OTTAWA, Monday, November 21, 2022 – Equity, diversity and inclusion (commonly referred to as EDI) are principles that are becoming increasingly important in workplaces across all sectors. A new research project by Saint Paul University researchers seeks to explore the implementation of EDI in grassroots organizations.
Lead researchers Dr. Michaël Séguin and Dr. Bianca Briciu, assistant professors at the Providence School for Transformative Leadership and Spirituality, are working in partnership with National Newcome Navigator Network (N4) on a new project titled: Fostering a Culture of Inclusion: Assessing EDI Practices in Ontario Community-Based Settlement Agencies. This research seeks to better understand how EDI principles are being practiced in newcomer settlement organizations across Ontario.
“Due to the nature of newcomer settlement programs, these organizations are very mindful of equity, diversity and inclusion,” explains Dr. Séguin. “It will be interesting to see how these organizations are implementing EDI within their own workplaces – what is working, where biases remain and what changes are yet to be made.”
The research will be conducted by interviewing 50 racialized employees and leaders across 10 community-based organizations in Ontario. The interviews will provide opportunities for those who identify as being part of a minority group to share their lived experience. These interviews are also an opportunity for the organizations’ leadership to take an honest, informed look at their human resource (HR) practices.
“Implementing EDI strategies in the not-for-profit workplace is a relatively new practice. This kind of social change takes time, and these are the first steps to understanding it,” explained Dr. Séguin. “We look forward to opening their EDI toolbox to see what’s inside, what we can learn and what transformative practices can be shared.”
Supporting Future EDI Research
This research project will entail coordinating and analyzing many hours of interviews. For this reason, some of the project’s funds have been allocated to hiring two graduate students—Michael Okunlola and Amy Macdonald—to be part of the research team. These roles not only provide important research support, but will also provide students with the opportunity to network and develop their research skills in the field of EDI.
Fostering a Culture of Inclusion: Assessing EDI Practices in Ontario Community-Based Settlement Agencies is funded in large part by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada’s (SSHRC) one-year Partnership Engage Grant.
For more information, please contact:
Julie Bourassa
Communications Officer, Saint Paul University
613.236.1393 x 2310
jbourassa@ustpaul.ca