Month: July 2024

By Sian Welch

When the calendar flips to June 1, many of us notice a change on our social media platforms; corporate logos swap from traditional branding to that sporting technicolor rainbows. This signals the observance of Pride Month, a celebration of the LGBTQ+ community and a month of recognition that dates back to the 1969 Stonewall uprising, where actions of queer resistance and liberation took root as an enduring, ever-vigilant call to drive change.

And now, fast-forward to where we are today on July 1, those bold logos are all but gone—and often with them the celebratory spirit of inclusivity, sanctuary and allyship. This has come to be known as “rainbow washing,” where entities display LGBTQ+ insignia and symbolism during Pride Month, but don’t actively pursue policies or support people who identify as LGBTQ+. Many of these organizations don’t know where to start—and the fact that action pays dividends.

Global studies show that employees in diverse and inclusive workplaces are more likely to enjoy their jobs, work harder, innovate more and ultimately stay with their employers longer. Diverse organizations have also been found to be nearly a third more productive and 21% more profitable than their peers–there is hope yet for organizations to act, implementing an inclusive culture, and putting some meat behind those rainbow logos.

At IWBI, we’ve developed research-backed tools to help organizations create places where people can thrive—where everyone feels welcome, seen and heard. The WELL Equity Rating is a roadmap that empowers organizations to take action and drive accountability toward their diversity, equity, inclusion and accessibility goals. The rating helps organizations prioritize and implement equitable policies, programs and design interventions for the most marginalized people, including the LGBTQ+ community, allowing companies to proactively put measures in place that drive change—internally and externally.

Features of the rating are designed to be flexible because we know things are never one-size-fits-all. If you design with everyone in mind, we all benefit.

As the symbols of Pride month fade away in favor of the next big celebration, it’s the progress we’ve made that matters most. Because while we celebrate Pride for one month, the inclusion we strive for requires permanent change, and that requires our attention all 365 days of the year.

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Programs will impact students and educators in Argentina, Japan, Nigeria, Spain and the United States

MIDLAND, Mich., July 1, 2024 /3BL/ – Dow (NYSE: DOW) and Teach For All expand collaboration to support Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) teacher recruitment, professional development and placement. The programming will continue to take place in underserved schools in Bahía Blanca, Argentina; Chiba, Saitama, and Ishikawa, Japan; Lagos, Nigeria; Tarragona, Spain; and, new this year, Plaquemine, United States.

“Since joining forces with Teach For All, we have made an incredible impact together,” said Bob Plishka, global director of Strategic Corporate Partnerships and Dow Company Foundation president. “Through our funding, Teach For All was able to reach more than 10,000 students, and this year, we are excited to expand our work to include educators and students in Louisiana.”

By collaborating with organizations like Teach For All, Dow aims to ensure equitable access to STEM education, help develop and support educators and improve students’ readiness.

Teach For All is a growing network of independent partner organizations and a global organization working to develop collective leadership to improve the quality of education for all children and break down the barriers standing in the way of their ability to learn and thrive. It has grown to include 62 network partners across six continents, with 13,000+ current teachers and 100,000+ alumni. Since 2022, Dow’s support for Teach For All has enabled the following outcomes:

62 STEM educators recruited and trained as part of the programsUp to 30% improvement in student performance in the countries where the programs were implemented

“Since 2022, we have proudly partnered with Dow, collaborating on significant support for young people in our shared communities. We’re delighted that with each renewal of the partnership, we’ve expanded the reach of our work together, this time extending that support to the United States. We’re so grateful to Dow and their colleagues for their continued support in helping ensure all children can fulfill their potential,” said Wendy Kopp, CEO and Co-Founder of Teach For All.

About Teach For All 
Teach For All is a global network of 62 independent, locally led organizations and a global organization united by a commitment to developing collective leadership to ensure all children can fulfill their potential. Each network partner recruits and develops promising leaders to teach in their nations’ under-resourced schools and communities and, with this foundation, to work with others, inside and outside of education, towards a world where all children have the education, support, and opportunity to shape a better future. Teach For All’s global organization works to increase the network’s impact by supporting the development of new organizations; fostering network connectivity and learning; providing coaching and consulting; and enabling access to global resources for the benefit of the network.

About Dow 
Dow (NYSE: DOW) is one of the world’s leading materials science companies, serving customers in high-growth markets such as packaging, infrastructure, mobility and consumer applications. Our global breadth, asset integration and scale, focused innovation, leading business positions and commitment to sustainability enable us to achieve profitable growth and help deliver a sustainable future. We operate manufacturing sites in 31 countries and employ approximately 35,900 people. Dow delivered sales of approximately $45 billion in 2023. References to Dow or the Company mean Dow Inc. and its subsidiaries. Learn more about us and our ambition to be the most innovative, customer-centric, inclusive and sustainable materials science company in the world by visiting www.dow.com.

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For further information, please contact:

Jess MacDonald 
jmacdonald1@dow.com

Henry Anumudu 
henry.anumudu@teachforall.org