Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Reconciliation
Scouts Canada is continuing to commit to living up to its values by being a diverse and inclusive organization that is welcoming to all Canadians.
In 2021–2022 our reconciliation journey continued with holding space for, and consulting, Indigenous Scouters and youth in seven Listening Sessions. These sessions were an opportunity to authentically hear from our diverse many within our Scouting community and led to the creation of our team of reconciliation advisors.
Scouts Canada is continuing to commit to living up to its values by being a diverse and inclusive organization that is welcoming to all Canadians. In 2021–2022 our reconciliation journey continued with holding space for and consulting Indigenous Scouters and youth in seven Listening Sessions. These sessions were an opportunity to authentically hear from our diverse many within our Scouting community and led to the creation of our team of reconciliation advisors. Although we are still early in our journey of understanding, 2021–2022 saw Scouts Canada partner with Raven Reads to co-create a new resource containing books and educational materials to assist in leading discussions around reconciliation and Indigenous cultures in Canada.
In 2019 the Board of Governors began exploring how Scouts Canada could pursue Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion within all areas of the organization. While progressing this work, global protests against racial injustice were spurred across the world. At this time, we heard firsthand from many of our members that we must do better and commit to action — we agreed. The Board made an initial public commitment to be anti-racist, followed by hiring a Director of Diversity and Inclusion to work with our CEO and developed an official Board working group to support the organization in its Diversity, Equity and Inclusion journey.
A Decisive Moment
We are an organization centered on land-based programming. As a result, in June 2021, the Board agreed that inclusion in our Canadian context requires that we develop our appropriate place and understanding in the Reconciliation journey with First Nations, Métis, and Inuit peoples to build the foundation for an authentic inclusion culture.
Commitments
Through this commitment, we are realizing that intentional and unintentional actions and inactions in Scouting have been particularly harmful to Canada's Indigenous peoples. The Truth and Reconciliation Commission's report also identified Scouts Canada as an organization with historical ties to the residential school system. In order to address any barriers to inclusion, it is important that we investigate our movement's history, how it impacts our relationship with the original stewards of this land, and what that feels like for Canadians from diverse walks of life. This is why our Reconciliation journey is at the core of our commitment to creating an inclusive movement.
The Road Ahead
Our journey begins by building up our organization's self-awareness to first identify where we truly stand: through listening, conducting a systemic inclusion audit, and investigating the historical root causes of any gaps we uncover. In this process, we are encouraging conversations around responsible allyship, intersectionality, biases, and what that means for each of us.
As we become more mature and comfortable around these complex Equity and Inclusion conversations, we acknowledge that we also must co-create the path forward with Indigenous peoples. Inspired by the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action, mutual respect and trustworthy relationships are key parts of moving forward.
We, therefore, embark on listening, learning, and honest reflection early in our process while being graciously guided by our Reconciliation Advisors to meaningfully work through how our movement can best contribute to the Inclusion and Reconciliation journey in this shared place we call Canada.