From us to you – Thanks!
As we wrap up an amazing year, we reflect on a few highlights and say a big thanks to all!
Thank you for your individual leadership, investment, and day-to-day efforts to help make UBC and the world a more inclusive place. We can’t do it without you. Thank you – and happy holidays!
Year in Review
Here are a few accomplishments we’re proud of:
- Enhanced student orientations and programming for diverse students by adding dedicated Get Connected events for students who identify as Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour, and/or queer and trans.
- Co-hosted the largest ever UBC Pride celebration and completed the UBC Pride installation, symbolizing our commitment to equity, diversity and inclusion.
- Formed new campus partnerships to enhance the experiences of our diverse students. Partners include the Faculty of Arts, the Centre for Teaching and Learning Technology, Enrolment Services, Student Development & Services, Human Resources – and more to come!
- Hosted over 20 public educational workshops, and dialogue and community building events on diverse topics, such as freedom of speech, gender equality, conflict, race, sexual and gender identity, leadership and social change, and inclusive teaching practices.
- Facilitated campus engagement and development of UBC’s first Conflict Engagement Framework that seeks to inform efforts to develop conflict engagement competencies amongst our community members.
- Supported student leadership and peer-to-peer engagement through the Equity Ambassadors Peer Program.
- Helped enhance the student experience by improving access and use of preferred names.
- Funded community-led initiatives that advance inclusion through the annual Equity Enhancement Fund.
- Met faith needs of students during exam time by creating an additional temporary prayer space.
- Supported faculty, staff, and students through human rights advising and conflict resolution services.
What’s Next?
Here’s what’s coming up in the next few months:
- This January is Sexual Assault Awareness Month (SAAM). SAAM is a month filled with events and messages that aim to raise awareness and understanding about sexual assault, and what we can do to help prevent it.
- Starting in mid-January, we’re also launching the inaugural Equity & Inclusion Scholars Program. The program provides funding to faculty members who seek to develop ways to better integrate equity, diversity, and inclusion in teaching practice and scholarship.
- Have a bright idea to advance inclusion on campus? Consider applying for the annual Equity Enhancement Fund. Applications open mid to late January.
- We’re creating UBC’s Inclusion Action Plan. Stay tuned for opportunities to provide feedback in February.
- Are you a student looking for experience of community engagement around equity, diversity and inclusion? Stay tuned for our Equity Ambassadors Peer Program recruitment call and help lead positive social change.
- Join us for International Women’s Day celebrations taking place at UBC in March, including Women Deliver 2019.
That’s it! Happy 2019 – go ahead, spark something positive!
Q&A with Alyssa Reyes: Advancing a More Inclusive UBC
Alyssa Reyes, Intramural Events Coordinator with UBC Recreation, recently won the President’s Staff Award for Advancing Diversity and Inclusion at UBC. We connected with her to learn a bit more about how she’s championing diversity and inclusion in her work.
Congratulations on the award! Can you tell us a bit about your efforts to advance diversity and inclusion within your work portfolio?
I’ve worked with UBC Recreation in a full-time staff member capacity for the past five years and as a student staff for four years prior to that. As the previous events coordinator, I’ve always strived to provide a space for everyone in our programming. Whether it was intentional programming, such as Parasport Games, or working with individuals to adapt games and spaces for their participation, it was always at the forefront of my mind.
A few years ago the department introduced a new role, the Physical Activity Manager, to help facilitate diversity and inclusion in sport and recreation at UBC. The role is targeted towards reducing barriers to physical activity for all on campus. The choice to dedicate a full-time staff resource was a great reminder of the amount of work there is still left to do in sport and recreation so as to make it more inclusive for all. It was early in my professional career and it really sparked my interest as an area I wanted to contribute to.
Specifically to my work recognized by the President’s Staff Award, the questions were “if not now, when?” and “if not me, who?” I think we often wait for a solution or someone to come and fix a problem. For me, I recognized that our practices were not reflecting our written policies. We have always practiced self-identification in regards to gender allowing people to participate wherever they truly feel comfortable. One summer when those questions popped into my mind, the answers were “the time is now” and “I need to be the person pushing this forward.” That’s really how the process of change and review began.
Changing our participation structure is one step towards where sport and recreation needs to be globally – in terms of creating a more inclusive environment. We currently have an Inclusivity Working Group within the Recreation department dedicated to making further strides in this area and they have been an incredible point of support. Together with the Equity & Inclusion department we have created an inclusive staff training module, assisted in securing universal change spaces in various recreation facilities and implemented a cross-department accessibility prompt to provide participants with a better experience within our programs.
What inspires you? Why are you passionate about diversity and inclusion work?
I am constantly inspired each and every day by the work others do in this area. There is so much to be done to create an equitable environment for all and seeing how others contribute to that drives my work. I have found a recent passion in Indigenous studies in Kinesiology and finding ways to provide equitable spaces for Indigenous communities to be physically active.
What does “inclusion” mean to you?
Inclusion is a feeling of belonging. Making sure there’s a space for everyone.
What’s next? Or, are you involved in any other inclusion efforts at UBC?
I’ve been exploring research in the area of Indigenous studies in Kinesiology and looking for ways to better support those communities in a respectful and intentional way. I am currently helping a Master’s Degree student with her research and am in the midst of a study seeing how the UBC School of Kinesiology can support Indigenous communities.
Through UBC Recreation I am still actively involved in the Inclusivity Working Group. We are continuously evolving our inclusive staff training to keep it relevant and applicable. We are also currently surveying the UBC community to see how we can reduce barriers for various demographics and completing an accessibility audit of our facilities.