About Gateway Equity Institute (GEI)
In 2024, Gateway Equity Institute was founded as the result of a merger between Diversity Awareness Partnership (DAP) and NCCJ St. Louis. Thanks to the decades of experience in community education accrued by each organization, we are uniquely poised to work in a wide array of spaces: schools, businesses, grassroots networks, faith-based organizations, and more. All of these spaces can foster psychological safety and work proactively toward justice.
Our Mission
Gateway Equity Institute activates and supports communities to advance equity and justice.
We achieve this mission by:
Empowering leaders to drive institutional and systemic change
Providing a wide range of transformational training and coaching opportunities
Engaging youth through in-depth diversity programs
Gateway Equity Institute (GEI) strives to be a hub for learning, engagement, and action in the St. Louis region and beyond. We know that the future is diverse and equitable, with true belonging for everyone. We also know that many people are already eager to create that change in the world, and they deserve the tools and interpersonal connections it takes to make it happen.
GEI was founded in 2024 as the result of a merger between Diversity Awareness Partnership (DAP) and NCCJ St. Louis. Thanks to the decades of experience in community education accrued by each organization, we are uniquely poised to work in a wide array of spaces: schools, businesses, grassroots networks, faith-based organizations, and more. All of these spaces can foster psychological safety and work proactively toward justice.
Today GEI offers community events, youth programs, and training opportunities. Our content takes emerging challenges into account, including evolving legislation around DEI efforts and ongoing factors like the pandemic. We work closely with our network to both respond to current events and remain forward-looking in our thought leadership. Participants in our initiatives grow in their connection with diverse communities, their capacity for identifying systemic oppression and bias, and their ability to advance equity in their own spheres of influence. We present fresh, up-to-date information that meets students and mentors where they are.