Anti-racism across campus
1. Facilitating a sense of belonging in the workplace
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) and belonging in the workplace to combat bias and discrimination, and to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive, will be a key feature of the Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) inaugural virtual Employer Impact Conference: The Talent Revolution, on February 15, 2023.
The Employer Impact Conference will provide a platform for attendees to ask questions and engage in meaningful conversations about implementing direct actions to foster belonging, creating an environment of trust and understanding between employees, and building a culture of inclusion and respect, among other topics.
CEE’s Colleen Phillips-Davis, associate director, EDI and Anti-racism and Bryanne Smart, associate director, Indigenous Relations will both be speakers on “The Journey Forward: Building awareness and capacity for an EDI-R and Indigenization strategy in your organization.” This session will highlight how creating a sense of belonging in the workplace can lead to higher levels of job satisfaction, engagement, and productivity, which will benefit an organization overall.
“Having conversations about EDI and implementing sustainable direct actions to nurture belonging can create an environment of trust and understanding between employees and support a culture of inclusion and respect,” said Colleen Phillips-Davis. “It is important for employers to make space for these dialogues as this is a key factor in building a diverse and inclusive workplace.”
“Indigenous communities often say, ‘nothing about us without us’ so including these voices in the evolution of the workplace is important,” said Bryanne Smart. “Acknowledging other ways of knowing and doing is a collective responsibility and we all have a responsibility to move forward with what we know now, and not relying only on the colonized approach to systems.”
Both Phillips-Davis and Smart look forward to further integrating EDI into outreach and community events and hope that future conferences can focus on increasing representation of traditionally marginalized groups in leadership roles, including speakers, panelists, and keynotes.
David Markin, senior manager, R&D Algorithms & Analytics, Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging lead at Lumentum will be the guest speaker at this session.
Register and learn more about the event.
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2. Waterloo team visits Zimbabwe and East Africa
Originally published in Waterloo News on December 14
A team from the University of Waterloo recently completed a visit to Zimbabwe and East Africa with the goal of establishing local connections and helping to showcase the University’s distinguished scholarship, teaching excellence and ground-breaking research and innovation.
Leading this team was Dr. Christopher S. Taylor, associate vice-president, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Anti-racism (EDI-RO), who was accompanied by Akua Amin-Asare, international recruitment specialist and Karuna Ausman, international marketing and recruitment specialist in the Registrar’s Office.
Read the entire article.
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Research spotlight
Doing the right thing
Originally published in the Fall 2022 magazine
During his 10-year career in impact investing, Majid Mirza (BA ’08, MBET ’09, PhD in progress) saw the difference that socially conscious investors can make — generating not only wealth but greener, healthier and more equitable communities.
Now, drawing on his spirituality and a commitment to social justice, he’s helping private equity investors ensure the organizations to which they allocate capital also operate in ways that are sustainable, ethical and equitable.
Read the entire article.
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Alum feature
Building a bridge between two cultures through a beloved game
Originally published in the Fall 2022 Magazine
When Jennifer Guo (BA ’10) and her husband Adam Szakacs were expecting their first daughter, they thought of ways their child could connect with her Chinese and Jewish heritage in a personal way.
“At the time, our family was living in Canada, and we were living in New York, so we were thinking about how difficult it would be for her to see her family regularly,” Guo said. “We wanted a way to keep the memory alive of family members and the experiences that we had growing up.”
Guo recalled how, despite a language barrier, her grandmother was able to connect with Szakacs’s grandmother through their shared love of mahjong, a traditional game she had played as a child with her grandmother.
Read the entire article.
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Bulletin board
This February, Co-operative and Experiential Education (CEE) will reflect upon, celebrate and dedicate time to the Black experience in the workplace. The unit is hosting the ‘Elevating Black Excellence in the Workplace’ panel discussion on Wednesday, February 22, 2023. The virtual event will explore:
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Tactics employers are using to highlight, create opportunities, and foster belonging for Black talent.
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Ways we can better future-proof Black co-op students.
Speakers include Norah McRae, Associate Provost, CEE; Christopher Taylor, Associate Vice President, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Anti-racism; Aileen Agada, BeBlended founder; Trevor Charles, Professor and Director, Waterloo Centre for Microbial Research and Shauna-Kay Jones, Motify founder. Register today for this free virtual event.
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