{"id":17540,"date":"2025-03-08T11:35:28","date_gmt":"2025-03-08T16:35:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/?p=17540"},"modified":"2025-10-26T17:19:17","modified_gmt":"2025-10-26T21:19:17","slug":"woodsworth-housing-coop-dei-committee-getting-started-playbook","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/woodsworth-housing-coop-dei-committee-getting-started-playbook\/","title":{"rendered":"EDI Committee: Getting Started Playbook"},"content":{"rendered":"

September 2025: The Committee has renamed itself EDI, the Canadian format which emphasizes Equity.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

From the Board of Directors re DEI Committee, March 9, 2025 Weekly<\/p>\n

Woodsworth Housing Coop DEI Committee: Getting Started Playbook<\/strong><\/p>\n

1. Introduction<\/p>\n

Welcome to the Woodsworth Housing Coop Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee! This\u00a0playbook serves as an unofficial\u00a0guide to help the initial committee members establish a strong foundation, recruit new members, and engage the cooperative community in meaningful DEI work.<\/p>\n

2. Committee Purpose and Goals<\/p>\n

The DEI Committee aims to promote a culture of respect, fairness, and inclusion within Woodsworth. The initial focus will be:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Establishing the committee and developing operational norms.
\n\u2022\u00a0Recruiting additional committee members.
\n\u2022\u00a0Raising awareness about DEI topics within the coop.
\n\u2022\u00a0Identifying initial priorities and projects.<\/p>\n

3. Building the Committee<\/p>\n

A. Informal Recruitment Strategies<\/p>\n

Growing the committee is a priority in the early stages. Since elections are not yet required, the following informal recruitment approaches should be used:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Personal Outreach:\u00a0Talk to members who may have an interest in DEI topics and invite them to join.
\n\u2022\u00a0Community Events:\u00a0Host casual gatherings, such as coffee chats or social hours, to discuss DEI and encourage participation.
\n\u2022\u00a0Committee Collaboration:\u00a0Connect with other committees, such as Strategies for Staying (S4S), to find members interested in related work.
\n\u2022\u00a0Newsletter & Bulletin Board Posts:\u00a0Share information about the committee and invite members to get involved.
\n\u2022\u00a0Word of Mouth:\u00a0Leverage existing networks and personal relationships within Woodsworth.<\/p>\n

B. Addressing Common Challenges<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Lack of Interest:\u00a0Frame DEI as relevant to all members and highlight its benefits for community well-being.
\n\u2022\u00a0Misunderstanding of DEI:\u00a0Offer clear, accessible explanations of what DEI means and how it impacts Woodsworth.<\/p>\n

4. Operational Structure<\/p>\n

A. Decision-Making Process<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The committee\u00a0may\u00a0consider making\u00a0decisions by\u00a0consensus, ensuring all voices are heard before finalizing actions.<\/p>\n

B. Board Liaison Role<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The Board Liaison serves as a voting member and helps connect committee activities to the Board.<\/p>\n

C. Confidentiality and Ethical Considerations<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0All committee members must sign a Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Agreement within ten days of\u00a0officially\u00a0joining.
\n\u2022\u00a0The committee will not handle specific grievances but can guide members toward appropriate resolution\u00a0channels, or\u00a0use information to plan initiatives.<\/p>\n

5. Planning and Resource Allocation<\/p>\n

A. Setting Priorities<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Reviewing Woodsworth’s Human Rights Bylaw and Accommodation Policy is recommended as a first step.
\n\u2022\u00a0The committee should start by discussing and identifying key areas for action, with a focus on anti-Black racism and psychological safety for racialized members.<\/p>\n

B. Requesting Resources<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The committee does not\u00a0yet\u00a0have an allocated budget but can request funding by presenting a\u00a0business case\u00a0to the Board.
\n\u2022\u00a0Business case proposals\u00a0do not need to be formal, they\u00a0should outline the purpose, expected impact, and cost of proposed events, training, or communication efforts.<\/p>\n

6. Engaging the Broader Membership<\/p>\n

A. Early Engagement Activities<\/p>\n

Since broad community participation is a later goal, the initial focus should be on\u00a0awareness-building\u00a0and\u00a0relationship-building:<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Listening Sessions:\u00a0Create safe spaces for members to share their thoughts on DEI issues.
\n\u2022\u00a0Educational Initiatives:\u00a0Distribute resources or hold informal discussions about DEI topics.
\n\u2022\u00a0Collaborative Efforts:\u00a0Work with other committees on joint initiatives.<\/p>\n

B. Communication Strategies<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0Keep members informed, potentially\u00a0through\u00a0The Weekly, flyers, and informal discussions.
\n\u2022\u00a0Use clear, simple language to explain DEI concepts and their relevance to Woodsworth.<\/p>\n

7. Reporting and Accountability<\/p>\n

\u2022\u00a0The committee will report progress to the Board on a timeline it determines.
\n\u2022\u00a0An annual report will be presented to the cooperative membership.<\/p>\n

8. Next Steps<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0Hold the first committee meeting to establish roles and responsibilities.
\n2.\u00a0Sign a Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Agreement\u00a0and send it to the coop office.
\n\u2022\u00a0Schedule B within\u00a0Woodsworth’s Organizational By-law.
\n3.\u00a0Develop an outreach plan for recruitment.
\n4.\u00a0Begin informal engagement efforts with the community.
\n5.\u00a0Identify\u00a0potential\u00a0initial projects.<\/p>\n

Contact: \u00a0EDI@woodsworthcoop.ca<\/p>\n

Thank you for your commitment to making Woodsworth a more inclusive community!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

September 2025: The Committee has renamed itself EDI, the Canadian format which emphasizes Equity. From the Board of Directors re DEI Committee, March 9, 2025 Weekly Woodsworth Housing Coop DEI Committee: Getting Started Playbook 1. Introduction Welcome to the Woodsworth Housing Coop Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee! This\u00a0playbook serves as an unofficial\u00a0guide to help … Continue reading “EDI Committee: Getting Started Playbook”<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"0","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[507],"tags":[505],"class_list":["post-17540","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-equity-diversity-inclusion-edi","tag-edi-committee"],"post_mailing_queue_ids":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17540","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=17540"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/17540\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=17540"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=17540"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.woodsworthcoop.ca\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=17540"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}