EQUITY IN ACTION: MODULE 2

Restructuring Governance

Rebuilding the systems that shape who gets to lead.

Now that you’ve reflected on the perceptions and biases that shape leadership, it’s time to examine how those same ideas show up in your governance systems.

You'll review your current materials with a critical lens—surfacing any structural barriers that might unintentionally exclude gender-marginalized youth. The goal isn't to assign blame—instead, it's to build awareness and create space for redesign. For the best understanding, we recommend completing this module in one sitting.

This activity will walk you through two key areas: (1) Your board recruitment practices; and (2) Your organization’s bylaws.

Sections

3

Activities

2 (~ 20-25 mins each)

Estimated Time

~ 40 mins

Auditing Your Governance Structures

MODULE 2.1

Even with the best of intentions, invisible barriers can still exist within our systems—often shaped by longstanding norms of age, gender, experience, and who is allowed to lead.

This is an opportunity to pause, reflect, and ask: Are our structures helping us build the future that we want, or are they holding us back?

Take your time working through the reflection questions below. You may want to do this individually first, and then bring your responses to your board or team for discussion.

Board Recruitment Audit

The recruitment process is a critical part of setting the tone for who you see as capable, valuable, and welcome on your board. How you recruit can be a sign of unintentional perception bias, from the amount of experience your organization requires a candidate to have, to where calls for recruitment are being listed.

Take a look at your organization’s most recent board recruitment call or promotional materials. Then reflect on the following:

  • Does your recruitment intentionally prioritize age and gender diversity?

  • Are there age or experience-based requirements (e.g., “10+ years of experience,” or “must be over 30”) that could exclude young leaders?

  • Is the language inclusive, or does it assume a particular background or pathway to leadership?

  • If you were a young gender-marginalized person reading this, what might give you pause or make you feel like you don’t belong?

  • What changes could make your recruitment more inviting, inclusive, and reflective of your values?

After completing a quick audit of your recruitment process, the next set of questions will encourage a review of your organization's bylaws to assess how these barriers might be institutionalized within your organization’s policies.

Bylaw Review

Bylaws aren’t just formalities—they can be a reflection of your board’s values, priorities, and power structures. If equity isn’t written into your governance documents, it can be harder for it to show up in your board culture.

Next, pull up your organization’s current bylaws and reflect on the following:

  • Do your bylaws mention diversity, equity, or inclusion?

  • Is there language that specifically includes age and gender as part of your board’s commitments?

  • Are values of equity and inclusion reflected in how board roles, responsibilities, and recruitment are described?

  • Are there opportunities to add or strengthen language that supports gender-marginalized youth inclusion?

  • What updates could make your governance documents more aligned with inclusive practices?

MODULE 2.2

Looking Ahead

In this module, you applied insights from Module 1 to examine how perception bias shows up in your board’s structures—from recruitment language to bylaws. By reflecting honestly on where those barriers exist, you’ve taken an important step toward transforming your governance practices.

In the next module, you’ll take everything you’ve uncovered and begin translating it into targeted, concrete action items—mapped out over the course of a year.

Get ready to move from reflection to strategy, and from intention to long-term impact.