Upcoming Events…
Next BIPOC Fellowship Roundtable: March 2025
These roundtables are a safe space where fellows:
Update each other on the progress of their projects
Discuss readings related to the roundtable topic
Share their experiences both positive and negative, and receive support
Promote events/opportunities within their organizations
Past Roundtables…
September 28, 2023
Some Good News!
Success stories incorporating Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) in the Workplace
This roundtable focused on the positives of incorporating diversity in the workplace. While there are challenges to this goal, there are so many to work towards it. Increasing diversity diminishes inequalities for minority groups, as well as diversifies the thinking and perspectives offered by team members. A wider range of perspectives is known to generate better decisions. Many scientific studies have proven this and can correlate more diverse teams ~where all members feel comfortable and heard~ with increased productivity and revenue.
June 13, 2023
The role of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) narrative in creating and strengthening divisiveness among people
While many people embrace and support diversity in the workplace, there are others who do not. Creating a more diverse workplace can then cause divisiveness between these two groups. Furthermore, hiring a diverse team to check a box but not valuing their opinions equally causes its own problems and enhances the divide between these two groups. Addressing this issue is important for BIPOC as well as non-BIPOC persons.
March 28, 2023
Challenges BIPOC individuals often face in the workplace and how to confront them
After being hired, BIPOC employees are often faced with a new set of barriers to overcome. Diversity alone isn’t enough, a workplace are needs to foster equitable and inclusive environments. Discussing barriers that are often faced ~for example, comments with racist undertones, the discrepancy in standards for professionalism, and working with a mainly caucasian team~ is important to learn about methods of management and confrontation.
December 12, 2023
Mental Health & EDI
Some key ways that mental health support is intrinsically connected with EDI
Dwaine Taylor gave an enlightening talk about how to have your voice heard as an BIPOC leader at the beginning of this roundtable. This is an important aspect of EDI and also one of the most difficult challenges to overcome. Following this presentation, there was a discussion surrounding mental health in the workplace and its relation to EDI. They are not usually grouped together- but there are racial and ethnic disparities when it comes to mental health and mental health services, making it a very important topic for BIPOC groups.
BIPOC Fellowship Roundtable
BIPOC fellows along with members from their associated companies and the Sustainable Capacity Foundation will come together to listen, learn, and share their experiences together.
Integrated cross-sector BIPOC event
This event hopes to bring together groups from both the environmental sector as well as social justice and equity-seeking sectors across Ottawa to engage and connect BIPOC leaders in both sectors and work on recognizing and addressing issues that lie at the cross-section of our collective work.
Next BIPOC Circle of Friends
Join the BIPOC Fellowship for a BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and People of Color) Centered gathering space for environmental sector professionals to share about their work and life. This will be a safe space for attendees to reflect, express, and celebrate their work and themselves. All are welcome!