As an academic institution providing post-secondary education, we must plan through an EDI-informed lens. This EDI framework is our three-year roadmap (2024–2027) to achieve a better-supported, more equitable, and inclusive community at Langara. Some of these actions are immediate and urgent, while others will be carried out over the medium and longer term and sustained into the future.
The principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion have long been valued at Langara, and always will be. But never has it felt more important to articulate what they mean to us, and how they show up in the day-to-day experience of our college community.
It’s easy to say that equity, diversity, and inclusion are important and to claim them as principles that we value. But in our current climate, it isn’t enough to simply talk about EDI. To be the kind of campus we aspire to be, Langara must meaningfully live these values, day in and day out, until they are woven into the very core of who we are and how we act towards one another. We need to take tangible actions every day, at all levels of the College, to create an environment in which we all want to learn and work: a place where students and employees feel safe and seen, where every member of our community is included in important conversations.
This framework is itself the result of numerous conversations with members of our community. We listened, and we heard you: while we have plenty to be proud of, we’re not there yet. There’s still work to do.
In essence, that’s what this framework is: a commitment to doing that work — not someday, but now. This is our roadmap, outlining the ways in which we will make meaningful, consistent strides to transform our culture, creating a place where everyone feels they belong. This document is an important step in our journey to become the Langara that I — that we — envision. I hope you’ll join us.
Langara College acknowledges with respect its location on the unceded, traditional, ancestral, and present-day territory of the Musqueam people who have occupied this land since time immemorial. snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ is the name given to the College by Musqueam in 2016, and means house of teachings in their language. The name reminds us of our commitments as an academic institution and our responsibilities to our ongoing relationship with the Musqueam community as well as to the land on which the college is located. The Musqueam house post that joined our campus grounds in 2018, depicts a welcome figure, wrapped in a blanket and holding a spindle whorl. This whorl represents the passing on of knowledge to the next generation and its prominent place on our main campus symbolizes our dedication to making sure everyone feels welcome here at snəw̓eyəɬ leləm̓ Langara College.
The report
With support from our community, we started by assessing the current state of EDI at the College, identifying where gaps exist and how we might fix them. The insights gathered from that assessment, which included focus groups, interviews, and open-ended surveys, became the foundation for the framework, to create and foster a better sense of belonging at Langara. While we have plenty to be proud of, we’re not there yet. There’s still work to do.
Our Journey
Since Langara’s inception, the principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion have been foundational to who we are and what we believe in. What is new, though, is the creation of more formal mechanisms to ensure that the College’s policies and practices reflect the people we serve — and that we make intentional efforts to foster a diverse, inclusive, and resilient community where all students and employees can thrive, grow, and have a sense of belonging. One significant measure was hiring the College’s first Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and establishing the new Office of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.
From there, we got to work on this framework.
With support from our community, and external consultants, Inclusivity, we started by assessing the current state of EDI at the College, identifying where gaps exist and how we might fix them. The insights gathered from that assessment — which included focus groups, interviews, and open-ended surveys — became the foundation for the framework, to create and foster a better sense of belonging at Langara. In other words, we asked you — Langara’s students and employees — how it feels to be a member of the Langara community, and our EDI framework was developed in response to what we heard.
Equity is about eliminating structural barriers in our systems resulting from inequities (historical and present day), to meeting individuals’ and groups’ unique needs (adapted from Zheng, Lily: 2022)*. Rather than just providing the same resources to everyone, we believe in addressing the individual and or group’s circumstances by asking “where are the barriers and how do we remove them?”
Diversity is about recognizing and celebrating the individual and social differences that exist among members of our communities, and ensuring that we provide opportunities for diverse voices to be included and heard. This includes, but is not limited to, varying perspectives, backgrounds, cultures, ideas, identities, affiliations, experiences, and abilities.
Inclusion is about making intentional efforts to create a space of belonging, free from systemic and oppressive barriers. The result of these efforts is a community where all individuals feel welcomed, valued, and respected.
*Zheng, Lily DEI Deconstructed: Your No-nonsense Guide to Doing the Work and Doing it Right. S.l.: Berrett-Koehler, 2022.
To achieve our goals together, we will require your — our community’s — continuous input and involvement. We want to engage in meaningful dialogue around each of these themes, because we understand that this is the only way we can hope to achieve our vision for a more equitable, diverse, resilient, and inclusive community here at Langara.
Survey results
The results from the EDI student and employee insights surveys and consultations made it clear that you have a lot of great suggestions when it comes to making Langara College a place where all voices are heard. We know there have been challenges and we have a lot of progress to make. As we continue to move forward, we want you to be involved every step of the way.
Survey response rates:
Students: 10%
Employees: 30%
Student and employee consultations (interviews, focus group discussions)
Participants: 74
The four themes
We have highlighted four essential themes, each of which are supported by key actions that will be implemented over the coming years.
The first stage of this plan is about strengthening governance for EDI and answering the following questions:
Who’s responsible for which actions?
Who leads?
Who implements??
Who informs the work?
Knowing each of our roles will help us track our progress over time, and how we ultimately measure success. The intention is that a stronger system of EDI governance will allow us to transform culture and structures across the whole of the College, resulting in deeply embedded and long-lasting change
Broad goals
Create a governance structure to embed our efforts across the college culture and structure.
Clearly define who leads the work, who implements it, and who communicates it to students and employees.
Establish an advisory committee with students and employees that will be a core of this governance structure.
Develop and establish metrics and key reporting structures for tracking and reporting progress over time.
Increase leadership competency around EDI by engaging leaders across the College in workshops and coaching opportunities to hone their inclusive leadership skills.
If we want change to be both far-reaching and long-lasting, we should continuously seek out opportunities to listen to and learn from Langara students and employees. It’s important to us that communication goes both ways, which means we require effective channels and safe spaces for feedback and collaboration. We will also provide opportunities for our students and employees, both in and outside the classroom, to learn more about EDI topics, raise awareness and build common understanding for our journey together.
Broad goals
Develop and enhance student and employee EDI competency and awareness of Indigenous perspectives through workshops and training opportunities.
Establish ongoing opportunities/sessions to action learnings for EDI-based collaboration through reflection, evaluation, dialogue, and discussion.
Develop a clear and well-implemented framework for responding to social issues and challenges that impact us as an academic institution.
Improve the accessibility of resources and services available to students and employees.
To achieve sustainable and transformative change, we need to continuously update and re-align our strategies and actions. We must regularly re-evaluate and revise practices, policies, and processes that present barriers for equity-deserving groups and groups that face discrimination and exclusion. Only when all barriers are removed can we hope to achieve equity within our community.
Broad goals
Ensure that there are safe channels for reporting discrimination, bullying, and harassment, and ensure clear systems are in place to support all parties involved.
Review and explore opportunities for conflict resolution that are built on restorative practices that allow for rebuilding and strengthening relationships among employees and within the student population.
Collaborate on a plan for the creation of inclusive spaces that support employees and students at both College campuses.
Review recruitment and hiring processes using an EDI lens and improve, where appropriate, to remove any biases.
Establish a framework and process to evaluate policies and procedures through an EDI and decolonized lens.
Ensure that Langara’s Strategic Enrolment Plan reflects an EDI lens in its approach to supporting students on their path to academic success.
Encourage continued reviews of curriculum designs and course instruction and evaluations that reflect Indigenized and decolonial approaches and EDI principles.
To support continuous improvement both within the College and beyond our campuses, we will forge and foster reciprocal partnerships with a range of diverse community organizations, leaders, and experts.
Broad goals
Review and pursue further opportunities for partnerships between Langara students, employees, and external community groups that reflect the College community, to build and strengthen relationships.
Work with alumni and donors to help advance EDI efforts at Langara.
Establish partnerships to develop EDI programming, research opportunities, and education that can be offered to local, national, and international partners.
Establish partnerships and work with local diasporas to develop stronger networks and opportunities to support our community.
Our destination
This 2024–2027 EDI framework strives to build a culture of inclusivity at Langara College but to realize our vision, it is essential that we collaborate with our community. We understand that it will take leadership, humility, and honesty to accomplish everything outlined in this framework, but we believe that the outcome of our collective efforts will be transformational.
Change will not happen overnight, but our vision will be a reality when:
We have a governance structure that supports our EDI initiatives and programming.
Our leadership across the College reflects the diversity of our employees and students.
We have safe and diverse spaces in which to discuss, report, and address any EDI-related opportunities and issues.
We have relationships and partnerships that holistically and fully support our EDI goals and actions.
How do we know when we are there?
This is a journey without a fixed destination. The world will continue to evolve, and so will we. But we will know our culture has meaningfully transformed when every individual feels safe, valued, and supported to fully express all aspects of themselves and their unique and individual identity.
The principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion have long been valued at Langara, and always will be. But never has it felt more important to articulate what they mean to us, and how they show up in the day-to-day experience of our college community.