EDISJ at OC: Join an EDISJ Resource Group

Okanagan College is committed to embedding the principles of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Social Justice (EDISJ) in everything we do. Through this journey, there are opportunities for employees to engage in a variety of conversations and activities to expand awareness and get involved. 

There are seven EDISJ Resource Groups available for OC employees to join, including: EDISJ Strategy, EDISJ Policy and Procedures, Recruitment, Gender Based Analysis Plus (GBA+), 2SLGBTQQAI+ Support and Positive Space, Learning and Development, and Anti-Racism.

Employees interested in joining an EDISJ Resource Group, outlined below, are asked to please contact the Group Lead.

EDISJ Strategy Resource Group

Group Lead: Manager, EDI

The EDISJ Strategy Resource Group is tasked with ensuring that an overarching strategy is developed to guide the work of advancing EDISJ at Okanagan College. The Strategy should aim to achieve a variety of positive outcomes that contribute to creating a community where all individuals feel valued, respected, and have equal opportunities. 

Specific objectives include:

  • Creation of the framework to support an inclusive College culture that values and actively promotes diversity and inclusion so that individuals from diverse backgrounds feel welcome, empowered and heard.
  • Support the development of learning opportunities, policies and procedures that are equitable, free of bias, and address the needs of employees and students.
  • Support the goal of increasing the representation of underrepresented groups at all levels of the College.
  • Foster a culture of accountability and commitment to EDISJ at all levels of the College.
  • Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) and regularly assess and report on the College's progress in achieving DEI objectives.
  • Regularly measure and assess employee and student satisfaction related to EDISJ initiatives. 
  • Contribute to the broader community by engaging in initiatives that promote EDISJ.
  • Regularly review and update the EDISJ strategy based on feedback, emerging best practices and College priorities.

EDISJ Policy and Procedures Resource Group

Group Lead: Shani Herath

Specific objectives include:

  • Review and revise existing policies and procedures to align with EDISJ mandates.
  • Develop new policies and procedures that proactively promote EDISJ.
  • Foster an environment where EDISJ principles are embedded in the decision-making process.
  • Provide guidance and recommendations to various departments regarding EDISJ compliance in their policies.
  • Conduct regular audits of policies and procedures to ensure ongoing EDISJ compliance.
  • Facilitate training and workshops to increase awareness of EDISJ principles in policy development.

Recruitment Resource Group

Group Lead: Jacqui Noftall

The EDISJ Recruitment Resource Group is tasked with the following objectives:

  • Participate in the development of OC’s Talent Acquisition strategy ensuring that it is inclusive and advances EDISJ at the College.
  • Ensure that the College’s recruitment policies, systems and processes are informed by EDISJ principles.
  • Build awareness and develop the knowledge and commitment to advancing EDISJ in recruitment practices at the College.
  • Encourage a broad range of EDISJ initiatives focused on attracting and welcoming diverse representation within the College. 
  • Ongoing assessment of the College’s progress in the context of recruitment and representation in the GDEIB (Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks).
  • Periodically conduct EDISJ Climate Surveys of staff and students.
  • Support the Manager, Talent Acquisition, Learning and Wellbeing, and the Manager, EDI in their work.
  • Regularly communicate with the College community on EDISJ initiatives and opportunities for education and involvement in this work.

Gender-based Analysis Plus (GBA+) Resource Group

Group Lead: Jenn Gorman 

The College is required in our mandate letter from BC Government to implement the gender-based analysis plus (GBA+) approach. A GBA+ framework consists of six elements which can be adapted to any organization’s structure and needs. The GBA+ Resource Group will develop the OC approach to the piloting and implementation of GBA+.

The GBA Plus framework elements are as follows:

  • A responsibility centre, to oversee the implementation of GBA+ and provide internal advice.
  • An organizational needs-assessment, to determine what capacity and resources already exist in the organization, and to inform the creation of a work plan.
  • A policy statement, or statement of intent, to articulate the commitment to GBA+ and provide a mandate for implementation.
  • GBA Plus training and tools, to facilitate buy-in, build capacity and inform different parts of the organization about GBA+.
  • A GBA+ “pilot” initiative, to provide a concrete example of GBA Plus application.
  • Ongoing monitoring of progress, to highlight successes, best practices, and to identify gaps and new priorities.

2SLGBTQQAI+ Support and Positive Space Resource Group

Group Lead: to be identified

Objectives to follow

Learning and Development Resource Group

Group Lead: Jacqui Noftall

The EDISJ Learning and Development Resource Group is tasked with the following objectives:

  • Participate in the development of OC’s Learning and development strategy ensuring that it is inclusive and advances EDISJ initiatives at the College.
  • Ensure that the College’s learning and development policies, systems and processes are informed by EDISJ principles.
  • Build awareness and develop the knowledge and commitment to advancing EDISJ in learning and development practices at the College.
  • Encourage a broad range of initiatives focused on developing EDISJ competency within the College. 
  • Ongoing assessment of the College’s progress in the context of learning and development in the GDEIB (Global Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Benchmarks).
  • Periodically conduct EDISJ Climate Surveys of staff and students.
  • Support the Manager, Talent Acquisition, Learning and Wellbeing, and the Manager, EDI in their work.
  • Regularly communicate with the College community on EDISJ initiatives and opportunities for education and involvement in this work.

Anti-Racism Resource Group

Group Lead: Sakura Hirata

The Anti-Racism Working Group at Okanagan College aims to foster an inclusive environment with the purpose of enhancing dialogue on issues of race and racism through an intersectional approach. The group aims to create mechanism to works towards breaking down individual and systemic racial barriers. 

The group is tasked with the following objectives:

  • Review the existing anti-racism training and tools and policies meant to address issues of racism on campus and offer consultations to the EDISJ committee for the review and enhancement of policies and procedures, the development of resources, and initiatives for community engagement.
  • Seek awareness of power dynamics and act to mitigate systemic issues that disadvantage indigenous, international, and racialized students, staff, and faculty at the college, with an emphasis on supports for those experiencing overt and covert racism within the institution. 
  • Refer to the UN Declaration of Human Rights, the British Columbia Human Rights Code, to guide the development of policy and procedure, including these terms of reference. 
  • Ongoing monitoring of progress, to highlight successes, best practices, and to identify gaps and new priorities.

Specific objectives include:

  • Partner with in-house groups on campus that are doing work in the EDISJ realm to leverage their resources and achieve inclusion and equity goals. 
  • Collaborate with community partners who have well developed policies and procedures that could be integrated into the College policies and procedures. 
  • Empower college members with knowledge and skills to apply anti-racist principles and practices in their respective roles. Foster an inclusive and safe learning environment where all college members, irrespective of racialized status can thrive.

Published: January 25, 2024