福利姬自慰

Connections and Conversations: Finding community at U of T

Members of the Connections and Conversations group
Left to right: Heather Hines, Titi Oridota, Kaye Francis, Jeevan Kempson, Deborah Simon-Edwards, Sharon Grandison, Suzanne Macintyre, Liza Arnason, Kimberly Yeh, Archana Sridhar, Sandra Carnegie-Douglas, Amorell Saunders N鈥橠aw (Photo by Rachel Halpern)

Connections and Conversations, an affinity group for racialized 福利姬自慰staff and their supporters, hopes to spark tri-campus conversations about topics like racism and equity.

The new group recently hosted its inaugural gathering at the OISE library. The staff-driven initiative is supported by the Anti-Racism & Cultural Diversity Office (ARCDO). Founding committee member Amorell Saunders N鈥橠aw says there are many more events to come and encourages participation from racialized staff and their allies.

鈥淲e really want this to be a supportive and collegial network that鈥檚 open to the 福利姬自慰community and helps each and every one of us flourish and thrive in this environment,鈥 says Saunders N鈥橠aw, director of governance at 福利姬自慰Scarborough and assistant secretary of the Governing Council at U of T.

Creating a continuum of collaboration is an important part of the group's mandate. From guest speakers providing expertise in resume-building or career advancement, mentorship opportunities, or learning and upgrading skills, the group will work across the University to provide staff with resources, while also encouraging them to form alliances outside of the group and foster one another鈥檚 growth. 

Neil Chakraborty, resource planning and analysis officer at UTSC, says he looks forward to connecting with others, gaining insights and sharing knowledge about the challenges one has as racialized staff. 鈥淚鈥檓 also interested in research around diversity and minorities.鈥

The inaugural event facilitated dialogue around these topics, including a panel discussion, a networking session and a keynote address from Celina Caesar-Chavannes, parliamentary secretary to the Prime Minister of Canada, Member of Parliament for Whitby and a former member of the Governing Council of the University of Toronto.

鈥淲hy do we need a group like this? Because it鈥檚 2016 and inequity still exists,鈥 says Caesar-Chavannes. 鈥淲hy aren鈥檛 the credentials enough? It鈥檚 time to make it awkward. People are dismissing the talent pool to maintain the status quo when we know that our diversity makes us better.鈥

Following the keynote, a panel addressed the theme of the inaugural gathering, "Beginning the Conversation鈥 and included Professor Kelly Hannah-Moffat, incoming vice-president of human resources and equity; Archana Sridhar, assistant provost in the Office of the Vice-President and Provost; and Kim McLean, chief administrative officer at the Faculty of Arts & Science. The panelists provided their perspectives and insights about supporting and enabling racialized staff to thrive in the workplace.

The discussion resonated with many attendees, including Antonia Maughn, conference coordinator at 福利姬自慰Mississauga.

鈥淚 found out about this event last minute and I am so glad that I did,鈥 she says. 鈥淚t actually covered a lot of things that I am too shy to talk about in my own department and when Celina [Caesar-Chavannes] broke the ice with her humour, experiences and what she does, I felt I could identify with that.鈥

Saunders N鈥橠aw is thrilled to hear positive feedback from the community.  

"Toronto is one of the most diverse cities in the world and our student population is reflective of that,鈥 N'Daw says. 鈥淏ut when you start to look at the top, much of the leadership and decision-making positions don鈥檛 accurately reflect this diversity.鈥

One of the issues the group would like to address is hiring practices.

鈥淚 know the University is committed to making this [anti-bias training] a reality and is already starting along that path,鈥 says Angela Hildyard, vice-president of human resources and equity. 鈥淚t鈥檚 also very important for racialized staff to have networking opportunities, be on committees and decision-making bodies, and know there鈥檚 a path for them to learn, grow and feel supported in their career ambitions.鈥

The group follows a tri-campus model, with local chapters at each campus and a steering committee member serves as a liaison for members of its local chapter. And while the focus is on racialized staff, Connections and Conversations encourages non-racialized allies who are supportive of the mandate to participate. Saunders N鈥橠aw notes many times staff who aren鈥檛 racialized may be in more senior positions within the University and can act as a mentor or resource to support racialized staff.

鈥淚t鈥檚 important everyone joins the conversation around how we can make our work environments more inclusive,鈥 she says.

For Maughn, the event left her with some important take-aways.

鈥淚鈥檝e learned some tools from the panel discussion and I think I鈥檓 going to take those back with me and work with them,鈥 she says. 鈥淭he event was refreshing, informative and I would recommend it to anyone鈥擨 never thought that it would be available to me in my 31 years that I鈥檝e been here.鈥

To learn more information about Connections and Conversations, visit:

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