Brenna said. “There is no one on SECC’s staff that is Deaf, so it seemed inappropriate to assume SECC could implement this program model without a partnering organization from the Deaf community to assist us.” To prepare for the inaugural ASLi crews, Brenna also took ASL classes in order to begin learning the language and improve cultural awareness. She wanted to be able to speak to the members and leaders she was about to recruit, and acknowledged that she couldn’t build relationships if she couldn’t communicate.

SECC ran two separate ASLi crews for youth aged 16-19 in the summer of 2019. The sessions each lasted for three weeks, and members camped for the duration. Camping equipment and all meals were provided, as well as a weekly stipend. Monday through Friday crews worked on conservation projects, and during the weekend they relaxed and did recreational activities. The ASLi program aims to provide its members the opportunity to experience work outside of traditional employment opportunities for Deaf people. The program places members and leaders in a cohort that provides the comfort and safety net of working alongside D/HH peers while gaining experience in an industry that historically hasn’t included them. “I applied for this program because they expect a lot from you here,” signed ASLi crew member Trei Lutes-Stein.  “They push you; they show you good leadership, and they put you into situations that you can grow from. At home, it’s the same old thing, but here, it’s different. I go through a lot, it’s tough work. I believe this will push me to have a good future and to be successful.”

Crews that break the traditional corps model and seek to include members that share a common demographic are often referred to as ‘single-identity’ crews. SECC’s ASLi crew falls into this category. Single-identity crew models can sometimes be contentious. Some believe that they create a space where participants can feel safe, accepted, and understood, thus acting as a bridge between an underserved community and the outdoor industry. However, others believe that they don’t foster diversity because they sequester the marginalized groups that comprise them. But that’s the point, explains Aparna Rajagopal-Durbin of DEI consulting group Avarna, in a blog post on the group’s website. “Single-identity spaces are not diverse, and that is by design. If we want to include marginalized communities in this movement that we call ‘conservation’ and ‘recreation,’ equity demands that we support their being able to gather in spaces created for them and by them.”

SECC is currently working to obtain funding for additional ASLi crew sessions in the summer of 2020. The success of the first two sessions has given staff insight on what worked well and what can be improved next year. Trinity Arreola, one of the ASLi crew members, expressed that while she appreciated learning about new tools and experiencing conservation work during her session, there was more to the program than that. “It’s also about learning respect and leadership and showing good work ethic. It’s about finding yourself. Finding your identity; who you are.” Establishing innovative program models like ASLi is an example of how conservation corps can be an example for the communities they work in. Brenna’s advice for other corps that want to start single-identity crews? “Be humble. Seek invested and knowledgeable partners from within the community. Collaborate. Be flexible, sincere, and patient. Accept that it costs more and plan for that as best you can. Do it!”

Southeast Conservation Corps would like to thank its partners and supporters Lula Lake Land Trust, The Nature Conservancy of Tennessee, the Lyndhurst Foundation, and CorpsTHAT. Learn more about the ASLi program by visiting SECC’s website. Watch the video below to hear from the members themselves!