Hillfield Strathallan College, Hamilton Prepared By Danielle Hourigan ’82 and Sheriann Heath-Johnston ONE COLLEGE. FOUR SCHOOLS. BOUNDLESS POSSIBILITIES DIVERSE, INCLUSIVE, EQUITABLE LIFELONG COMMUNITY 2022-2023 ACTION PLAN
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DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSIVENESS ACTION PLAN 3 CONTENTS Vision.........................................................................................................1 Mission......................................................................................................1 Pluralism and Culture.............................................................................2 Learning Continuum...............................................................................2 Goal 1: Recruit and retain a diverse student body and staff........................3 Goal 2: Ensure that all members of our community feel safe welcome....................................................................................................and4 Goal 3:
Land acknowledgment: Hillfield Strathallan College is situated upon the traditional territories of the Erie, Neutral, Huron-Wendat Haudenosaunee and Mississaugas. This land is covered by the Dish With One Spoon Wampum Belt Covenant, which was an agreement between the Haudenosaunee, Anishinabek and other Indigenous nations to share and care for the resources around the Great Lakes. As members of the learning community at HSC, we are committed to honouring this covenant by working alongside our Indigenous neighbours and building a sustainable relationship with the land that we all cherish.
voices within our curriculum, programs and projects that form the learning experience ...............................................................................................4
the
DEI ACTION PLAN
Prioritize inclusion of widely diverse
Joyful, Engaged, Inclusive Community
To institutionalize equitable and inclusive practices and programs ensuring HSC is a place where diversity is celebrated and thrives.
Diversity at HSC means a College comprised of people with a variety of identities, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, skills, perspectives and experiences. HSC strives for equity and respects, accepts and values differences. Each person’s unique combination of differences contributes to HSC in ways that enrich our learning environment and empowers everyone to achieve their fullest potential. Nurturing a diverse student body at HSC means we must ensure our College is an inclusive environment where all members of the larger community feel welcome and respected.
1 DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSIVENESS ACTION PLAN
Vision
The Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness (DEI) plan was developed with our DEI Committee, research and consultation with our strategic planning committee, student groups, and wellbeing leaders. The plan should be used to ensure that we are driving equity, diversity and inclusion changes at the College. Although the Vision and Mission will not change, the activities will be assessed annually to realize the Plan.
Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness Action Plan
Diversity at HSC
Mission
» Voluntary self-identification through HSC’s Human Resource Information System UKG.
» The College develops meaningful requirements for cross-cultural competency and provides training and support for all members of its community.
Pluralism and Culture
» To recruit and retain a diverse HSC Community (students, faculty, staff, board).
» The College's strategic goals and objectives promote diversity, inclusion, and equity in the life of the College.
Goals
We will prioritize widely diverse voices in our curriculum, programs, and projects that form the learning experience.
Learning Continuum
» The College will adopt a nondiscrimination statement applicable to the administration of all of its programs and policies, in full compliance with local, provincial, and federal law. That said, the College makes the law the floor, not the ceiling, for establishing itself as a diverse, inclusive, safe, and welcoming community for all students, staff, and families.
» Ensure that all members of our community feel safe and welcome.
» Survey our staff regularly through Cultural surveys embedded with DEI initiatives to help inform us on perceptions, feelings of belonging and impacts.
» Prioritize the inclusion of widely diverse voices within our curriculum, programs and projects that form the learning experience.
College accountable for living its mission by periodically monitoring and assessing school culture and ongoing admission, hiring, retention, financial aid, and curriculum development efforts.
Strategies
» Communicate initiatives.
» The College will ensure that the board, leadership, faculty, staff, and student body reflect the diversity present in the rapidly changing and increasingly diverse school-age population.
Diverse, Inclusive, Equitable, Lifelong Community
The following Principles provide the foundation for the HSC community:
» Equip our staff with the knowledge and resources to effectively implement, address and realize our DEI initiatives.
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSIVENESS ACTION PLAN 2
» Engage co-workers in DEI conversation and training.
HSC offers students and families an integrated learning experience from early childhood through high school. We will develop a curriculum scaffold that ensures continuity across grade level and division boundaries. We honour multiple destinations on our students' educational paths. We recognize that student and staff wellbeing is foundational to academic success, so we foster balance enabling us to embed the joy of learning into our programming.
» Promote training and events to bring awareness to DEI.
» The College is committed to ensuring a diverse, equitable and inclusive environment at HSC.
» Review and develop policies and procedures that will promote DEI.
We will develop, deliver and support interdisciplinary and cross-grade collaboration and learning for both students and faculty. These opportunities will strengthen relationships across the College and create more flexible experiences that promote the student-centric values articulated in this framework.
» The Head of College and the leadership team keep the
Like our community, region, and nation, our College is increasingly diverse. We recognize, celebrate, and honour our diversity, and we will actively focus on becoming a more pluralistic community, including seeking out, recruiting and admitting students, hiring faculty, and supporting staff who are representative of the broader community. This also includes ensuring that all members of our community feel safe and welcome.
Hillfield Strathallan College values all individuals within our community whose differences include—but are not limited to—age, ethnicity, family makeup, gender identity and expression, learning ability, physical ability, race, religion, sexual orientation, and socioeconomic status. We expect our entire community to ensure a safe and welcoming environment for everyone. We recognize that to do so requires commitment, reflection, education, deliberate planning and action, and ongoing accountability.
Our Committee mandate:
» Measure and disseminate outcomes.
» Collect data to understand what our faculty and staff look like compared with the local labour market. This will inform and help us to understand the diversity of our employees and equity of our internal practices and identify any areas of concern or trends.
» Review and adjust our plan as necessary.
» The College respects and protects the dignity and worth of each member of its community.
Survey current students to determine student make up
promote our College and our hiring needs to community groups with the intent of increased diversity of hiring pool
Understand our current makeupstudent
Ensure data security and use
Understanding of the needs with regards to our staff
CampusAccommodationsadjustments as necessary (e.g., prayer rooms, gender-neutral change rooms, bathrooms etc.)
Presentations at community groups (local IRC offices, newcomer groups, international teaching organizations) about HSC
Provide training for selection committees and supervisors on DEI principals, unconscious bias, and cultural competency training
Increase of diverse applications
Retain persons from designated groups at our College
Improve recruitmentour and selection practices
Review our recruitment policies and Reviseprocedurespolicies and procedures with DEI Partnerprincipalsor
Establish a baseline to measure efforts and identify gaps
Understand our current demographicsstaff
Increased representation of applicants and candidates in staff and faculty recruitment processes
Goals Objectives Activity Method Activity Impact
Survey current staff to determine staff demographics (qualitative and quantitative data)
Survey all staff to measure for feeling included, welcoming environment
Understanding of the needs with regards to our student body through qualitative and quantitative data.
Review admissions criteria and materials to assess for bias
Recruit and retain a diverse student body and staff
Survey current employee experience through UKG
Increased knowledge of barriers and ongoing improvement to Policies and procedures
Recruit and retain students atdesignatedfromgroupsourCollege
Expand scholarship incentives for students from racialized groups, lower socioeconomic status
3 DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSIVENESS ACTION PLAN
Needs assessment to develop and understand DEI training needs
Develop a policy and procedure for survey and data privacy
Survey faculty to understand the types of training they require - experts to run classes, PD etc.
Voluntary self-identification
Voluntary self-identification E.g., Map of the world with HSC students represented across
Review recruitment strategy
Develop a policy and procedure for survey and data CelebrateprivacyDiversity
Develop discriminationharassmentpolicycomprehensiveatoaddressand
Monitor, evaluate and report on outcomes to continually improve and recognize growth
Understanding that individuals may need to experience or receive something different (not equal) to maintain fairness and access.
Implement safe spaces across the College
An accessible and inclusive environment
Establish a position or role to support DEI in the curriculumInnovation Leader
A contributionenvironmentandcollaborative,supportiverespectfulthatincreasestheparticipationandofallstaff.
Ensure that all members of our community feel safe and welcome
Dispute resolution framework
Projects and events, to educate, celebrate and encourage social interaction between diverse Mentorshipgroupsopportunities for staff and students
Experiential learning of diversity throughout curriculum
DIVERSITY (Fact)
Goals Objectives Activity Method Activity Impact
Accountability mechanism framework (guided by OHRC)
Improve access andforaccommodationstostudents,stafffaculty
Enhance mental health services for faculty, staff and students
Growth in affinity groups
Increased community connections - Halton Multicultural Council, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Local reservation, Empowerment Squared etc.
EQUITY (Action)
understandingPromote of DEI
Develop policy and training on pronouns, preferred names, inclusive language
Support faculty and staff ourunderstandingcontributionthatandinvestigatinginresearchingleadstotheandofDEIinitiatives
INCLUSION (Intentionally Designed)
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSIVENESS ACTION PLAN 4
Designated spaces for multifaith/ Gender-neutralprayer washrooms/ changerooms
Prioritize the inclusion of widely diverse voices within our experienceformprojectsprogramscurriculum,andthatthelearning
Understanding, accepting, and valuing differences in races, ethnicities, gender, ages, etc., and differences in education, skill experiences.sets,
Director of Technology, Innovation and Integration
DEI ACTION PLAN
Eleonor Kerr
Deputy Head, Student Wellbeing
Jason Caruana
BOARD DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE
STRATEGIC PLAN COMMITTEE
Head of College Zahra Valani Co-Chair – Director of Advancement and Communications
Carrie Annable '97 Co-Chair – Chair, Academic Innovation & Instructional Team
Liz Davidson
Marc Ayotte
Linda Watson
Director of Finance
Director of HR and Operations
DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSIVENESS ACTION PLAN 5 Hillfield Strathallan College 299 Fennell Avenue West Hamilton, ON L9C 905-389-6366905-389-13671G3 www.hsc.on.ca HILLFIELD STRATHALLAN COLLEGE
Danielle Hourigan '82 Principal, Montessori School
Mary Williams Chair Cindy CharlieRandiPherozeClarkeJeejeebhoyMcCabeSherman'03