Introduction
Welcome to the Building Community: Introduction to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) eBook! As you embark on your EDI education adventure, this resource will act as a guide to help inform your learning and help you apply EDI principles to your everyday life.
Research suggests establishing an inclusive culture in post-secondary institutions directly correlates to successful learning, living, and working environments. Applying an equity and inclusion lens to decision-making, research, employment practices, and curriculum, builds a stronger and more successful community. Diversity makes us strong. Fostering diversity through equitable and inclusive supports makes us successful.
This short and accessible learning resource will provide you with introductions to key foundational anti-oppression concepts and tools to embed EDI into the fabric of your lives and your individual spaces. You will be provided with the tools necessary to identify and apply a core set of EDI principles, explain key EDI concepts, discuss barriers to full participation for equity-deserving groups, and critically reflect upon the measurable effects of an inclusive climate.
As you make your way through the chapters, be sure to think about how and where you may apply the discussed principles in your own spaces. Perhaps you can apply the concepts discussed in Chapters 3 & 4 about debiasing your thinking to an upcoming hiring committee in your workplace. Or maybe you can use the information in Chapter 7 to become a better ally for equity-deserving groups in your community.
However you choose to continue your anti-oppression and anti-bias education journey, this book provides you with all the tools you need to get started. After all, it takes all of us as individuals and as institutions practicing EDI work to build a flourishing society, in which everyone experiences an authentic sense of belonging.
Happy learning!
Indira Naidoo-Harris
Associate Vice-President, Diversity and Human Rights, University of Guelph
Image Credit
Logo: Open Learning and Educational Support, University of Guelph/graphic