Back to SearchLend your voice, lived experience, and unique perspective to help the city address systemic barriers and discrimination and create an inclusive organization with equal access and opportunity for everyone. The City is seeking passionate community members, representing voices who have been historically underrepresented or excluded, including Black, Indigenous, racialized, 2SLGBTQ+ identified, people with disabilities, religious minorities, and the intersections of these identities, to sit on the new Equity and Anti-Racism Advisory Committee.
“Our City of Kitchener team needs to be more reflective of our community, and must offer services to our residents in a manner that is inclusive, equitable and addresses systemic barriers which we know exist within our organization,” said Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “This new committee will play a key role in shaping the City of Kitchener’s future as an equitable and inclusive workplace, service provider and organization as we work toward making long-term, meaningful change.”
As a recommendation from the Mayor’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, the new Equity & Anti-Racism Advisory Committee will ensure ongoing grassroots community involvement as work related to equity and anti-racism is developed and implemented at the City. Community members participating as part of this committee will work alongside city staff in the equity, anti-racism and Indigenous initiatives division to support and further the City of Kitchener’s strategic actions around issues of equity and anti-racism. Providing advice and recommendations to the city and Kitchener City Council on matters related to equity and anti-racism, members of this committee will serve as a mechanism for community accountability in continuing the important work started by the Task Force.
“We’re doing the work to lay the foundation for a more equitable and inclusive organization,” said Suzanne Charles-Watson, director of the City’s equity, anti-racism and Indigenous initiatives division. “The continuation of this work requires us to use a holistic and multi-voice approach where we keep listening, as well as centering and amplifying the voices of those that have been traditionally ignored and often excluded from the discussion. This ongoing collaboration and feedback will ensure that our actions continue to reflect community priorities for equity and anti-racism work at the city.”
Earlier this fall, Council approved the Racialized and Indigenous Support for Equity (RISE) grant program as a funding opportunity for groups or organizations led by and for Black, Indigenous and other racialized community members to support programming, initiatives and events meant to address inequities and increase opportunities for these groups in Kitchener. Another key function for this committee will be to serve as the selection committee for the administration of this program.
To be eligible for the committee, citizen community members must live, work, attend school and/or own property in Kitchener and must commit to participating in monthly meetings.
An interim nominating committee, comprised of Members of the Mayor’s Task Force for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, will be reviewing applications and nominees will be taken to Council on Dec. 13. The committee itself will launch in January of 2022.
Those interested in applying can submit an online application or apply in-person at city community centres. The City is committed to removing barriers for any community member who would like to apply. If alternative methods of applying are needed, community members can contact Amanda.Drumond@kitchener.ca. The application deadline is Nov. 19, 2021.
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