DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION
& BELONGING

We work to create a community in our clubs in which individuals are seen, recognized and celebrated including but not limited, regardless of their background, race, gender, gender identity, age and fitness level.

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DEI Education

We are committed to requiring all team members to complete DEI Training. Our new hire training includes the following:

  • Unconscious Bias
  • Microaggression Training
  • Upstander Training
  • Trans and Nonbinary Inclusion Training
  • Workplace Harassment Training

In addition, our managers complete the following training:

  • Once And For All: Stopping Sexual Harassment at Work (MANAGER version)
  • DEI&B Recruiting and Hiring Best Practices

We are working with Ashley Mitchell, an external DEI consultant, to lead our DEI&B initiatives.

Ashley Mitchell is a multi-passionate creator and new mom. She has become a powerful voice speaking out against racial inequality in the fitness space, garnering fast follow-ship and influence, making her an agent of untold levels of inspiration and strength. Ashley currently works in several capacities, including stay-at-home mom to Zion, Director of the Movement School at Down Under Yoga where she also teaches strength classes, consults in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and most proudly, runs The Courage Campaign, a non-profit founded with her husband Mark.

Completed and Ongoing Trainings

  • Today: We continue our work each month with Ashley Mitchell and utilize the online application to share education and training.
  • October 2024: In-Personal Leadership Training on Microaggression led by Ashley Mitchell
  • December 2023: We purchased an online application that allows us to share education resources with all team members each month. Monthly trainings have included:
    • Barriers to Fitness and Health for Marginalized Populations
    • Accepting Feedback with Ashley Mitchell
    • Harassment in the Workplace
    • Understanding Impact vs Intention
    • Triggering words and actions with Ashley Mitchell
    • Microaggression Training
    • LGBTQIA+ Allyship
    • Latin X Heritage
    • Ageism with Ashley Mitchell
    • Sizeism with Ashley Mitchell
  • July 2023: Barriers to Belonging & Taking Action Training for all team members with Ashley Mitchel
  • June 2023: Defining DEI and Bias & Allyship Training for all team members with Ashley Mitchell
  • May 2023: We hosted 5 Listen & Heal Sessions with Ashley Mitchell
  • April 2023: Leadership Team completed a LGBTQIA+ inclusion training with Addison Darrow

Recruiting & Leadership Team Makeup

We are actively working on diversifying our team for the benefit of all team members and the organization with the following tactics:

Commitments:

  • Yearly Leadership Team Training – Unconscious Bias Recruiting and Hiring
  • Measure Diversity on Leadership Team
  • Work with organizations that will provide more diverse applicants.

Marketing

The fitness industry has often failed to feature people of all races, body sizes, ages, gender appearances. While Healthworks has made conscious efforts to reduce this gap, there is more work to do.

We have created a more formal strategy for social media. Both on what we post and how we highlight our community and National Observances.

Community Engagement

  • We will provide more visible support of Healthworks Community Fitness
  • We will include our Healthworks Community Fitness program in our new member information and provide an opportunity for new members to donate
  • We will explore partnerships with Nonprofits such as Breaktime, Big Brothers Big Sisters, etc.
  • We will continue our partnership with Brookline Housing

Our longer term goals include:

  • Personal Trainer Certification Scholarship Program
  • Now available. Please see below.

Healthworks Group Community Membership Program

We believe in giving back to the community and making fitness more accessible. This April we will be offering 75+ Scholarship Memberships at all our club locations. If you or someone you know is eligible, please encourage them to apply.

Healthworks Fitness Eligibility: Healthworks is a place for women and non-binary people to focus on themselves and elevate both their physical and inner power in a women centered space.

Republic Fitness Eligibility: Republic Fitness is a place for all genders to foster connections, support personal growth, and uplift their overall health and fitness.

How do I qualify?

  • Qualification based on income. Applicants will need to submit a copy of their 2024 tax returns.
  • There are two scholarship tiers:
    • 31-50% Median Income – 50% off dues for applicants in the Very Low-Income Limit
    • Under 30% median – 70% off dues for applicants in the Extremely Low- Income Limit

What is the commitment?

We are looking for members who are ready to make a difference in their health and wellness and are committed to using our club 8+ times per month.

What type of membership do I receive and what is the duration of membership?

Community memberships provide unlimited access to a single club location for 1 year.

When do we apply?

Each April we will open enrollment for scholarship memberships.

What is the evaluation process for each application?

Random lottery based on qualifying applications

Can I reapply for future years?

To qualify for future years, you must:

  • Meet the income requirement and re-submit application.
  • Meet the commitment to healthy movement of 8+ visits per month.

What if my income changes:

We can provide an option to increase membership for a minimal increase if you want to continue but no longer qualify based on income.

To Apply Click Here: Healthworks Group Scholarship Application

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee

Our DEI&B Committe has been meeting every month since 2023. Our committee is committed to making Healthworks Group a great place for all to visit and work.

DEI&B Committee:

  • Denise Spinale Cambridge Club, Assistant Manager
  • Jalynn Brown HWX, Director of HWX Program
  • Jen Sadowski Regional Team, Marketing Specialist
  • Liz Keller Coolidge Corner, Personal Trainer
  • Mark Harrington Jr Regional Team, President of Healthworks, Republic Fitness & GymIt
  • Meg Negron Regional Team, Director of Operations
  • Nicole Poirier Cambridge Club, Member Service Team
  • Shoshana Edelson Coolidge Corner, Personal Trainer
  • Tanisha Tate Healthworks Community Fitness and Republic Fitness, Member Service Team
  • Tina Counihan Regional Team, Staff Development

Create a community in our clubs in which individuals are seen, recognized, and celebrated including but not limited, regardless of their background, race, gender, gender identity, age and fitness level.

Growth Statement

We believe everyone is capable of change and growth. Creating a just, safe, and equitable community at Healthworks Group takes work and a willingness to have difficult conversations with our members and staff. The primary goal of these conversations is to stop the perpetuation and negative effects of harmful words or behavior in order to create a compassionate space for listening, understanding, offering new information, and correcting assumptions.

If a member of our community makes an error and then demonstrates an openness and commitment to learning how to better foster spaces of inclusion and belonging, we are open to their continued participation in our community.

Our expectation is for all staff and members to join in the process, provide space for growth, and continue to deliver our standard level of professionalism, respect, and customer service to all members and fellow staff.

Impact and Intention Report

There are times in our clubs that a conversation or interaction can have a negative impact on a member or team member. We recognize that our intentions do not always match our impact. When these negative experiences occur, we investigate and document the incident. This allows us to address the impact, provide training when necessary and create a better experience for everyone in the future. If you would like to report an incident to your team, please use the contact form below.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Employee Resource Group

Each month, team members are encouraged to participate in our DEI Resource Group. One of the goals of this ERG is to create a space to have conversations that challenge us to learn and grow. Monthly discussion will be based on a chosen article, podcast, movie or book. The resources are chosen to help educate and deepen our understanding of these crucial social issues. See the full list below.

All employees are welcome to participate in our Employee Resource Group. Each month, team members are encouraged to participate in a discussion based on a chosen book, movie or podcast. The resources are chosen to help educate and deepen our understanding of these crucial social issues.

READ

WATCH

  • When They See Us, Netflix
  • Get Out, Hulu
  • Judas and the Black Messiah, HBO Max
  • Sorry To Bother You, Amazon
  • Paris is Burning, Apple TV
  • Passing, Netflix
  • Selma, Amazon Prime
  • Disclosure, Netflix
  • Fruitvale Station, Amazon Prime
  • Malcolm X, Amazon Prime
  • Miss Evers’ Boys, HBO Max
  • Birth of a Nation, HBO Max
  • I Am Not Your Negro, Netflix
  • The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Amazon Prime
  • Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man (series)
  • Trans In Texas
  • MLK/FBI, Hulu
  • Exterminate All The Brutes, HBO Max
  • Cultural Appropriation: A Fixable Cultural Crime, YouTube
  • Tantura, Amazon

LISTEN

READ

Black Friend

Ziwe

Are Prisons Obsolete?

Angela Davis

WATCH

MLK/FBI

Hulu

Exterminate All The Brutes

HBO Max

Cultural Appropriation: A Fixable Cultural Crime

YouTube

Tantura

Amazon

LISTEN

READ

Between the World and Me

Ta-Nehisi Coates

The New Jim Crow

Michelle Alexander

The Revolution Has Come

Robyn C. Spencer

The Color of Law

Missing author

Trouble with White Women

Kyla Schuller

The Black Kids

Christina Hammonds Reed

The Vanishing Half

Brit Bennett

Nigger: The Strange Career of a Troublesome Word

Randall Kennedy

Assata: An Autobiography

Assata Shakur

Fearing the Black Body: The Racial Origins of Fat Phobia

Sabrina Strings

Black Girl Dangerous

Mia McKenzie

Stamped from the Beginning

Ibram X Kendi

WATCH

When They See Us

Netflix

Get Out

Hulu

Judas and the Black Messiah

HBO Max

Sorry To Bother You

Amazon

Paris is Burning

Apple TV

Passing

Netflix

Selma

Amazon Prime

Disclosure

Netflix

Fruitvale Station

Amazon Prime

Malcolm X

Amazon Prime

Miss Evers’ Boys

HBO Max

Birth of a Nation

HBO Max

I Am Not Your Negro

Netflix

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

Amazon Prime

LISTEN

We welcome your feedback, ideas, and questions. Please fill out the form below and someone from our team will reach out to you
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