Back to SearchKITCHENER – Fifteen citizen volunteers, with a passion for building a better and more caring Kitchener for everyone, are being sought to lend their voices to the Mayor’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. These individual community members will join representatives from a diverse range of community organizations, City staff and Council members, to develop a strategy that identifies and addresses barriers to equity diversity and inclusion within the City of Kitchener.
“Kitchener is continuously growing and becoming increasingly diverse, and along with that, comes a wide range of diverse perspectives and ideas,” said Mayor Berry Vrbanovic. “I’m excited to see how we can learn from one another and leverage all of those ideas and insights through this task force – and beyond – to create a better, more caring and inclusive city for everyone who calls Kitchener home.”
The task force, of about 45 members, will work together over 15 months to develop a strategy focused on the following four areas:
- Broadening community engagement in municipal decision-making – particularly for people who are traditionally under-represented
- Improving equitable municipal service delivery to Kitchener’s diverse population
- Encouraging, maintaining and promoting a more inclusive workplace and diverse workforce at the City of Kitchener for both employees and volunteers
- Celebrating the full diversity of the Kitchener community
“We’re looking for community members who are open to different perspectives and willing to share their input and ideas,” said Mayor Vrbanovic. “The task force will be a safe space for respectful collaboration and creative problem solving. It’s an incredible opportunity to lend your voice to affect meaningful change in our community.”
A significant part of the task force’s work will be to reach out to the community through an extensive community engagement process, ensuring that Kitchener citizens – particularly those from diverse backgrounds – have their voices heard about how barriers to equity, diversity and inclusion can be addressed within the City of Kitchener.
Task force participants must also live, work, attend school, or own a property in Kitchener and commit to attending a monthly three-hour meeting, which will be held on Tuesday evenings.
The task force will run from September 2019 to December 2020, at which time a concrete set of recommendations will be presented to council.
Those interested in participating in the Mayor’s Task Force on Equity, Diversity and Inclusion can submit an online application, or can contact the Project Manager at Elin.MoorlagSilk@kitchener.ca if a paper version or alternative methods of applying are needed, as the City is committed to removing barriers for any community member who would like to apply. The application deadline is June 30, 2019.
To read this release in Tigrigna, Spanish, Simplified Mandarin, Farsi or Arabic, click on one of the attachments below. For all other languages, click the link to translate on the top right-hand side of your screen.
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For more information:
Marissa LaBianca
Communications and Marketing Associate
Corporate Communications and Marketing, City of Kitchener
519-741-2200 ext.7191| TTY 1-866-969-9994 | marissa.labianca@kitchener.ca
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