Collectively Improving Literacy Surrounding Indigeneity, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion with Reading Groups

Event Date & Time

Event Description

This session will provide an overview of three different facilitated reading group models that took place within the Faculty of Science during 2021 to engage faculty, staff, and students in conversations about equity, diversity, inclusion, and indigeneity. In particular, we will highlight the outcomes of the reading group for Braiding Sweetgrass and engage the participants in a short, facilitated discussion of an excerpt of the book to highlight the types of questions and discussions that arise from engaging with this book. Participants will learn about how these different models created open and inclusive discussions within departments and units around literature, primarily from the perspective and experiences of marginalized groups, to inform our personal growth and the practices and policies within our work. These groups acted as a space for collaborative learning and as a means for people to navigate the emotional aspects of EDI and Indigeneity within a community setting.

Participants will have the opportunity to learn how to:

• Organize and facilitate reading groups on matters of equity, diversity, inclusion and/or Indigeneity within their own Faculty/departments/units.
• Build communities of learners (faculty, staff, and students) across different disciplines through reading and discussion.

Facilitators:

• Ashley Welsh, Faculty Liaison, CTLT & Skylight
• Jaclyn Dee, Lecturer, Botany Department
• Christine Goedhart, Science Education Specialist, Botany & Skylight

This event will be hosted online on Zoom.