< Previouswhere she is from. “My worldview is Coast Salish. It is based in my language, it is based in my ceremony, it is based on my connection as an Indigenous woman born and raised on the west coast of British Columbia. My interconnectedness and my reciproc- ity is based in that language, based in that place.” Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion from Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe’s Worldview In Step into the River: A Framework for Economic Reconciliation, there’s a powerful statement: “A just world means that all children, families and commu- nities are thriving, not just surviving.” For Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe, this statement is so much more than words on a page; it’s how she was brought up, the teachings as an Indigenous wom- an passed down to her, her worldview — all deeply embedded in her DNA. “My teachings as an Indigenous woman come from that place of humility, integrity, all of the values that are in that framework, all of the values that are instilled in us from the moment that we were created and the moment we were brought into this world. And every minute throughout our lifetime is around those spaces, being the best possible human being that you can be. And through that is a place of being in service, consistently, constantly, and again, it’s just my natural state of being. And I have diffi culty understanding why you would be otherwise. Why would anybody teach anything other than that?” She goes on to say, “Every ounce of colonization, capitalism, our current economic structures, just everything is around this constant competition. And through that statement is [that] it doesn’t need to be that way. It’s really that simple. And how do we then be curious about what is possible, what can be done diff erently, how can it be done diff erently?” She adds, “For me, the most important piece in diversity, equity, and inclusion is transforming our economic system. But that can only be done through full-on inclusion of our hearts, if we understand each other — that our equality is based in our humanness.” Putting Children at the Centre According to Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe, we are born with love and light, and it is “our education systems and our economic systems [that] constantly suck that love and light out of us.” Reconnecting with this part of us is important so we can show up as better humans for each other, Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe recommends, but it’s a journey hinged on consistent unlearning. “Th e longest journey is the length of a feather, from your head to your heart,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe tells us. “We have to consistently move out of here,” [points to head], “and move to here,” [puts hand on chest]. “And come from this place, because here,” [puts hand on chest], “when you’re authentically in a place of love and light, all of which we talk about, and what we’re gifted when we come into this world as a human being is already there. It is just pure love and light when you’re brought into this world.” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe would later tell us that the quote about the feather was shared with her by someone within her work who said an elder shared it with them. “And I have quoted this ever since. It is constant mindful quote for us to engage and centre everything we do with love and light.” With this journey in mind, a core belief that’s refl ected in Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe’s work, including the creation of the Step into the River framework, is the notion of putting children fi rst — hers, yours, mine, everyone’s — for seven generations to come. “If we are constantly centring our children, and we’re constantly wanting them to be the best human being possible, then we have the responsibility, we have the accountability in reciprocity to transform our education systems, where we’re constantly teaching this siloed competition, one-world-view perspective on how we do things.” Adults may have fond memories of papier-mâché art classes and muddy games of tag, but education systems, as Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe suggests, are also where children fi rst learn to fall in line. And for those in a position to attend a post-secondary institution, they fi nd themselves in a competitive space that often isn’t inclusionary, equal, or diverse in its worldviews, and as Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe also puts, doesn’t “[come] from a space of love and light.” Essentially, as children move through the education system, they learn to uphold oppressive systems, like capitalism and the heteropatriarchy, before they may even enter the “real world.” “What are we teaching our young ones? From the moment that they’re born, around just, gender identity. And how do we create inclusion around the diversity of gender identity, or, again, just humanness. We come from such a bias of ‘you need to be this, you need to be that’ or everything else is exclusionary. It begins with breaking the barrier,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe shares. For me, the most important piece in diversity, equity, and inclusion is transforming our economic system. But that can only be done through full-on inclusion of our hearts, if we understand each other — that our equality is based in our humanness. 20 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEThere are currently 231 Calls for Justice for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S) epidemic directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries, and all Canadians The National Inquiry’s Final Report About 1 in 10 women executives belong to a visible minority group, but very few Indigenous women executives were identifi ed. Statistics Canada The Importance of Uplifting Indigenous Women When it comes to the intersecting systems of colonial oppression for historically-ex- cluded groups, there are ways of thinking from Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe’s worldview we could embrace for more meaningful diversity, equity, and inclusion in Canada, including the concept of rematriation. Contrasted with the more familiar “repatriation,” which refl ects the patriarchal and colonial perspective of reinstating the proprietorship of things lost, rematriation is about “a restoration of relationships of care and connection,” as discussed in Step into the River. “One of my core values in this framework is rematriation. And the reason it is such, for me, personally, it being a core value is the notion of uplifting, centring, and creating, intentionally, space for Indigenous women. And the whole purpose of that intentionality of uplifting Indigenous women is, you then, all of which we speak about follows after that. Because being in service, centring children, centring families, centring Mother Earth, being a water protector, a land protector, being a decolonizer, being a mother, being an aunt, being a wife, being a daughter [...] centres all of that wellbeing. All of the intentionality comes from allowing that particular worldview. And I’m not saying it because I think we’re better than; we’re not greater than. I’m just as human as the next person. I’m just as gifted as the next person. I’m just as pow- erful as the next person,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe says. Indigenous women continue to bear the brunt of persistent and deliberate rights violations and abuses, due in part to the Indian Act which consistently causes oppressive spaces for them. Additionally, there are currently 231 Calls for Justice for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, and Two-Spirit People (MMIWG2S) epidemic directed at governments, institutions, social service providers, industries, and all Canadians, outlined in The National Inquiry’s Final Report. Indigenous women also continue to be excluded from decision-making bodies and economic spaces. About 1 in 10 women executives belong to a visible minority group, according to the exploratory estimates in an archived 2021 Statistics Canada study, but very few Indigenous women were identifi ed. And as Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe discusses, embracing rematriation and centring Indigenous women in the diversity, equity, and inclusion conversation will not only be a step to reconcile past and ongoing injustices, but it will allow Indigenous women to lead us in the transformation of these exclusionary systems. “If you allow women all across Turtle Island, all across the globe, to bring in their hearts to space, then we intention- ally create and embed that knowing, that way of being, that way of doing into these systems, and we can create more intentional heart-led spaces around both economic transformation, around inclu- sivity, around diversity, around equity, and really look at embedding multiple worldviews. Because those women know what it is to be oppressed and will be able to create a space for other voices to be uplifted, to be heard, to be amplifi ed — and that includes every woman of colour, every diverse being,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe states. She goes on to say, “We will speak on behalf of all living things because [...] many non-Indigenous people speak about having a voice for those that don’t. Well, they do have voice — we’re just not listening. We’re not connected in ways that our spirit can speak to the water, to the trees, to the land, to the animals. Our origin stories, what we were once, prior to us being in this current state as human beings, we were able to transform. We were able to speak with the animals and be with them. We followed the natural law of all of those teachings, so if we can consistently create space for Indigenous women to lead, like wholeheartedly lead, and transform our systems, then I don’t see it being a diffi cult place to go where we all want to be. And, in particular, where our children are crying for us to be.” JULY 2023 • ISSUE 05 21Opening Up Our Hearts So, how can we all transform our systems and show up as better allies for each other? Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe believes it “begins with our personal responsibility to be in that space to be open in our hearts to all of this.” And when we do this, she says, we begin to see what’s wrong with our systems and how we can work together to deconstruct them so that all of us can live a good life. She builds on this by adding, “If I truly see myself as a human being that is living with you on this planet, to lead a good life, then our goals are really not that diff erent. [...] Th at’s where my heart is always in space, in my reality of being a spiritual being, having a human experience in this lifetime.” And it really is that simple, according to Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe. “We as human beings have a real tendency to over-over-complicate, when at the end of the day, what makes this world go ‘round [is] our love for each other.” “Rather than go in circles and go into many diff erent spaces, I’ll leave it at we just have to embed love and light into everything that we do, how we think, how we educate. And, also, if we got out onto the land and connected more. Th at’s the other thing — education does not connect with those things that it’s trying to have an impact on. I think that’s another important piece, as well,” she adds. And she’s not alone. Th ere are many others who share similar values of love being included in their space. Raven Indigenous Capital Partners, whom we also spoke with for this issue of Make Th e World Better Magazine, has a goal of revitalizing the Indigenous economy by investing in relationships fi rst. Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe also highlighted Jeff Ward, Founder & CEO of Animikii Indigenous Technology (also a company in Raven Capital’s portfolio), a values-driven Indigenous digital agency that uplifts Indigenous Peoples and communities. The Reconciliation Journey For settlers, or non-Indigenous people, wondering what they can do to uplift Indigenous Peoples, and thus, make Canada a more diverse, equitable, and inclusive place, a crucial piece is reconciliation. “Reconciliation is every settler’s responsibility because we are literally the First Peoples of this land. Prior to us, there were no human beings here. And so, that puts us in a very unique position as being the First Peoples of this land because my identity is truly based in my place, We as human beings have a real tendency to over- over-complicate, when at the end of the day, what makes this world go ‘round [is] our love for each other. Photo credit: BIPOC Sustainability Collective 22 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEdit where I was born, where I was raised. My language is based on the geography and my reciprocity and relationship to that space, to the waters, to the mountains, to the four seasons, to all other resources and the sustenance that was brought to us, to the relations in all the four directions of us,” Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe states. Th e reconciliation journey for settlers isn’t going to be easy or comfortable, nor should it be; however, it’s important to take the leap and keep pushing through. In the words of Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe, “Be brave and be willing to learn as well as unlearn in this journey. Grandfather Google knows a lot, I’ve stated this many, many times. Don’t be shy to do your homework. And you have to wade deeply into this space; you can’t just read one report and say, ‘I’m done in my reconciliation work.’ Th ere’s so much out there, to educate, to learn.” She also says of reconciliation, “I try to make things simple, but at the end of the day, the truth is reconciliation is very hard work. It’s not easy, it’s very uncomfortable, there’s copious amounts of healing that have to take place, there’s a ton of forgiveness, there are going to be tears, you are going to trip and fall. But you have to be able to be uncomfortable to take the fi rst step. You’re in the infancy, you’re in your toddler stage of the relationship. And be brave like a toddler and take those fi rst few steps and be willing to pick yourself up and begin again and to try again. Toddlers don’t see themselves as failures — when they trip and fall, they just get up and they do it because they’re ready, they’re ready to conquer the world. Th ey want to explore; their curiosity overrides everything.” If you’re just starting your reconcilia- tion journey, it’s important to fi rst learn about the truth of the injustices toward Indigenous Peoples in Canada, according to Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe, then the real work can begin. “Once you learn the truth about the history of Crown-Indigenous relations in this country — and not only the history but this is an ongoing space — then the recon- ciliation journey [actually] begins because then you need to be in relationship once knowing that truth. Th en you can begin these relationships with Indigenous people in a very diff erent way moving forward.” To check if you’re on the right track with your reconciliation journey, Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe poses a simple but thought-provoking question: “Do you have relationship with First Nations or Indigenous Peoples? If not, why not?” She elaborates with, “Be in relation- ship, honour that relationship, assume you know nothing when you’re going into the relationship, and let the Indigenous people lead. And then we’re going to have true allyship and true reconciliation happen in all of our spaces.” We are grateful to Sxwpilemaát Siyám / Chief Leanne Joe for sharing her time and wisdom with us. To our readers, we encourage you to check out Siyam Consulting and to download and read Step into the River: A Framework for Economic Reconciliation as part of your own reconciliation journey. siyamconsulting.com linkedin.com/in/ chief-leanne-joe-5a8ab658 twitter.com/lilchief17 JULY 2023 • ISSUE 05 23CANADIAN CENTRE FOR DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION Building a more inclusive Canada for all iversity, equity, and inclusion impact businesses in a tremendous way, enabling them to access a wider talent pool and opening the door to unique perspectives that enhance the capacity for agility and innovation. Unfortunately, the full picture of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace is often overlooked or lacks support. To rectify this, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion (CCDI) is helping organizations across Canada understand the value of developing and implementing DEI practices and plans. We spoke with Anne-Marie Pham, CEO of the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion, about how this national charitable organization is supporting workplaces through every step of their DEI journey. 24 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINETell us about the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion’s mission. Founded in 2013, the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion is a national charitable organization that helps businesses and organizations understand the value of diversity, equity, and in- clusion (DEI). We aim to build a more inclusive Canada for all, and we do this by off ering learning, research, and knowledge solutions to our Employer Partners and DEI practitioners. We elevate the DEI profession through our certifi cation program, and we partner with like-minded organizations to educate the workplace, as well as youth in schools and communities. We are a workplace that aims to model the behaviours we want to see developed in our partners and clients. We are focused on our mission with a passion that continues to make a diff er- ence in the lives of working Canadians, and we endeavour to make an impact where it matters. What inspired your founder to start the Canadian Centre for Diversity and Inclusion? Twenty twenty-three is our 10-year anniversary. CCDI was founded by Michael Bach at a time when there was no national umbrella organization that existed to support workplaces to be more equitable and inclusive on a wide spectrum of diversity dimensions. Organizations existed to support specifi c aspects such as gender, sexual orienta- tion, religion, age, etc., but there was no organization that was intentionally pan-diversity. CCDI met that gap and slowly developed employer partnerships across Canada. We listened to the needs of work- places and developed a solid and ever-evolving suite of learning off erings, case studies, reports, toolkits, podcasts, blogs, advice, and support to employers so we can walk alongside them on their DEI journey and to be, we hope, their trusted advisor. We are a workplace that aims to model the behaviours we want to see developed in our partners and clients. JULY 2023 • ISSUE 05 25What were some of the challenges CCDI’s founders encountered? Any new organization needs time to build its profi le and visibility and, certainly, that was the case for us as well. Building this organization from scratch meant we needed to create a lot of new connections and host many consultations with employers so we could develop the types of resources and services that were most relevant to them. It took time to build that critical mass of Employer Partners to get us to a strong enough foundation upon which we could build our organization. Th at is why we are so thankful to our Founding Employer Partners who believed in the vision and took the risk to join us from the very beginning of our journey. What do you consider CCDI’s biggest success? If I were to refl ect on the journey, our biggest success has been our ability to pivot and stay relevant and resilient in times of hardship and transition. We almost doubled our Employer Partner base in 2021–2022, and today we have over 730 Employer Partners across Canada, from tiny organizations to large multinational corporations, in all industries and sectors. Workplaces continue to reach out to us to get connected, fi nd resources and materials, and seek practical advice to help them advance on their DEI journey. Th is is encouraging to us! It makes us feel that our hard work and eff orts to challenge ourselves and pivot where needed are making an impact. What makes CCDI unique? Our uniqueness lies in our ability to address a wide spectrum of topics on diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility. We have a diverse team of professionals with lived experiences who can provide advice in many areas, such as race, religion, disability, gender identity, and sexual orientation. Where we don’t have internal expertise, we partner with great organizations and associates who bring their unique expertise and perspectives to best support our clients. What also makes us unique and brings tremendous value is our focus on convening employers and amplifying the voices of DEI champions and practitioners who are doing the hard work within their organizations. We fi nd that their stories and experiences bring grounded, real, and practical applications to our Employer Partners and our listeners. Workplaces continue to reach out to us to get connected, find resources and materials, and seek practical advice to help them advance on their DEI journey. How do you feel CCDI makes the world better? In addition to making workplaces across Canada more ready and courageous to start or strengthen their DEI journey, we also have two other programs that help to make the world better in our view. Th e fi rst is the Canadian Certifi ed Inclusion Professional (CCIP) designation, Canada’s only certifi ca- tion program designed to assess an individu- al’s existing knowledge or skills against a set of pre-defi ned competencies. Th is helps to elevate the profi le of DEI practitioners and helps employers hire qualifi ed and experi- enced individuals in DEI-related functions. Th e second is the See Diff erent program, which focuses on empowering students to make meaningful change in their communi- ties. We off er learning certifi cate programs CCDI staff during the development of their Community of Practice Events (COPE) in Calgary. CCDI staff during the development of their Community of Practice Events (COPE) in Vancouver. 26 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEwhere students explore concepts of identi- ty, diversity, and inclusion, as well as power and privilege; learn about Canada’s history of systemic racism and discrimination; and engage in conversations to support their ability to enact change in their own communities and schools. We are excited to be able to support the next generation of workplace and community leaders! How would the world be better off if it were more diverse, equitable, and inclusive? I often imagine a world where there is no hate, no bullying, no covering of one’s authentic self, and there’s no need to feel anxious because you can be “outed” — where everyone has the same opportunity to succeed because systemic barriers have been identifi ed and removed. Th is is a world where we have solutions for everyone to thrive, not in spite of their diff erences, but because of their diff erences and all the wonderful things they bring to our team, our clients, and our organiza- tion. Th is is a world where we feel hope; we know we are not perfect, but we are progressing in the right direction! Tell us about CCDI’s goals. We have ambitious goals for the next few years, which were developed in consulta- tion with our clients, our team, and our board. We are hoping to build our profi le to new markets in Canada in order to tell our story — not only the story of our people, but also the story of our employers, schools, and communities where we have partners. We also plan to do more research to advance knowledge on the most pressing DEI trends and concerns that are being felt in the workplace or that we anticipate will become emerging areas we will need to address. We will also strengthen our team, which has been working very hard, by ensuring they are well-supported and are growing with us. And, like many organizations, we will be spending some resources to invest in our infrastructure and technology. Th ere is much to be done, but we are ready for this challenge! Are there any upcoming initiatives or projects you'd like to share? Th is year, we have launched a partner- ship with the UN Global Compact Network Canada (GCNC) to support the Government of Canada’s 50 – 30 Challenge, which asks organizations to aspire to two goals: gender parity (50% women and/or non-binary people) on Canadian boards and/or in senior man- agement; and signifi cant representation (at least 30%) on Canadian boards and/or senior management of members of other equity-deserving groups. We are working with UN GCNC, as their learning partner, delivering content on a variety of topics to accomplish these goals. I am also excited to share that, in February 2023, CCDI was a founding member of the new Global Inclusion & Diversity Alliance (GIDA). GIDA partners are not-for-profi t organizations working across the spectrum of diversity dimensions and are specifi cally focused on workplace inclusion. We come together to partner and collaborate, to learn from each other how to do DEI better, and to share thought leadership across our jurisdictions. We do this for the benefi t of our respective membership networks and to make work- places all over the world more equitable. What do you most want people to know about CCDI? Our bilingual website www.ccdi.ca is fi lled with information, resources, reports, and details about upcoming webinars and events. Take a moment to browse through and learn more. You can also follow us on our social media platforms via @ccdisocial. How can people help or contribute to CCDI’s mission? Please reach out to us if you are looking for support on your organizational DEI journey, if you’re looking for a speaker, if you’d like to learn more about the CCIP professional designation, if you’d like youth in your community to get connected to a DEI learning network, or if you have a story to tell that we should amplify. You can reach out to us via our website. Additionally, as a national charity, we always appreciate any donations to help us fulfi ll our charitable mandate. Donations can be made on our website. Marni Panas, Director and Chair of CCDI’s Board of Directors, at an International Women’s Day rally in Edmonton. ccdi.ca twitter.com/CCDISocial youtube.com/@CCDI facebook.com/CCDISOCIAL linkedin.com/company/canadian- centre-for-diversity-and-inclusion/ instagram.com/CCDISocial/ JULY 2023 • ISSUE 05 27ectors meant to help make the world better should not be exclusionary and inequitable. In order to ensure the sustainability sector lives up to its mission, people of diverse backgrounds, experiences, and walks of life must have equal opportunities in the fi eld. We spoke with Marie Jurcevic, Co-Founder of Diversity in Sustainability, about how this organization is equipping BIPOC leaders with the network, resources, and support they need to accelerate our transition to a sustainable and just future. Tell us about Diversity in Sustainability’s mission. Our mission is to equip current and future Black, Indigenous, and people of colour (BIPOC) sustainability leaders with the skills, networks, and resources to acceler- ate the transition to a sustainable and just future. We also aim to shift the wider ecosystem in sustainability to create an inclusive sector for underrepresented populations. What inspired you to start Diversity in Sustainability? Our organization was founded in 2020. At that time, waves of protests were sweeping the globe in support of racial justice, building upon decades of action on issues of civil rights and social and environmental justice. During this moment of reckoning, we turned the lens on ourselves as sustainability practitioners and thought about our own experiences in the sector. We realized that even as a sector that is trying to create a more just world, the people in the sector were not diverse and organizations were not equitable. Th is conclusion prompted us to create the organiza- tion, and we also conducted some research in our State of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion in Sustainability Survey that validated this. We believe that it’s incumbent upon those of us who were able to break into the fi eld to use our voice to challenge the status quo and create opportu- nities to live up to what this fi eld is supposed to stand for, which includes diversity, equity, inclusion, and social and environmental justice. DIVERSITY IN SUSTAINABILITY Fostering a sustainable world built through equity and inclusion 28 MAKE THE WORLD BETTER MAGAZINEWe believe that it’s incumbent upon those of us who were able to break into the field to use our voice to challenge the status quo and create opportunities to live up to what this field is supposed to stand for, which includes diversity, equity, inclusion, and social and environmental justice. Heather Mak, Co-Founder Michael Harvey, Co-Founder Marie Jurcevic, Co-Founder JULY 2023 • ISSUE 05 29Next >