What we do and how
Our ongoing Equity Dialogues reveal no one pathway to becoming an inclusive organization.
Achieving Equity and Inclusion
We have discovered that there are as many paths towards achieving equity and inclusion as there are organizations. Reflecting our unique institutional histories and contexts, each partner organization’s journey towards equity and inclusion has been different, even as we strive for the same goal.Equity Ottawa provides support to leaders and staff of organizations who are interested in exploring:
- How to become more equitable and inclusive for immigrants, refugees and racialized communities,
- How to better leverage the strengths of these communities, and
- How to respond more appropriately to their particular needs and issues.
Equity Dialogues and Knowledge Events
Equity Ottawa hosts ongoing Equity Dialogues and Knowledge Events to foster learning among local equity, inclusion, and diversity practitioners. These sessions have helped build a strong Community of Practice, where partners share challenges and effective approaches.
Urgency
Each year, we organize several Knowledge Events to complement the Dialogues. Guest speakers with expertise on specific issues are invited to provide additional training on topics partners have identified as areas where they would appreciate further learning and skill development.
Past topics include:
- Business case for diversity
- Organizational case study on diversity in policing
- Bias and resistance to change within organizations
- Racial profiling
- Employment equity planning
- Anti-oppression practice and cultivating allies
- Various forms of racism and legal resources for organizations
Ongoing Commitment
The success of Equity Dialogues rests on two core elements. First, given the often sensitive nature of the topics discussed, the information practitioners share is confidential. Second, the dialogues are guided by a set of Dialogue Principles adopted by the participating partners. The principles facilitate authentic and courageous conversations about equity issues.
Since its beginnings in 2012, Equity Ottawa has hosted four to five Equity Dialogues per year on a specific topic with practitioners from its partner organizations. Over time, the partners have grown to know and trust each other, making the dialogues a rare safe space where practitioners can authentically share knowledge and experiences without fear or threat of judgment or reprisal.
Equity Through Organizational Change
Equity Ottawa’s conversations with local equity practitioners show that organizations in Ottawa are becoming more aware of the changing needs of the communities they serve. Many want to learn from those who have already started working on equity and inclusion.
This journey can be both rewarding and challenging. The rewards include a fresh sense of energy in organizations and more opportunities to bring in the ideas and skills of diverse people. However, change can also be tough for some individuals and organizations. It can shake up old beliefs, habits, and traditions and bring new ways of thinking and working.
Our discussions have also shown that creating equitable and inclusive organizations is a journey. It takes active effort and change to make a real difference in an organization’s culture and systems.
Domains of Organizational Change
The structural component of an organization refers to all the systems that help it run and achieve its goals. These systems reflect the values, beliefs, and practices of the cultures from which they come.
The journey toward creating more equitable and inclusive organizations must involve carefully re-examining these systems to understand how they affect immigrant and racialized communities.
We’ve grouped these systems into the following key domains:
- Governance and Leadership: Examining boards’ composition, decision-making processes, legal obligations, and policies.
- Human Resources Development and Management: Looking at recruitment, hiring, and retention processes.
- Service Planning and Delivery: Assessing how programs, services, and staffing are managed. Reviewing how strategic goals, directions, programs, and staffing decisions are made.
- Community Connections: Strengthening relationships, engagement, and collaboration with the community.
These domains aren’t separate—they’re all connected and depend on one another. Together, they form a complex network that shapes and reflects an organization’s values, beliefs, traditions, systems, and power structures.
Through these connections, the domains influence the organization’s culture, including the norms and expectations about how things are usually done and what is considered common sense.
Knowledge Mobilization and Dissemination
Equity Ottawa organizes ongoing Equity Dialogues and Knowledge Events throughout the year to create a reflexive learning space for local practitioners in equity, inclusion and diversity. These activities have been invaluable in establishing the local Community of Practice.
Our partners have developed a shared understanding of the issues and challenges facing local organizations, and approaches and practices that have worked well in addressing them.
Develop Locally Validated Practices and Resources
Our Community of Practice has identified a growing number of existing resources to promote equity, including helpful training resources and consultants, many of which have been validated by our partner organizations. Check our Tools and Resources section to explore more.
Leverage Existing Knowledge
Thanks to the Dialogues and Knowledge Events, and with the help of seasoned equity and inclusion experts, Equity Ottawa is articulating and mobilizing considerable knowledge about the organizational change process towards equity and inclusion. We are gathering and sharing this knowledge through this online portal and our reports. Our partners use it to inform collaborative efforts to develop shared tools and strategies.
Online Portal
This portal enables us to share our collective learning with a broader network of organizations, practitioners and researchers across Ottawa and beyond.
Public Events
Equity Ottawa holds public events every year and participates in others to engage others and share our collective learning.
Our Progress
Since its inception, Equity Ottawa has made several significant accomplishments
Creation of an Enabling Environment
Although creating a more supportive environment is one of our most challenging goals, we have made significant progress since the launch of Equity Ottawa.
We’ve seen:
- More discussions and forums about equity and inclusion for immigrants and racialized communities within our partner organizations.
- More leaders are supporting equity and inclusion efforts in their organizations.
- A growing number of organizations are committed to building a more inclusive culture and practices.
- A rise in the number and diversity of organizations joining Equity Ottawa.
- More funding applications and project proposals from partner organizations focused on equity and inclusion work.
Community of Practice for Equity and Inclusion
Equity Ottawa has built a growing and active Community of Practice for Equity and Inclusion.
We’ve seen:
- Highlighted equity and inclusion for immigrants and racialized community members as an important shared issue for the entire Ottawa community.
- Attracted new partner organizations, expanding our knowledge and increasing the initiative’s impact across various sectors.
- Strengthened awareness, trust, and a sense of mutual support among practitioners in the dialogue circle.
- Promoted more information sharing, learning, and collaboration between organizations and sectors.
Development of Supportive Resources
The Equity Dialogues have helped identify locally validated practices, resources, and trainers, which all Ottawa organizations and practitioners can access through the portal.
They can acess:
- Self-assessment tools to help organizations gain a better understanding of how they are doing in terms of equity and inclusion for immigrants and racialized members of our Ottawa community.
- Toolkits, guides, and discussion papers to facilitate the process of organizational change.
- Briefs will help organizations better understand the benefits and challenges associated with using the anti-oppression, anti-racism, cultural competency, and health equity frameworks.
- Stories, videos, and articles that practitioners and organizations can use to create awareness and begin authentic conversations about equity within their organizations and with external communities.
- Skilled equity and inclusion experts, trainers, and consultants on a variety of topics related to equity and inclusion and organizational change.
- Equity Ottawa reports gathering and articulating local experience and knowledge.
