Sponsored by the District of Muskoka’s IDEA Advisory Group

If you are a small employer in Muskoka who would like to promote diversity and inclusion within your team and business model, this opportunity is for you! In an effort to ensure workplaces in Muskoka are free from discrimination, the IDEA Advisory Group (IAG) is offering complimentary diversity and inclusion training for small employers (20 employees or fewer).

Virtual workshops will be offered between September 10 and November 14, 2024. Seats are limited for each session.

Sessions will include:

Safer Spaces: 2S-LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency with The Gilbert Centre
Tuesday, Sept 10 from 12:30–4:30 pm - Register
Thursday, Sept 12 from 12:30–4:30 pm - Register

Indigenous Awareness with Kelly Brownbill
Wednesday, Oct 9 from 1–4 pm - Register

Bystander Intervention with Julie S. Lalonde
Tuesday, Oct 29 from 1–3 pm - Register
Wednesday, Nov 6 from 1–3 pm - Register
Thursday, Nov 14 from 1–3 pm - Register

All workshops will be led by subject matter experts with lived experience in real-time over Zoom. Space is limited, so sign up today for one topic, or all three!

Safer Spaces 2S-LGBTQ+ Cultural Competency with the Gilbert Centre

Developed and facilitated by the Gilbert Centre out of Barrie, Ontario, Safer Spaces is a 4-hour interactive workshop aimed at increasing organizational 2S-LGBTQ+ cultural competency to ensure your staff, clients, and customers not only feel safe in your workplace, but are able to thrive.

The workshop’s objectives are to:

1. Reflect on the shared human experiences of sex, gender, expression, and orientation;
2. Understand the ways in which 2S-LGBTQ+ communities are disproportionately impacted by violence, poverty, and health inequities;
3. Explore barriers 2S-LGBTQ+ communities might experience to accessing your organization and services;
4. Experience new perspectives and understandings through critical consideration of language, practices, and history;
5. Identify strategies towards greater inclusion to implement moving forward; and
6. Reflect and challenge the roots of our own biases.

Workshop topics include:

1. Why Inclusion Matters;
2. Concepts, Language, and Pronouns;
3. Gender-Neutral Language;
4. History, Human Rights, and Impacts;
5. Local Statistics & Experiences;
6. Trans Experiences;
7. Oppression & Microaggressions;
8. Identifying Barriers;
9. Strategies Towards Greater Inclusion; and
10. Navigating Institutional Barriers.

Register for one of two workshops:

• Tuesday, Sept 10 from 12:30–4:30 pm Registration Link
• Thursday, Sept 12 from 12:30–4:30 pm Registration Link

Indigenous Awareness with Kelly Brownbill

This three-hour workshop lays a foundation upon which to build a working knowledge of Canadian-Indigenous relations and the issues facing Indigenous people today. This engaging workshop will involve a slide presentation and storytelling, and provides the opportunity for learners to ask questions and interact with the educator and each other.

High-level topics include:

• Predominant cultures in North America and Europe at first contact;
• Land usage, governance, family structures, and spirituality;
• History of colonization and a chronological history of significant events starting from the Royal Proclamation of 1763;
• Resulting conditions and realities in Indigenous communities; and
• Tools for engaging Indigenous people and communities

About the Trainer:

Kelly Brownbill’s spirit name, Wabunnoongakikwe, means Woman Who Comes from the East, and she is proud to be Waabizhashi Dodem, Marten Clan. She is a member of the Flat Bay community of the Mi’kmaq Nation in Newfoundland. Kelly currently resides in Simcoe County and is a member of the Three Fires Midewiwin Lodge.

Kelly has over 20 years of experience working with organizations across Ontario and helping their staff become more culturally competent in offering services to Indigenous Peoples. Her work includes conducting cultural awareness programs across a wide range of sectors, including health services, municipalities, and social services. Kelly continues to follow the guidance of her elders, both here and in the spirit realm.

Register for Indigenous Awareness with Kelly Brownbill:

• Wednesday, Oct 9 from 1–4 pm Registration Link

Bystander Intervention with Julie S. Lalonde

Join public educator Julie S. Lalonde for a two-hour interactive presentation on bystander intervention to create safer spaces for all. Together you’ll discuss the barriers to intervening in smaller communities and workplaces, and help create a toolkit of ways that you can step up when witnessing hate or harassment.

About the Trainer:

Julie S. Lalonde is an internationally recognized women’s rights advocate and public educator. Franco-Ontarienne from Northern Ontario, she is based in Ottawa. For the last two decades, Julie has been working to improve the lives of women and girls in Canada with a focus on engaging bystanders to create communities of support. She has presented her work in six countries across four continents in two languages. Her memoir Resilience is Futile: The Life and Death and Life of Julie S. Lalonde won the 2020 Ontario Speaker’s award and was named one of the best books of the year by CBC Books and the Hill Times. Julie has won numerous awards for her advocacy work and is a recipient of the Governor General’s Award in Commemoration of the Persons Case.

Register for one of three workshops:

• Tuesday, Oct 29 from 1–3 pm Registration Link
• Wednesday, Nov 6 from 1–3 pm Registration Link
• Thursday, Nov 14 from 1–3 pm Registration Link

NOW OPEN UNTIL JULY 30, 2024! IDEA Community Grants 2024

Read our latest news release on our website and the latest report shared with District Council.

The purpose of the IDEA Advisory Group’s IDEA Grant Program 2024 is to amplify the efforts of the IAG in creating opportunities for community engagement and public education around the IDEA principles of inclusion, diversity, equity and anti-racism.

Apply now!

IDEA Community Grants 2023

Read our latest News Release on our website here and the latest Report shared with District Council here.

IDEA Community Grants: Outcomes and Next Steps:

The IDEA Community Grants 2023 application period is now closed and grants have been awarded. For more information on the outcomes please see the report titled IDEA Community Grants: Outcomes and Next Steps linked under Report to District Council on the right-hand side of this page.

The IDEA Advisory Group is Recruiting New Members for 2023

The IDEA Advisory Group completed a recruitment process for 2023 and new members have been onboarded. If you are interested in joining the IAG, please review the IAG Terms of Reference linked under Important Documents on the right-hand side of this page and watch this page for future announcements.

Strategic Action Plan 2022-2026

In March 2022, the IAG received District Council approval of its Strategic Action Plan 2022-2026. For more information what the IAG has planned over the next few years, see the IDEA Advisory Group Strategic Action Plan 2022-2026 linked under Important Documents.

Hate Free Muskoka 2022
The IDEA Advisory Group was pleased to offer an opportunity for community members and partner agencies to come together to learn how to recognize and respond to hate in our community. This free event took place on November 5, 2022 at the Rene Caisse Theatre in Bracebridge and featured four leading anti-hate speakers and a panel on Rising Up to the challenge.