Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
The Volunteering Lens of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion
Volunteer Canada’s ultimate goal is to enhance the participation, quality, and diversity of volunteering. What does that mean within our current context? Volunteer Canada’s expertise is in volunteer engagement and we are only at the beginning of our own journey to understand diversity and its relationship to volunteering. But here we begin….
Volunteer Canada is exploring of the role volunteering plays in building inclusive, diverse, and equitable communities. A long-standing issue in our sector has been the lack of diversity among employees, volunteers, and those serving on boards. Recent research by Statistics Canada confirmed that the composition of most non-profit boards does not reflect the diversity of Canada society or the communities served by the sector. Why is this the case and what can we all do about it?
How does volunteering help newcomers integrate into communities? How do newcomer volunteers help organizations increase their cultural competencies? How can we make volunteering more accessible to diverse populations, including baby boomers, youth, people with disabilities, Indigenous people and 2SLGBTQ+ communities? How does engaging volunteers from diverse populations make communities more inclusive?
As a starting point, we have developed a searchable repository of resources related to diversity, equity, inclusion and volunteering; and compiled a report of social policy and legislation in Canadian provinces and territories related to diversity, inclusion, and equity. We will continue build the repository and invite you to recommend a resource using the template provided.
We acknowledge that diversity, equity and inclusion is an evolving area and that language and resources are changing as well, meaning some resources listed may already be outdated. We are asking for your help in keeping our material current, relevant, and, above all, respectful. Please let us know if there is anything that does not belong here. We also know that there is a lot of great work being done in this area so please send any materials that you know of our way!
We are also including a list of organizations leading in this area to access up-to-date resources and information. We welcome your feedback or input at [email protected].
Legislation
List of legislation for Canadian jurisdictions on diversity, equity, inclusion.
Learning Modules
E-learning modules, tools and resources to support.
Learn More >
Definitions
These definitions were developed by the Inclusive Communities Project Advisory Group, Volunteer Canada 2020 to provide a framework of understanding for their work.
Volunteer Canada acknowledges the generous support of Canada Life.