Letter From The Collective Arts Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Hello Collective Arts Family, 

Reaching out to share the inaugural blog post on behalf of the D&I Crew. You will be hearing from us regularly, sharing news, resources, projects and initiatives that we want everyone to be aware of. 

To make sure we are all on the same page, the team wants to share what diversity and inclusion means to the CAB family and why it's important. 

Diversity: The active practice of listening and including those inside + outside of the company, who come from a range of unique and different social and ethnic backgrounds, genders, classes and orientations. 

Inclusion: Collective Arts actively practices to provide equal access, opportunities and resources to those who differ in race, gender, sexuality, or ability. Nobody is, has or will be excluded. 

And why is it important to Collective Arts? We are a collective. Period. We are a group of individuals with the same goal - to be a creative and inclusive environment with voices from all angles. Everyone in the Collective Arts family has a valued opinion and deserves equal opportunity for advancement, acknowledgement.  

What’s Happening Internally: 

• Bi-Weekly D&I Team meetings to regularly plan and evaluate current plans to better diversify CAB
• Offer real time news with links and information  

Upcoming: 

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation becomes a statutory holiday on September 30th - Collective Arts will be acknowledging this day in office - please stay tuned for more information. The establishment of the national holiday is in response to the 80th call to action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action, and this date coincides with Orange Shirt Day, which began in 2013 and involved wearing orange shirts to honour Indigenous children forced to leave their families to attend residential schools.

University of Alberta - FREE Course Indigenous Canada

This is a free online course that anyone can sign up for, where you can educate yourself on Indigenous history and current Indigenous issues in Canada. Benevity is donating $50 on their behalf to Indigenous nonprofits for everyone who shows proof of completion of the Indigenous Canada course via the University of Alberta.  All you have to do is post a photo of your course completion email or certificate on LinkedIn between July 14-Sept 30, 2021. 

The Collective Arts Team encourages everyone to look into taking this course to learn more. 

The Hamilton Chamber of Commerce and Pride Hamilton Pride Community Pages 

This is a community resource for organizations owned by, friendly to, or providing safe space to the two spirit and LGBTQIA+ community within Hamilton. Take a look to see some familiar names there! 

_____________________________________________________

Have an employee referral? Don’t forget! We are an equal-opportunity, affirmative action employer. We value and welcome diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where all employees feel like they belong. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations and will work with you to meet your needs. If you are a person with a disability and require assistance during the recruitment and selection process, please don’t hesitate to reach out!  We celebrate our inclusive work environment and welcome members of all backgrounds and perspectives to apply.