In 2015, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada called upon the corporate sector to adopt the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples as a reconciliation framework, and to ensure that Indigenous peoples have equitable access to jobs, training and educational opportunities.
In the BC technology and innovation sector, there are more than 100,000 people working but less than 1% identify as Indigenous. The First Nations Technology Council is committed to convening with industry including technology companies, academic institutions and all levels of government to increase Indigenous representation in the technology and innovation sectors and to facilitate important conversations around economic reconciliation.
The Sector Transformation Division within the Technology Council has launched a new project called, Moving Beyond Inclusion: Partnerships and Reconciliation. It provides an opportunity for industry to co-create a strategic and coordinated approach to actively engage in reconciliation and create local, transformational change within their companies. This initiative will challenge companies to look inwards, take actions beyond Indigenous inclusion and focus on creating a space where diverse worldviews thrive and contribute to a culture of innovation.
The Moving Beyond Inclusion process guides your company through the development and implementation of an action-based roadmap to address the complex and interconnected barriers that exist with regards to Indigenous participation and leadership in your company.
This initiative is driven by a shared commitment to create lasting systems change and:
- Increase awareness of the impacts of colonization;
- Complete foundational HR, policy, and process design work to increase recruitment, retention, advancement, and positive experiences of Indigenous peoples in your workspace;
- Develop strategies to support Indigenous communities through corporate social responsibility activities;
- Create tangible actions that respond to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action
- Seed a culture and environment that makes space for Indigenous worldviews, culture, and thought leadership in all areas of work within your company.
Want to Get Involved?
The Technology Council team will work with your company to conduct a series of workshops, interviews, and document/product reviews to gain insight into localized, specific barriers that exist within your company that might prevent Indigenous participation, retention and mobility. Together we will prioritize and create a phased approach to implement the actions across a range of work areas. Our team will continue to provide a range of advisory services to support you through the implementation phase.
- A reflective practice that increases your awareness of historical and current colonization of Indigenous Peoples and your role as an aspiring ally;
- Policy and process design work to foster recruitment, retention, advancement, and positive experiences of Indigenous peoples
- Customized recruitment strategy to connect your open opportunities with Digital Skills program graduates and beyond;
- Shifts in the culture and environment to make space for Indigenous worldviews, culture and thought leadership in all areas of your work; and
- Strategies to support Indigenous communities through corporate social innovation activities.
The work of reconciliation and justice is a lifelong journey and we always challenge ourselves to learn and do more. We view this as a first life cycle of change;from project kick off to assessment, implementation and evaluation – we anticipate a total project length of 12-18 months.
Moving Beyond Inclusion partners should be ready to do the work, which to us means committing time and financial resources towards the project and participating in learning with a growth mindset. As well, your organization must have the willingness and resiliency to implement actions. Partnerships are guided by the principles of mutual trust, listening, respect for Indigenous wisdom, clear communication, and self-awareness.
You do not need to have done any training or taken any steps in order to start – wherever you are at is the place to start. The essential requirement is being ready to take action. This work is challenging, complex, and at times uncomfortable but all of these aspects of the work are necessary to create authentic and sustainable change. Having an internal champion and main point of contact will ensure a smooth project kick off and we can work with you to build an effective internal working group to support the project.
There are sliding scale costs based on the size of your company which directly relates to the total number of hours of advisory work required for assessment and implementation.Contact us to get a quote for your company.
We are excited to have the support of award-winner Indigenous facilitators, educators, researchers and knowledge keepers including Chastity Davis-Alphonse, Shelley Joseph and Reciprocal Consulting.
We are excited to be working with SAP Canada, Pagefreezer, Microsoft and Bench Accounting. There are still spots available in the first cohort, you can reach out for more information