A free community workshop being offered through Okanagan College next Tuesday will get more Revelstoke businesses thinking about diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI).
The Revelstoke Centre hosts Creating a More Inclusive Revelstoke: A DEI Foundations Workshop on June 17, from 9 a.m. to noon, to explore what more inclusive workplaces can look like for the city.
Hosting the in-person event is MT Consulting Group, an Edmonton-based firm that helps workplaces foster DEI through training, coaching and allocating chief diversity officers.
"Whether you鈥檙e part of the college, work in hospitality, run a local business, or simply care about community, this session offers a space to reflect, connect, and grow," Amanda Cockburn, Revelstoke Centre campus manager, wrote on Facebook. "Everyone is welcome. No prior experience with DEI is needed 鈥� just an open mind and a desire to help make Revelstoke a place where all people feel valued and included."
Key components of the workshop will include discussing how identity, power and privilege shape community experiences, sharing personal lived experiences, and considering how each individual can play a role in a more welcoming and inclusive Revelstoke.
The event is funded through a Columbia Basin Trust Resident Directed (ReDi) Grant and will equip participants to differentiate equality and equity, lead change to make their organization more diversified, address unconscious bias in decision-making and support marginalized colleagues.
Cockburn told Black Press Media by email that the DEI theme behind the workshop was something she noticed being brought up in meetings, at committees and in conversations with community members about their training needs. Revelstoke city council, for one, in step with the Accessible British Columbia Act.
"As Revelstoke continues to grow and welcomes in a more diverse population and workforce, creating opportunities for folks to learn about inclusion, allyship and privilege will create a foundation for productive conversations and a more inclusive and welcoming environment," Cockburn said.
"We are hoping that this workshop is only the beginning of offering more training in DEI for the community and our workforce."
Though space is limited, anyone interested in attending the workshop can email .
