Posted on Thursday, June 18th, 2020
This Sunday, June 21st, is National Indigenous Peoples Day. Every member of the Algonquin College community has heard a land acknowledgement used at the start of nearly every event we host. I’m going to take some space in today’s blog to reflect on why we do them, why they matter, and what you need to know about doing a respectful land acknowledgement.
A territorial or land acknowledgement is an act of reconciliation that involves making a statement recognizing the traditional territory of the Indigenous peoples who called the land home before the arrival of settlers, and in many cases still do call it home. A land acknowledgement done at the beginning of ceremonies, lectures, or any public event is a way to insert an awareness of Indigenous presence and land rights in everyday life. It can be a subtle way to recognize the history of colonialism in the very place a group is gathering. At Algonquin College we recommend starting with the following outline:
Algonquin College would like to acknowledge that today’s (your event) is taking place on the unceded and unsurrendered territory of the Algonquin people. Traditionally known as “Anishinabe”, Algonquin people are the original inhabitants of the wide swath of territory along the Ottawa River.
In Algonquin culture, it is appropriate for guests to acknowledge the hospitality of their hosts when entering their territory. With this tradition in mind, (name of your Company) respectfully thanks the Algonquin people for hosting us on their ancestral lands. Meegwetch (thank you).
To go beyond simply reading a token script is a best practice, and is an advancement along the journey toward reconciliation. Anishinaabe writer Hayden King suggests that beyond acknowledging the land, the speaker should also describe what they intend to do about it. The hard work of reconciliation asks us to consider partially self-writing the acknowledgement — reflecting the personal circumstance of speaker and the audience or event. He encourages the speaker to disclose their positionality and what the acknowledgement personally means to them. They should address how the land acknowledgement speaks to the event in question and also how the organizer of the event intends to better serve — in concrete terms — the Indigenous people and the land that they acknowledge. You can listen to him express this idea in his own words here: https://www.cbc.ca/player/play/1428298307797
To thoughtfully prepare an in-depth acknowledgement requires time and care. You may find it helpful to reflect on and research questions such as:
- How does this acknowledgement relate to the event or work you and the group are doing?
- What is the history of this territory? What are the impacts of colonialism here?
- How did your family come to Canada, and on what land did they settle? What is your relationship to this territory?
If you would like to be able to conduct a land acknowledgement when you aren’t on our Woodroffe campus, you may enjoy the app ‘Whose Land’. Whose Land is a web-based app that uses GIS technology to assist users in identifying Indigenous Nations, territories, and Indigenous communities across Canada. The app can be used for learning about the territory your home or business is situated on, finding information for a land acknowledgement, and learning about the treaties and agreements signed across Canada. You can get it in the app store for free!
Posted on Thursday, June 4th, 2020
Assumptions – most often incorrect – about others are the key source of misunderstanding, and worse, prejudice. It is the unspoken spaces that lead to our biased brain filling in false data based on assumptions about others. I can see this happening so clearly with the Black Lives Matter movement. The oft heard dismissal of this movement is that ‘All Lives Matter’ or ‘Blue Lives Matter’. But what is happening is the unsaid word and meaning here is being assumed. The unsaid word being placed in these rebuttals is that (only) Black Lives Matter. But that is not what is said, nor what it is intended to say. What is being said is that Black Lives Matter (too). Ah. Another unsaid word that is assumed to be understood. Because for Black Lives Matters activists, it is such a given that everyone should understand the systemic and overt racism that black communities and individuals experience.
Herein lies your challenge – Seek first to understand, then be understood as first penned by Steven Covey. Don’t allow your assumptions about what others mean, or what their movement stands for, without taking the time to understand others experiences, their intent, and their positionality in the world. There are so many places you can start learning and understanding the lived realities of our Black colleagues and students and community members. If you haven’t taken the time to read these blogs full of resources on the topics of Racism, perhaps now you have heard your call to action and now want to learn. Here they are for you again:
There is always more we can do. The Human Resources team is working on a number of additional virtual events, learning opportunities and discussion forums that will provide the college community with opportunities to discuss how racism can be combated within Canada, in our personal and professional lives and within our campuses. As dates are confirmed for these conversations and events, you will receive notice though this blog and on MYAC.
Posted on Friday, May 22nd, 2020
As a follow up to the recent blog on the history of Xenophobia, I wanted to share this really useful toolkit entitled “Counteracting Dangerous Narratives in the Time of COVID-19” by the organization Over Zero. If you don’t have a moment to read the full guide, here are some key excerpts:
Certain patterns of speech are commonly repeated before and during violence that targets groups based on their identity. Unfortunately, these narratives can be easily fueled by uncertainty and anxiety, such as the current public health and economic crises:
- narratives portray groups as to blame for the pandemic and economic crisis, as an ongoing threat, and as not fully human (e.g. through comparing people to pests, rodents, or the disease itself);
- narratives build an exclusive “us” in need of protection, portraying violence or harm as necessary (and even good) and depicting other social or political solutions as infeasible.
Be on the lookout for these narrative patterns! Note: While a dangerous narrative may not mobilize widespread support overnight, it can still have influence–even on moderate group members–by desensitizing them to such speech and changing their perceptions of group norms.
In the face of increased risk, the toolkit suggests several key actions, communication strategies, and considerations critical for leaders. These are to:
- build a broader version of “us” by using your platform to affirm overarching and cross-cutting identities, model mutual helping behaviors, and set positive norms of unity and inclusion; interrupt and clearly counter harmful narratives.
- build messages that resonate and undercut harmful narratives that serve to other and fuel zero-sum mentalities – separate how you speak about people who have had the disease and the disease itself.
- work with effective messengers and channels – work with the key communicators and leaders in your community to support their use of language that unites.
- be strategic about the long game by building strong cross-cutting relationships. Take the time to strengthen or build your network to include people and communities from different backgrounds.
Posted on Friday, May 15th, 2020
This week I wanted to share a thought-provoking piece of poetry from Britain that is making the rounds on social media. This 2 minute piece called ‘You Clap For Me Now: the coronavirus poem on racism and immigration in Britain’ written by Darren James Smith can be viewed on YouTube. As challenging as the prose is, I think the message about the inclusion of immigrants is especially important as we consider the rise in Xenophobia.
It only takes the smallest thing to change the world.
#ICYMI: Sunday May 17 is International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia. Read more here.
Posted on Friday, May 1st, 2020
Monday – May 4th – marks the start of the Canadian Mental Health Association’s 69th annual Mental Health Week. This year, the focus is on building real connection by sharing how we really feel. It’s common in our society to ask people how they are. It’s common in Canada to say we’re fine, even when we don’t really mean it. Every time we just go through the motions, we miss a chance to connect with others in a meaningful way.
As we face the COVID-19 global pandemic, we need each other now more than ever. It’s time to #GetReal about how we feel and lean on others for support.
This Mental Health Week, let’s say more than just “I’m fine.” Let’s have real conversations with our friends, neighbours and coworkers about how we’re all really doing. We’re in this together. In these days of social distancing (more accurately called physical distancing), we are learning that we don’t have to be close to feel close. We are together, even when we’re apart. Everyone needs emotional support at the best of times. This week let’s all make an effort to connect and get real by using our virtual mood buttons on teams and zoom. You can download the instructions and button JPEGs here: https://www.algonquincollege.com/wellness/2020/05/tell-us-how-you-really-feel/
I’m digging into the Harvard Business Review vault from 2015 for advice from an article on How to Build the Social Ties You Need at Work:
Do:
- Start by making small changes in your behavior, like reaching out to just say hello
- Make connections beyond your immediate team—it’s important to have relationships across the organization
- Build time into your busy schedule to build relationships
Don’t:
- Don’t feel you need to share personal details to make a connection; work-related conversation works too
- Think just because you’re an introvert, that you don’t need friendships at work
- Fake it—your efforts to connect must be authentic or people will see through you
Not sure where to start to make better connections? Algonquin College is bursting with ways to connect and learn remotely right now – take advantage – you can check out all the opportunities here: https://algonquincollege.force.com/myAC/EC_CommunityEvents
Posted on Friday, April 24th, 2020
According to Merriam-Webster, xenophobia is the fear and hatred of strangers or foreigners. This differs from racism which has a broader meaning set including “a belief that racial differences produce the inherent superiority of a particular race.” Although they are similar, they are different enough that it is possible for one to be both xenophobic and racist. With more than 4,000 international students as part of our College community, and our country welcoming over 310,000 immigrants annually, we must be aware of – and stand against – both issues.
The current reality of Covid-19 with it’d closed borders, tracking cases and infections by where people have traveled or lived lends itself very quickly to the possibility of a significant rise in xenophobia. I believe there is a risk that many Canadians will fall back on our welcoming self-image and due to Canada’s state policy of multiculturalism (1971) is immune to the potential for xenophobia in our daily interactions. To create an opportunity to think about how we might not repeat the past, I have selected a few of the many examples from Canadian history where xenophobia was the policy of the day.
- The ‘Continuous Journey Regulation’: was as an amendment to the Immigration Actin 1908, prohibiting the landing of any immigrant that did not come to Canada by continuous journey from the country of which they were natives or citizens. In practice, this regulation primarily affected immigrants from India and Japan since the main immigration routes from those countries did not offer direct passage to Canada. Prime Minister Mackenzie King recommended restricting immigration from India, noted that many East Indians in Canada were unemployed and impoverished, attributing their circumstances to an incompatibility with the Canadian climate and way of life. This recommendation was not adopted as Indians were also British subjects. (source Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21)
- The Chinese Immigration or ‘Exclusion’ Act: On July 1, 1923, the Chinese Immigration Act came into force prohibiting all Chinese immigrants except diplomats, students, children of Canadians and the investor class. This Act was adopted in part due to increased hostility against the Chinese in the postwar period as poor economic conditions were regularly blamed on visible minorities. Vessels transporting Chinese immigrants were only authorized to carry one Chinese immigrant for every 250 tons of the ship’s total weight. Chinese individuals already in Canada were required to register and carry photo identification as evidence of their compliance with the regulations of the act; even Canadian born and naturalized Chinese were made to register. (source Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21)
- The Great Depression in the 1930s: Poverty and lack of jobs during the 1930s pushed anti-immigration sentiments. The Canadian government responded to the Great Depression by applying severe restrictions to entry. New rules limited immigration to British and American subjects or agriculturalists with money, certain classes of workers, and immediate family of Canadian residents. The results was a drop in immigrants of over 110,000 annually. Canada also aimed to remove immigrants who were already landed by establishing unemployment, illness, ideology, or perceived immorality as also grounds for deportation, resulting in removal of 25,000 people from 1930 to 1937. (source Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21)
I invite you to reflect on these examples, your reaction to them, and consider these state choices through today’s lens. Could this happen again today? What might you do if it does?
#ICYMI Today also marks the start of Ramadan. You can recap the details from last year’s blog here.
Posted on Friday, April 17th, 2020
No one needs me to explain that we living in difficult and stressful times. I would like to highlight that this means we need to be even more mindful of behaving inclusively. Here are some recent examples demonstrating the reality of bias, discrimination and exclusion:
Our brain is hardwired to make split second decisions to perceive anyone different from us as a threat. This is unconscious bias – the immediate, reflexive, defensive reaction to the “other”. You should be concerned that it can cause your critical thinking to be less reliable. According to Manie Bosman, CEO at the Strategic Leadership Institute “when the amygdala is activated, the cognitive tendency is to generalize more, which increases the likelihood of accidental connections. This means that our ability to understand, make decisions, remember, memorize, plan, inhibit impulses, solve problems and communicate is impaired. (source: Korn Ferry). The last thing we need in stressful and uncertain times is to make generalized and reactive decisions, rather than those based on evidence and thoughtfulness.
Equity & Intercultural Competence and Managing for Diversity are two major elements in AC’s 2019-2022 Inclusion & Diversity Blueprint. Just like our muscles, we need to exercise these skills to become strong, and then in times of stress our ‘muscle memory’ will help guide us through. Now is the time we need to be drawing on our value of respect, slowing down our thing and combatting bias in our decisions. I encourage you to take a moment to ensure you have all the evidence before making a decision with your gut, and bring in new evidence by learning about others. Here are a couple upcoming learning opportunities you can access virtually to keep your inclusion muscles toned:
· April 23 – CCDI Webinar: Leveraging cultural difference at work
· April 29 – Pride at Work Canada Webinar: Woke Marketing, Rainbow Edition
· May 7 – CCDI Webinar: The history of Indigenous Peoples in Canada
Posted on Thursday, April 9th, 2020
We are entering a week of very important religious and cultural celebrations. This week’s blog will cover some of them to raise your awareness and curiosity about others, and focus on the many ways these dates of significance can be celebrated. Lets approach these chronologically with Passover as that started at sundown last evening.
Passover: This is a Jewish holiday that last for eight days, and is commemorating the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt. This holiday incorporates themes of springtime, a Jewish homeland, family, remembrance of Jewish history, social justice and freedom — including recognizing those who are still being oppressed today. Every family has its own Passover rituals, but includes the Seder meal is held on the first and second night of Passover. This is a home ritual or religious service set around a dinner table, where the order in which participants eat, pray, drink wine, sing, discuss current social justice issues and tell stories is prescribed by a central book called the Haggadah. The proper greeting for your Jewish colleagues is simply ‘happy Passover’ or if you want to try out some Hebrew, you can say “happy Pesach”. Read this article for more details: https://time.com/5188494/passover-history-traditions/
Easter Sunday: This Christian holiday is the commemoration of Jesus Christ’s resurrection from death, and is the primary festival of the Christian faith. All Christian traditions and cultures have their own special emphases for Easter. The Easter sunrise service, for example, is a distinctive Protestant observance in North America. Christians in South Sudan re-enact the scene of Jesus Christ being led to his crucifixion. In Traunstein, Germany, there is a blessing for men and beasts at the St. George church. In Egypt, Coptic Orthodox Christian priests throw holy water during Palm Sunday mass. An aquatic Via Crucis (or procession following the way of the cross) is carried out on boats across the islets of the Cocibolca lake in Granada, Nicaragua. There are many many more traditions to explore, click on this link to see pictures of the many beautiful Easter traditions around the world.
Songkran: For Buddhists in Southeast Asia, April 13th is the start of a three day festival for the New Year. The holiday’s main focus is about moving forward and water plays a major role in the festival. Symbolically it washes away the previous year so people can get ready for the next one. Many families and visit Buddhist temples in the early morning, bring offerings such as food and sprinkle clean or scented water over statues of Buddha to represent purification and good fortune. Younger people also pour water on the hands of elderly relatives and friends to show their respect and ask for blessings in the coming year. (there is also a giant water fight in the streets for fun!)
Baisakhi: April 14th marks the spring harvest festival for Sikhs and Hindus. This marks the Sikh new year and commemorates the formation of Khalsa panth of warriors under Guru Gobind Singh in 1699. It is serves as a reminder to the Sikh community of the creation of the Khalsa order which promotes justice and equality for the creation of a more equal and just society, commits to wearing the five articles of faith and practices daily meditation. Sikhs begin Vaisakhi with a visit to the gurdwara and then a day of celebration begins. People wear bright clothes and the streets are filled with parades. And no celebration is complete without food, and on this day its free thanks to the tradition called langar, where everyone in the community, no matter how rich or poor they are, come together and share a meal. So if you want to celebrate along with the Sikh community, brush up on your Bhangra dance skills! (here’s a video to help)
Whatever you are celebrating, or if you are just enjoying the long weekend, I wish you and your family health and hope.
Posted on Friday, April 3rd, 2020
Algonquin employees care about one another. I know because many of you have checked-in on me, and I know you have also been checking-in on one another. But do you know what to do when you are checking-in on the well being of a colleague or one of your employees and the conversation, email (or lack thereof) leaves you even more concerned? When we have the tools to talk openly about mental health and mental illness it goes a long way towards reducing stigma, and creating supportive and safe workplaces.
Here are some of the tools available for you to dig-in and learn more online in the Not Myself Today Module on ‘Let’s Get Talking’: not myselftoday.ca/create-account Access Code: ENULEM
- Consider brushing up on how to use accurate and empathetic language about mental wellness and illness. Here’s a tip sheet on ‘language do’s and don’ts to use as a reference.
- Watch this in-depth webinar on ‘Having Difficult Conversations’ which addresses principles for having respectful conversations about mental health and helps you understand some of the issues related to disclosure.
- Perhaps you are experiencing a mental health condition, and are considering disclosing to your manager. The online portal has a resource for you on Navigating Disclosure.
If you have a specific situation, concern or arising issue, you may want more personalized support. Did you know you can call our Employee Assistance Program (EAP) to receive personal guidance and advice on having conversations about mental wellness for yourself or those around you including colleagues and direct reports? Check out our EAP website for all the details and contact information: https://www.algonquincollege.com/hr/wellness/eap/
Keep well and keep in touch!
Posted on Friday, March 27th, 2020
Many of us are coming to the end of our first week working from home, with the added ‘help’ of four-legged and underage ‘co-workers’ – while trying to support our teams and learners, and deliver on our many work commitments. Sounds like a recipe for stress! Stress plays a big role in how we feel, on our mental state and on our overall mental health and well-being in all areas of life, and work can have a significant impact on our stress levels. Check out this 3 minute video from the Canadian Mental Health Association to learn all about stress: https://youtu.be/bVQ3BnYw51o
This week I’m pulling resources from Not Myself Today that will help you identify, manage and reduce negative stress at work. By accomplishing this, we’re building greater resilience to help protect against the effects of stressful environments. By building greater resilience, we are more likely to perceive demands as challenges rather than threats, and ultimately, are better equipped to cope with stress that comes up.
Understanding the stress levels we are experiencing can help us to better manage our stress. Take this 10 question quiz now to monitor and manage your stress levels. You can also access it through the online portal at not myselftoday.ca/create-account Access Code: ENULEM
Want to do something about your stress levels?
- Download and post this quick reference card with tips to de-stress at work.
- Access the newly added guided mindfulness meditation audio online. Go to the Stress Less Module in the Not Myself Today online portal at not myselftoday.ca/create-account Access Code: ENULEM