EDI News and Events
Stay up to date on the most recent EDI news from the Faculty of Health and Social Development and UBCO, as well as information on upcoming events, workshops, info sessions and more.
Upcoming Events
IBPOC Affinity Group Hang Outs
Are you a UBCO faculty, staff or postdoctoral scholar that identifies as Indigenous, Black and/or Person of Color (IBPOC)? Drop by the IBPOC Faculty & Staff Hang Out and enjoy light refreshments and great company.
IBPOC Affinity Group Hang Outs
We host a casual get together space for Indigenous, Black, and staff and faculty of colour. Over the past 6+ months there has been an increased desire for casual spaces for Indigenous, Black, Asian, multiracial and all staff, faculty and post docs of colour to connect and build community. As such, a few UBCO staff and faculty have collaborated to organize a small outdoor, in-person get together for IBPOC-identifying to get together on July 14, 3pm-4:30pm. The space will be informal while providing opportunities to meet IBPOC people from around campus while enjoying some refreshments.
We would love it if you were able to join us and please bring a friend! Registration is encouraged. IBPOC Staff & Faculty Hang Out
JEDII STEM Series
Are you faculty, staff, a postdoc scholar or a graduate student engaged in Justice, Equity, Decolonization, Indigenization and Inclusion (JEDII) initiatives in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)? Join our virtual sessions and help create action within your unit.
JEDII STEM Series
The JEDII STEM Series offers regular, informal educational sessions and is structured by thematic priorities. This year, themes range from considering JEDII within your research program to setting up inclusive search processes for faculty and staff.
The series has been developed specifically to engage/support people who lead and support JEDII within STEM fields – for example, Faculty of Science, Faculty of Applied Science, Land and Food Systems, Forestry, Pharmacy and Medicine – and who already have some competencies in JEDII-related topics. For more information visit https://equity.ubc.ca/equity-and-inclusion-in-action-summer-stem-series/
IBPOC STEM Network
Are you an IBPOC woman (including cis and trans identities) or an IBPOC gender-diverse person in a Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) field at UBC Vancouver or UBC Okanagan? Join our networking series and build community with other IBPOC women and gender-diverse people.
IBPOC STEM Network
Within STEM, there are few faculty and staff who are IBPOC women or IBPOC gender-diverse people. As a result, trainees, junior faculty and staff, and even those in leadership roles who identify as belonging to these groups have very limited options in terms of getting empathic mentoring and support. This lack of support can lead to feelings of isolation, reduce a sense of belonging, and negatively impact retention. Non-tenured faculty may also feel unsafe asking other faculty and/or staff within their units for support as they may be involved in their performance reviews.The
IBPOC Women/Gender-Diverse Persons STEM Network is a response to these considerations as an affinity space for mentorship and support. Network programming is focused on enhancing wellbeing, cultivating a greater sense of belonging, building greater self-efficacy, supporting retention and initiatives that mobilize justice, equity, decolonization, Indigenization and inclusion within units. For more information visit https://equity.ok.ubc.ca/resources/ibpoc-stem-network-women-and-gender-diverse-faculty-staff-postdocs-and-graduate-students/
Indigenous History Month
June commemorates Indigenous History Month in Canada.
Indigenous History Month
June commemorates Indigenous History Month in Canada. The month encourages people to learn about, appreciate and acknowledge the rich history, heritage, resilience, contributions and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis Peoples across the country. For more information on UBC and community events, visit https://events.ubc.ca/indigenous-history-month/
July 11, 2022
In recent years, Sept. 30 has been known as Orange Shirt Day. Founded by Phyllis Webstad in 2013, Orange Shirt Day is a grassroots campaign that grew out of her own experiences and the experiences of other residential school survivors who attended St. Joseph’s Mission near Williams Lake. It is a day to honour and hold up the healing journeys of residential school survivors and their families, to engage in meaningful discussions about the history and legacy of the residential school system. View the full announcement here.
June 29, 2022
The Faculty of Health and Socail Development are pleased to announce our newest colleague, Natalia Peñuela Gallo, who will be joining the Faculty of Health and Social Development as Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI) Coordinator on August 1, 2022.
Natalia has a MA in interdisciplinary studies from UBCO, and her thesis was titled Violence against Social Leaders and Human Rights Defenders in the Context of the 2016 Peace Accords in Colombia. She has previously worked as a Spanish Sessional Lecturer at UBCO, and most recently worked with the College of Grad Studies at UBCO since 2020. Natalia has been highly involved in the UBCO Equity and Inclusion Office’s work and various EDI-related initiatives around UBC and Kelowna, including working with Migrant Agricultural Workers, speaking on panels and guest lecturing on the topics of human rights and intersectionality. She brings abundant experience, education and passion in the field of EDI work and will be an incredible addition to the team. Alongside the EDI Advisor to the Dean, Rishma Chooniedass, Natalia will work on improving EDI-related initiatives and strategic plans in FHSD and the three Schools.
June 13, 2022
Announcing the appointment of Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion: We are pleased to announce the appointment of Dr. Arig al Shaibah as the new Associate Vice-President, Equity and Inclusion, starting July 1, 2022. In this role, Dr. al Shaibah will work to advance human rights, planning and evaluation, education, and systems change across the university. She will also be exploring ways to provide leadership for accessibility, and in partnership with other units, help implement the Anti-Racism and Inclusive Excellence Task Force recommendations, and the university’s implementation of the inclusion action plan. View the full announcement here.
May 11, 2022
Equity Enhancement Fund — call for proposals: As part of UBC’s commitment to advancing equity and inclusion across its campuses, faculty and staff are invited to submit a proposal to the Equity Enhancement Fund for projects that are responsive to community needs and advance one or more of the actions outlined in UBC’s Inclusion Action Plan. A total of $40,000 is available at UBC Vancouver and $5,000 at UBC Okanagan. Applicants can request up to $5,000 per project in Vancouver and up to $1,500 in the Okanagan. Please encourage faculty and staff in your area to submit a proposal by June 5. See UBC today for more details.
RESPECT is a digital magazine run by students at the University of British Columbia (UBC) to promote an immersive dialogue on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI). The interdisciplinary project is supported by the Equity Enhancement Fund at UBC Okanagan.
Like an acrostic poem, RESPECT stands for Representation and Equity in Systemic Practices to Effect Change Today. The digital space is coordinated and edited by multidisciplinary students.
RESPECT magazine may be your first opportunity to get published. It can also be an alternate way to share, react, collaborate, and inform our community. We want this interdisciplinary and quasi-academic digital publication to be rich with your participation.Click here to view the RESPECT Magazine website.
If you are doing work to advance equity and want us to feature it on the FHSD Equity website, please let us know by emailing our EDI coordinator Natalia Gallo