| Overall Rating | Silver |
|---|---|
| Overall Score | 60.39 |
| Liaison | Christina Olsen |
| Submission Date | March 30, 2021 |
British Columbia Institute of Technology
IN-47: Innovation A
| Status | Score | Responsible Party |
|---|---|---|
|
0.50 / 0.50 |
Name or title of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome:
A brief description of the innovative policy, practice, program, or outcome that outlines how credit criteria are met and any positive measurable outcomes associated with the innovation:
BCIT’s Diversity Circles is an initiative housed in the BCIT Respect, Diversity, and Inclusion Office. Diversity Circles holds panels, workshops, focus groups, and other events for the BCIT community, to support engaging in safe and productive conversations about diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Diversity Circles events are open to all members of the wider BCIT community including staff, faculty, students, the BCIT Student Association, and BCIT alumni, as well as inviting guests from industry and other stakeholders to participate. Since 2015, Diversity Circles has held over 150 events and consultations.
Diversity Circles was launched following extensive consultation with Indigenous knowledge holders who helped the team develop an Indigenous framework and who still guide the team in supporting dialogue about diversity, inclusion, and equity.
At its core, the “Diversity Circles Framework” provides an alternative to "outcome-based" or deficit models where individuals who don’t “fit in” are “weeded out.” In contrast, a strengths-based model allows individuals to recognize and share their own strengths and gifts with the community.
Diversity Circles events connect people, flatten hierarchies, and create safe spaces for sometimes difficult, but very important conversations.
Aaron “Splash” Nelson-Moody, Diversity Circles mentor, Coast Salish artist, and carver of BCIT's House Post, created the Diversity Circles logo. In Aaron's words, "The red colour we call temlh; it represents the blood of the earth or the blood of the cedar tree so it’s a sacred colour for us here in Coast Salish territory. You could say it is sort of an inner strength. It’s not completely explained in Skwxwú7mesh (Squamish) and hard to translate into English but I think it refers to the inner strength that we all have. I drew out some elements of the house post into this logo. We wanted to draw on the elements of the house post and reflect on the strong values that hold up the house of BCIT."
A letter of affirmation from an individual with relevant expertise or a press release or publication featuring the innovation :
The website URL where information about the innovation is available :
Additional documentation to support the submission:
Data source(s) and notes about the submission:
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