Let’s Talk Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion with CICan’s Talented Speakers
17 March 2023 Colleges and Institutions Canada (CICan), along with its 50 – 30 Challenge Hubs and Knowledge, Mobilisation and Dissemination Centres, have been working hard to bring you an incredible lineup of talented speakers to round out the month of March.
They’ll be discussing topics pertaining to equity, diversity, and inclusion, and offering practical steps that organizations—including housing co-operatives—can take to make positive change in the workplace.
Join CICan for as many webinars as you like and please invite others to join the 50 – 30 Challenge so that they too can gain access to these insightful events and to the services available to support the What Works Toolkit.
Friday, March 24th
12 – 1p.m.
50 – 30 Challenge Speaker Series featuring Dr. Hadiya Roderique
Hosted by Fanshawe College
As a young, black woman working as a lawyer on Bay Street, Dr. Hadiya Roderique delivered a wake-up call to corporate Canada in the form of her Globe and Mail feature essay, “Black on Bay Street.” Shared more than 13,000 times on Facebook, with the accompanying video watched more than 250,000 times, Roderique’s think piece sparked discussion in boardrooms across Canada.
In her thought-provoking talks, she discusses barriers and challenges to diversity and inclusion, and counters those common arguments to show the power behind a diverse and inclusive workplace.
12 – 1:30 p.m.
Inclusive Workplaces – Ramadan and Faith-Based Accommodations presented by Nora Hindy,
Hosted by Sheridan College
Faith is a protected ground under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and organizations need to understand how to protect their employees’ right to practice their faith free of discrimination in the workplace. Nora Hindy will delve into the specific topic of Ramadan and help organizations understand how to accommodate their Muslim employees during this month.
Nora Hindy is an equity and anti-racist academic and professional with over 17 years experience specializing in identifying and mitigating barriers for diverse populations in educational, healthcare, and non-profit settings.
12 – 1 p.m.
Let’s Talk about EDI presented by Neil Sainani
Hosted by Collège Boréal
We understand the challenges you face trying to run your EDI solutions. In this webinar, we will discuss various goals and objectives and present some small steps that your organization can take to accomplish them.
Neil Sainani is an EDI consultant and educator with 15 years experience specializing in EDI. While working as a consultant and trainer at the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI), Neil worked with dozens of clients spanning corporate, non-profit, and public sector organizations on the topics of diversity & inclusion, unconscious bias, and allyship, to name a few.
Neil is an experienced facilitator who thrives in the opportunity to engage participants in meaningful dialogue.
Monday, March 27th
Creating psychologically safe workplaces to unlock the diversity advantage presented by Sadaf Parvaiz
Hosted by Sheridan College
12 – 1:30 p.m.
RSVP now
Special presentation by Sadaf Parvaiz unpacks how power and privilege impact workplace interactions. The second webinar in this series will provide practical tips on how organizations and individual leaders can create more psychological safety to truly achieve the diversity advantage.
Tuesday, March 28th
Applying Behavioural Insights to Cultivate Gender Diversity & Inclusion in Hiring and Beyond presented by Dr. Sonia Kang
hosted by Sheridan College
10 – 11:30 a.m.
RSVP now
Researchers and practitioners alike are facing pressure to “move the needle” on their EDI journey. Whereas previous efforts have focused on how to change “individuals”—whether it be by “fixing the sexists” or by “fixing the women”—this webinar will highlight the promise of behaviourally-informed interventions that are aimed at “fixing the system”.
50 – 30 Challenge Speaker Series featuring Zahra Al-Harazi
12 – 1 p.m.
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Hosted by Fanshawe College
The road to real leadership is rarely a straight one. Among Canada’s most successful entrepreneurs, few have faced more obstacles than Zahra Al-Harazi. With a no-holds-barred attitude, Al-Harazi helps people and organizations realize their potential for success through finding their purpose. She draws on her experience as a pioneering woman in the business world with a unique approach to attitude, leadership, and success, as well as her experience as a refugee, immigrant, entrepreneur, and community-builder.
In recognition of her many accomplishments, Al-Harazi has been named one of Calgary’s Top 40 Under 40, Woman Entrepreneur of the Year by Chatelaine magazine, and one of Canada’s 100 most powerful women by WXN. She has also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for contributions to Canada, and the RBC Top 25 Immigrants to Canada Award.
Wednesday, March 29th
White Fragility and Unconscious Bias presented by Dr. Robin DiAngelo
Hosted by Collège Boréal
12 – 1:40 p.m.
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Robin DiAngelo is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of White Fragility: Why It’s So Hard For White People To Talk About Racism, which has been on the NYT bestseller list since June 2018 and translated into multiple languages. White Fragility is widely considered an essential guide for white people seeking to understand and challenge racism.
In her talks, Dr. DiAngelo, an academic, author, and facilitator, explains systemic racism with clarity and accessibility. She has the exceptional ability to speak directly about what has traditionally been a deeply challenging and taboo conversation in a way that opens and engages her audience. In so doing, she provides the questions and perspectives needed to develop more racially-just practices.
Welcoming your Trans or Nonbinary Colleague presented by S. Bear Bergman
Hosted by Sheridan College
12pm – 1:30pm
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An overview of the top three things anyone can do to improve a sense of safety and belonging in their school, workplace, or organization for trans and nonbinary people. We will cover critical concepts, and then follow it with specific and practical steps you (yes, you!) can take to create a positive environment for trans and nonbinary people at work.
S. Bear Bergman is the author of nine books, founder of Flamingo Rampant press, and frequent consultant in equity and inclusion to business and government. Bear began his work in equity at the age of 15, as a founding member of the first ever Gay/Straight Alliance and has continued to help organizations and institutions move further along the pathways to justice ever since.
Thursday, March 30th
Building Inclusive Cultures from the Inside Out presented by Leena Sharma Seth
Hosted by Sheridan College
12pm – 1:30pm
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It is promising to see more and more companies, leaders and organizations, taking their place in driving change and cultural transformation for more inclusive, equitable, and belonging-abundant spaces through initiatives like The 50 – 30 Challenge.
Our speaker will talk about the critical skills, postures, and practices that ought to underpin any EDI initiative, including deep accountability practices. How to work with equity deserving groups on organizational change will also be discussed.
Friday, March 31st
Breaking Bias with keynote speaker Alex Ilhama
Hosted by Northern College
12 – 2 p.m.
RSVP now
The starting point to breaking bias is recognizing that unconscious bias exists and trying to be conscious of it. Join us at the Northern College Timmins Pub for lunch while we navigate the murky waters of unconscious bias and strive to create a healthy, diverse and all-inclusive environment in which we can all thrive.
This event will also be live streamed for those unable to attend in person.
All webinar links will be shared with registered participants prior to each event.
About the 50 – 30 Challenge
The challenge aims to advance gender parity and increase the representation of equity-deserving groups on boards and in senior leadership roles across Canada. More than 1,800 organizations of all sizes, across sectors and regions have pledged to work towards achieving the goals of the challenge.
By identifying barriers impacting the representation of women, racialized groups including Black people, First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples, people who identify as LGBTQ2S+, and persons with disabilities, organizations across the country are taking important steps to improve inclusivity and diversity in the workplace.