Lay The Foundation

Session Overviews

Allyship in Action

Allyship isn't just about doing good; it's a strategic advantage. In this session, you'll explore practical tools for effective allyship, such as understanding your role, asking insightful questions, amplifying voices, and learning to apologize and grow. You'll also learn to sustain allyship with self-care. Through real-world scenarios, you'll gain the confidence to apply these insights in your daily role, making a meaningful impact.

Empowering Bystanders to Take Action

Inaction in the face of injustice sends a powerful message. In this session, you'll explore practical tools for taking action, such as understanding the 'Bystander Effect,' recognizing your role in shaping outcomes, and learning effective ways to intervene safely. You'll also gain communication techniques to address injustice and strategies to overcome the barriers that hold us back. Through real-world scenarios, you'll build the confidence to shift from being a passive observer to an active agent of positive change, making a meaningful impact in your everyday life.

Scaling Inclusive Language and Practices at Work

Every word and action shape our workplace culture. In this session, you'll learn how to use inclusive language and practices to create a welcoming environment. You'll explore current language trends, develop bias-reducing strategies, and build a toolkit of inclusive phrases for daily interactions. Through group exercises, you'll practice using names, pronouns, and digital communications, equipping you to foster a respectful and inclusive workplace.

Ditching a One-Dimensional Approach: The Case For Intersectionality

Intersectionality is essential for creating equity-driven workplace strategies, as it focuses on the interconnected dimensions of our identities. This session goes beyond one-dimensional models—such as those focusing only on gender—to explore the complexities of multi-layered identities and their effects on team dynamics. You’ll examine over 40 identity aspects, including race, age, and disability, and apply intersectional approaches to real workplace scenarios, gaining practical tools to foster a more inclusive and supportive environment.

Addressing Class, Caste, and Economic Inequities at Work

Organizations often-overlook the issues of class and caste in the workplace, leading to more economic inequities for those most affected by these topics at work. In this session, you'll explore the historical roots of the caste system and its subtle influence in modern work environments. By examining the parallels between caste, race, and class, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of how these dynamics shape workplace interactions and opportunities. Through discussions and case studies, you'll learn to identify caste-based biases and develop strategies to promote equity, ensuring a truly inclusive and supportive workplace.

Catalyzing Racial Inclusion in the Workplace

Promoting racial inclusion is a priority for many teams, but creating a strategy that addresses the diverse needs of different racialized groups can be challenging. In this session, you’ll develop a nuanced understanding of racial inequities and explore ways to support racialized colleagues. You’ll build a shared understanding of racism in both the world and the workplace, recognize the unique challenges faced by different communities, and gain tools to challenge microaggressions, interrupt bias, resist fragility, and transform workplace culture.

Affirming Gender Diversity in the Workplace

Acknowledging the complexities of gender in the workplace is essential to build a supportive organizational culture. In this session, you’ll learn about gender fundamentals by exploring the social construction of gender and the diverse range of gender experiences in the workplace. You’ll develop a shared language around gender diversity and marginalization, learn practical strategies for inclusive communication, and address exclusionary behaviors effectively. Additionally, you'll explore tools to promote gender inclusion across your organization, including inclusive restroom policies, affirming dress codes, and supportive gender transition and affirmation processes.

LGBTQ+ Essentials: Building a Strong Foundation

Ready to foster a workplace where everyone feels safe and empowered to be themselves? This session equips you with the knowledge and tools to support the LGBTQ+ community. You'll dive into the nuances of sexuality, gender identity, and expression, gaining a solid understanding of key terms and experiences. Learn practical actions to create an inclusive environment, from using correct pronouns to recognizing and avoiding microaggressions, ensuring every team member feels respected and valued.

Centring Accessibility: Building Workplaces That Work for Everyone

Around 15% of the world's population lives with disabilities, yet many workplace professionals are unaware of how to promote accessibility effectively. This session helps you understand the diverse and often invisible nature of disabilities and discover practical ways to empower and support disabled team members. You’ll explore the social model of disability, learn how workplace norms can unintentionally exclude, and gain tools to communicate inclusively, promote accessibility, and ensure everyone gets the accommodations they need to thrive.

Creating Neurodiversity-Friendly Environments

Neurodiversity fosters innovation, yet neurodivergent individuals often face challenges in identifying their accommodation needs at work. This session aims to deepen your understanding and improve practices around neurodiversity. You’ll explore the impact of invisible disabilities and the negative effects of covering neurodivergent traits. Develop a shared language to affirm and respect neurodivergent colleagues, reflect on biases in workplace norms, and learn about standard accommodations that support various neurodivergent conditions.

Challenging Islamophobia in Professional Environments

Although Islam is the world's second-largest religion, with nearly two billion followers, anti-Muslim sentiments and Islamophobia are still prevalent, even in the workplace. This session helps you identify different forms of anti-Muslim bias and dismantle harmful misconceptions about the Muslim community. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of Islamic beliefs, the diversity within Muslim communities, and the roots of Islamophobia. Learn strategies to create an inclusive environment where Muslim colleagues feel supported and valued.

Combating Antisemitism at Work

With antisemitism on the rise globally, it’s crucial for workplaces to challenge these biases and enhance Jewish cultural competency. This session helps you recognize different forms of antisemitism and dismantle harmful misconceptions about the Jewish community. You’ll gain a deeper understanding of Jewish beliefs, the diversity within Jewish communities, and the origins of antisemitism. Learn strategies to create an inclusive environment where Jewish colleagues feel valued, supported, and a sense of belonging.

Religious Inclusion in the Workplace

Religious diversity is a key component of creating a truly inclusive workplace. This session is designed for you to deepen your understanding of various religious beliefs and practices, emphasizing the importance of respecting and valuing different faiths. You will explore how religious inclusion promotes a sense of belonging, regardless of belief systems. Through practical strategies, you'll learn how to create a respectful environment where diverse religious perspectives are acknowledged and supported, fostering a culture of mutual respect and understanding.

Navigating Cultural Diversity in a Global Workplace

In today's globalized world, North American workplaces are inherently multicultural. This session is designed for all audiences, providing tools to communicate and collaborate effectively within diverse teams. You'll learn to understand and adapt to different cultural norms and communication styles, helping you navigate the complexities of multicultural environments. The session will also help you identify biases and microaggressions that can impact team members with diverse cultural identities. You'll explore the concepts of cultural humility and curiosity, gaining practical tools to support and include team members from various cultural backgrounds. By the end, you'll be equipped to foster a more inclusive and collaborative workplace for everyone.

Unlocking Potential: Empowering Newcomers to Succeed

New members bring fresh ideas and energy to any team, but starting in a new place can be tough. This session provides you with the tools necessary to make that transition smooth and successful for everyone involved. You’ll explore equity-driven terminology, reflect on the importance of understanding the complexity of identities, learn about findings regarding different communities experiencing marginalization in Canada, and unpack the meaning of acting in allyship and as an inclusive leader. You’ll leave this session equipped with tactical strategies to thrive in the workplace as a newcomer.

The Age of Inclusion: Building a Work Culture for Every Generation

Cross-generational collaboration is key to team success, but age-related biases often go unnoticed in the workplace. This session uses an intersectional lens to help you understand the impact of ageism and develop tools to address it. You’ll build a shared understanding of ageism and generational diversity, explore strategies to counter age-related stereotypes, and foster intergenerational empathy. Gain practical tools to create inclusive workplace processes that address the unique needs of all generations, from mentorship to menopause awareness.

Beyond the Suit: Rethinking Professionalism

Professional expectations are often taken for granted in the workplace. This session encourages meaningful discussions about the biases within these expectations and how to co-create professional standards that are inclusive and drive business success. You’ll explore harmful notions related to dress codes, work-life balance, self-expression, and communication. Through dialogue, case studies, and scenarios, you’ll gain practical tools to reimagine professionalism, fostering productivity and authenticity.

New Chapters: Inclusion for People with Incarceration Histories

Too many organizations implicitly or explicitly exclude the over 4 million Canadians and nearly one third of Americans who have criminal records. This session helps you take a more inclusive and nuanced approach to incarceration histories in the workplace. Expand your understanding of the unique obstacles and needs of formerly incarcerated professionals, and debunk harmful stereotypes. You’ll explore practical strategies for thoughtfully assessing candidates with criminal records and designing more inclusive workplace cultures and policies. By the end of this session, you’ll gain tools to contribute to the reintegration of individuals with incarceration histories into the workforce and champion their empowerment on teams.

Building Bridges Across Difference, Division, and Deadlock

Workplace topics like #MeToo, Black Lives Matter, elections, and more can deepen divides and create polarization. While avoiding these discussions might seem easier, colleagues may need support. This session helps you understand discrimination, hate, and inequity affecting others, and your role as a bridge builder. You’ll learn to create spaces for accountable dialogue, use tools to bridge differences, and develop a self-care plan for sustaining well-being.

From Cancel Culture to Compassion: The Power of Curiosity

Learning from mistakes is essential for personal and professional growth. When we stumble, colleagues can respond with curiosity and compassion or with shame and blame. This session equips you with tools to enhance psychological safety by approaching conflict with both grace and accountability. You'll examine how political correctness, perfectionism, and cancel culture can create fear and disconnection. Gain practical skills for calling in, building bridges, offering effective apologies, and engaging in restorative justice at work.

Navigating Crises and Times of Uncertainty

Leaders juggle many responsibilities, and in times of crisis, the challenges can be overwhelming. This session explores the discrimination, hate, and inequities emerging in today’s workplaces. By examining these issues through an intersectional lens, you’ll better understand their unique impacts and how to support affected team members. Learn practical strategies for enhancing media literacy, navigating news, and maintaining organizational trust. Become a bridge-builder by embracing complexity, recognizing multiple truths, and supporting diverse needs. Develop a self-care plan to sustain your well-being while helping others, and reinforce your role in creating safer, more inclusive workplaces.

Equitable and Accountable AI at Work

Every day, workplaces find new and innovative ways to use Artificial Intelligence (AI). This session equips you to implement AI ethically, accountably, and in alignment with your values. Through leading research and case studies, you’ll explore key considerations for AI implementation, from compliance to privacy. Learn strategies to ensure fairness, transparency, and bias mitigation in AI deployment. Gain tools for vetting AI systems, promoting responsible use, and setting up safeguards for automated tasks.