General
- The Dynamics of Conflict: A guide to engagement and intervention, by Bernard Mayer
- Does PR have a diversity problem, by Sharlyn Carrington, Founder & Director, Content Strong by CONTENTEVENTS (also see additional resources at the bottom of Sharlyn’s article)
- Equity Diversity and Inclusion (PDF), by The Centre for Campus Innovation in Mental Health and the Canadian Mental Health Association, Ontario.
- Technical Writing Essentials: Introduction to Professional Communications in the Technical Fields, by Suzan Last. Chapters of particular interest for writers and communicators engaging with others in their work:
- Chapter 4.3: Collaborative Writing, which includes strategies and process for successful collaborative writing
- Chapter 5.5: Stakeholder Engagement, which explores the stakeholder continuum, including activities that are associated with each category on the continuum
- Inclusive Community Engagement Planning adapted from Inclusion and Equity in Public Participation, by Nicole Armos and Morris J.Wosk for The International Association for Public Participation Canada in 2020.
- As highlighted by Jesse Popp, Indigenous scholar, “It is important to embrace multiple knowledge systems and ways of knowing to improve our work, improve our communities, improve our planet and work towards righting the wrongs of the past.” (Want to reach out to an Indigenous scholar? Awesome! But first, here are 10 things to consider. The Conversation, October 28, 2021).
- The Ikeda Center for Peace, Learning, and Dialogue asked a variety of community thinkers and practitioners what community meant to them, and many gave descriptions and examples that support the idea that community is both a way of being (noun) and doing (verb).
- In Technical Writing Essentials, Suzan Last explains that depending on the type of project, community engagement can look very different as there are various levels of engagement that range from informing people, to active collaboration.
- Power and Privilege Exercise: Adapted from Considerations on Mainstreaming Intersectionality, by Rita Kaur Dhamoon, 2010 and Flower Power exercise from: Educating for a Change by Rick Arnold, Bev Burke, Carl James, D’Arcy Martin, and Barb Thomas (Toronto: Doris Marshall Institute for Education and Action and Between the Lines Press, 1991).
Dominant Group: Not necessarily the majority, rather the group within a society with the power, privilege, and social status to control and define societal resources and social, political and economic systems and norms (Center for the Study of Social Policy, 2019).
- In the table below, document the dominant identities within society, and more specifically, within Waterloo.
- Using the same identity categories, complete the last column with your own identity/ies. The table has distinct rows for each identity, but in reality, identities overlap and intersect, potentially creating additional areas of oppression, as illustrated in Figure 1.
- Questions to consider:
- How many of your identities align with the dominant identities?
- What does this tell you about the power, privilege, and oppression you experience?
- Does the degree to which you experience these things change in particular contexts? How and why?
- How does this impact and influence your work?
| Identity categories | Dominant identity/ies | My identity/ies |
|---|---|---|
| Race | ||
| Education | ||
| New-comer status | ||
| Cultural identities | ||
| Sexual orientation | ||
| Religious or spiritual denomination | ||
| Disabilities | ||
| Economic class | ||
| Gender identity | ||
| Age | ||
Gender identity, expression and sexual orientation
- Intersectionality and publics: How exploring publics’ multiple identities questions basic public relations concepts (PDF), by Jennifer Vardeman-Winter, Natalie Tindall, and Hua Jiang.
- The urgency of intersectionality (18:40 minutes watch time), Ted Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw
- Considerations on Mainstreaming Intersectionality, by Rita Kaur Dhamoon, 2010.
Indigenous Peoples
- Seven Tips on Building Relationships with Indigenous Peoples, by Bob Joseph, a Gwawaenuk Nation member, owner of Indigenous Corporate Training, and former associate professor at Royal Roads University
- Ten things to consider when reaching out to an Indigenous Scholar: This list was developed by Jesse Popp, Assistant Professor, Chair in Indigenous Environmental Science, School of Environmental Studies, University of Guelph. The full article can be accessed on The Conversation.
- Do research first. Is there a way you can find answers on your own? For example, from reading a book written by Indigenous authors, Googling or watching videos featuring Indigenous people sharing insights.
- Recognize we have a lot of requests. Although we want to help with as much as we can, we often have many requests. Please don’t be offended if we just don’t have time to interact.
- Recognize we are not all the same. Indigenous Peoples are diverse. We have unique cultures, values and traditions and will not give the same response.
- Just because we are Indigenous doesn’t mean we know all things Indigenous. Like other scholars, we are experts in a given field. We are not experts in all things Indigenous.
- Think about your intentions. Do your interests genuinely support reconciliation and prioritize the rights, values and ways of knowing of Indigenous Peoples?
- Avoid box-ticking. At all costs, avoid reaching out if the purpose is to tick a box (like making your grant more “Indigenous”).
- Ensure your ideas include meaningful engagement. We want to collaborate in meaningful ways. Never tokenize us.
- Prioritize reciprocity. Is what you have in mind of mutual benefit? Think about how we might be able to help each other.
- Consider compensation. As academics, we have a lot on our plates. External requests are often above and beyond the duties of our paid positions. We have personal lives too. Finding ways to properly acknowledge and compensate us for our time is important.
- Know that our ways of knowing are as equally valuable as yours. We may see through different lenses on some things, but our way of seeing and knowing is just as important as yours.