Anti-Racism Strategy & Action Plan

Everyone:

Complete mandatory anti-racism training within the first year of training implementation.

Establish individual goals and integrate actions in annual priority or goal setting. (support: OAREHRS webpage, toolkits)

Use resources and tools to support continual professional development in anti-racism, anti-Black racism, decolonization, equity, and inclusion. (support: OAREHRS  webpage, resources and toolkits) 

In order to effect progress and make real change, anti-racism must be ongoing and integrated into everything we do. 

We encourage all employees to review the action plan and think about you can make anti-racism part of your work and your operational plans for 2022-23.

Anti-Racism & Equity Advisory (AREA) Committee:

1.8 Establish a Scarborough Charter Subcommittee that includes SMC leadership representatives, AREA Committee members and Black employees, students, and community members to support planning and college-wide implementation.

2.7 Establish plan to recognize and broadly communicate the contributions of Black, Indigenous, and racialized employees and students within George Brown.

Board of Governors:

1.4 Ensure college accountability to anti-racism and equity efforts by requiring annual reports and supporting and resourcing efforts to realize the actions set out in this document.

1.7 Review processes at senior decision-making tables to build mechanisms to engage and consult with employees, students, and broader community to support the development of initiatives to build inclusive campuses in a manner that is responsive to Black, Indigenous, and racialized employees and students.

Communication:

2.4 Develop internal and external communication plan to promote key messages in support of public education and to build awareness of GBC’s anti-racism and equity efforts.

Chairs / Program Coordinators:

4.8 Identify opportunities to engage subject matter experts including individuals with lived experience to support faculty and students in adopting an anti-racist and equity-minded lens to their research in ethically responsible ways

Department / Division Leads / Chairs:

1. 3 Review department/division anti-racism and equity priorities (including those identified in this plan) and develop annual divisional work plans, recording plans in Envisio and updating plans in accordance with operational planning guidelines. Report progress of plans to OAREHRS annually. 

3.2 Require all employees to take Introduction to Anti- Racism self-directed module within the first year of implementation. 

3.9 Recruit an employee within each department or unit as an Equity Champion. The equity champion will be responsible for coordinating the implementation of anti-racism and equity commitments made in divisional/departmental work plan. 

3.6 Require all employees to identify individual anti-racism and equity-related priorities as part of 2022 priority setting. 

4.2 Require all faculty to engage with and develop a plan to implement the actions in Indigenous Education Services strategy. 

Employee Learning & Development:

3.1 Revise current “Introduction to Anti-Racism” training and develop a self-directed asynchronous learning module for mandatory employee training. 

Facilities:

2.2 Ensure wayfinding and accessibility supports to locate prayer rooms, designated inclusive spaces, and college safety zones. 

Finance:

5.17 Review and revise the procurement policy to ensure that GBC’s vendor contracts are equitably distributed, with criteria to promote and sustain purchasing/ contracting processes that support the advancement of Black, Indigenous, and racialized businesses. 

GBC Foundation:

5.16 Review fundraising activities and develop a plan to increase need-based financial aid and awards targeted at students from Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities. 

Human Resources:

5.1 Provide anti-bias training, tools and resources to the Talent and Acquisition team and hiring managers to guard against bias in hiring process and to support more equitable hiring practices. 

5.2 Include in all onboarding letters to new staff and faculty the requirement to complete Introduction to Anti-Racism, Human Rights and Sexual Violence Prevention training.

5.3 Create and disseminate a plan to actively recruit individuals with Anti-Racism and EDI skills and competencies in all searches and in career progression opportunities emphasizing leadership recruitment. 

5.4 Include language that speaks to the responsibility to understand and integrate anti-racism, equity and decolonizing principles and values, as well as the ability to address racism, in all job postings for faculty and staff positions. 

5.6 Review and revise Employment Equity Census survey process to support ongoing collection of EDI data and enhance the collection of disaggregated race-based data.

5.7 Require that a member of OAREHRS, AREA Committee or Department Equity Champion (once established) be on leadership recruitment panels. 

5.8 Identify and implement specific supports and development opportunities/programs for Black, Indigenous and racialized part-time faculty and support staff. 

5.9 Develop and implement an “exit survey” process/ strategy to enable identification of barriers to retention for racialized employees. 

5.11 Develop a plan to review and update priority setting processes, performance management discussion guides and salary increase policies and procedures in collaboration with collective bargaining units to identify opportunities to integrate anti-racism and equity principles and performance criteria. 

5.12 Recognize participation in professional development, initiatives and other contributions that advance anti-racism and EDI practices and programs in performance management system. 

5.13 Review existing recruitment, promotion, and succession (employee life cycle) procedures to identify both vulnerabilities to implicit bias and opportunities to strengthen hiring of racialized leaders, faculty, and staff. 

Institutional Research & Planning:

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Library Services:

4.9 Audit textbooks and other educational materials to ensure diverse representation of authors and content that reflect historical facts of Black, Indigenous and other racialized peoples and highlight material of Black, Indigenous, and racialized authors to build greater awareness. 

OAREHRS:

1.2 Develop and disseminate anti-racism and equity education and toolkit designed specifically for leadership at all levels to deepen understanding and awareness and provide tools and resources to support behavioural change. 

1.8 Establish a Scarborough Charter Subcommittee that includes SMC leadership representatives, AREA Committee members and Black employees, students, and community members to support planning and college-wide implementation.

2.1 Explore opportunities to create designated spaces and opportunities at George Brown for Black, Indigenous and other racialized students and employees to gather, host events, celebrate and share traditions and achievements to foster belonging. 

2.5 Review and enhance Student and Employee Climate Survey with a goal of collecting equity disaggregated data for effective monitoring of student and employee engagement.

2.8 Identify or develop college-wide mechanisms to effectively share and celebrate innovative, racially responsive and equity-minded practices, programs, or policy changes. 

2.9 Review and develop a plan to reinstitute college-wide equity-related programming (e.g., Positive Space) that also addresses the intersectional needs of Black, Indigenous, and racialized students and employees. 

2.10 Review opportunities to establish awards, funding and incentives that recognize outstanding anti-racism, equity, diversity and inclusion initiatives and contributions in learning, research, and community engagement, including student-led initiatives. 

3.1 Revise current “Introduction to Anti-Racism” training and develop a self-directed asynchronous learning module for mandatory employee training. 

3.3 Periodically make available to all employees and students a series of anti-racism and equity-focused workshops and facilitated sessions on relevant topics including power, privilege and bias, anti-Black racism, decolonization practices, engaging in difficult conversations and becoming a racially responsible and equity-minded leader/faculty/student. 

3.4 Develop learning resource guide and toolkit to support leaders and employees in developing anti-racism awareness and skills, with the aim of fostering an attitudinal shift to inform anti-racism practice within the classroom and broader working environment. 

3.7 Implement mandatory anti-racism and equity self-directed learning module for students to complete at orientation or/admission (learning modules to include: introduction to AR, ABR, micro-aggressions unconscious bias, human rights, and sexual violence prevention). 

3.8 Develop and share guidelines and tools to support racially responsive and equity-minded decision-making and policy review. 

4.1 Develop and embed faculty-focused anti-racism and equity tools and resources to enhance the GBC Faculty Onboarding Academy. 

4.3 Create a repository or portal (microsite) to facilitate access to tools and resources that encourage and support faculty in implementing anti-racist and equity-minded and inclusive course design, teaching practice and assessments. 

4.6 Create an online learning space to support and encourage faculty Communities of Practice to enable ongoing development and sharing of best practices, emerging practices, resources and tools. 

5.6 Review and revise Employment Equity Census survey process to support ongoing collection of EDI data and enhance the collection of disaggregated race-based data.

Office of Academic Excellence:

4.5 Create and implement tools and a plan to support faculty and chairs to review curriculum and course syllabi and identify opportunities to integrate anti-racist and equity-minded principles in course language, outcomes, resources, materials, and assessment practices. 

4.11 Create a work plan to develop tools and guidelines to support chairs and faculty to integrate anti-racism and equity lens during program development, course design, teaching practices and assessments and program review. 

Public Safety & Security:

2.6 Provide enhanced training to Public Safety and Security personnel in anti-Black racism, anti-bias training and understanding power and privilege.

2.12 Reassess existing campus security and safety infrastructure and protocols with a view to protecting the safety of Black, Indigenous, and racialized employees, students, and community members on campus. 

Registrar's Office:

5.5 Provide enhanced anti-bias training to individuals who assess written applications (for funding, admissions) to ensure equity in admissions and funding awards. 

5.14 Review student admission processes to identify vulnerabilities to implicit bias, gaps, and opportunities to reduce found disparities in Black, Indigenous and racialized enrolment. 

Research & Innovation:

4.10 Identify opportunities to build concrete research support practices (including mentorship and sponsorship) to encourage Black, Indigenous and racialized faculty to become involved in research projects. 

Strategic Planning and Institutional Analysis:

4.4 Enhance student feedback form (SFQ) by including questions about instructors’ respectfulness of diversity and cultural sensitivities. 

4.7 Review and improve mechanisms to gather student perspectives on the inclusiveness of their learning experiences to support development and improvement of courses. 

5.10 Develop a plan to build meaningful relationships between George Brown and racialized communities and alumni, including establishing or strengthening partnerships with broader Black, Indigenous, and racialized communities to support identification of barriers and opportunities to address systemic racism. 

Senior Leadership Team (including Vice Presidents and Associate Vice Presidents):

1.1 Members of the Senior Leadership Team (i.e., CMC, Vice-Presidents and Associate Vice-Presidents)and Board of Governors will complete “Leading for Equity” learning series delivered by an external consultant.

1.4 Ensure college accountability to anti-racism and equity efforts by requiring annual reports and supporting and resourcing efforts to realize the actions set out in this document. 

1.5 Develop a plan to consistently communicate and champion GBC’s commitment to anti-racism and equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) in visible platforms (e.g., GBCommunity, Town Halls, Thought Leadership blogs and meeting agendas). 

1.6 Review action plan “key strategic recommendations” and “Driving for Change” activities in this document for endorsement and communicate approved recommendations to Office of Anti-Racism, Equity and Human Rights Services (OAREHRS), Anti- Racism and Equity Advisory (AREA) Committee and George Brown community. 

1.7 Review processes at senior decision-making tables to build mechanisms to engage and consult with employees, students, and broader community to support the development of initiatives to build inclusive campuses in a manner that is responsive to Black, Indigenous, and racialized employees and students. 

3.10 Establish a Data group to support the development of a data strategy for systemic data collection with the aim to find racial equity gaps, determine the magnitude of these gaps, and understand baseline data compilation and analysis. 

Student Success:

2.3 Ensure student support staff have access to trainings/tools and resources that support racially responsive and culturally sensitive practice with a focus on inclusive and accessible language, power and privilege, racial trauma.

2.5 Review and enhance Student and Employee Climate Survey with a goal of collecting equity disaggregated data for effective monitoring of student and employee engagement.

2.11 Review structure and resource allocation (human and financial) for Black Student Support Network (BSSN) to support greater capacity and service delivery to Black students and broader community. 

5.15 Review orientation and ongoing supports for international students and students who self-identify as a member of a racialized community to ensure a welcoming environment and support their transition to campus and their success. 

Teaching & Learning Exchange (TLX):

3.1 Revise current “Introduction to Anti-Racism” training and develop a self-directed asynchronous learning module for mandatory employee training. 

4.1 Develop and embed faculty-focused anti-racism and equity tools and resources to enhance the GBC Faculty Onboarding Academy.