Facilitated by Cassie Taylor and Peter Bailey, the fourth workshop focused on offering community-led approaches to supporting Indigenous job seekers. Many CDPs, service providers, and employers want to support Indigenous job seekers and employees, but systemic barriers and overlooked opportunities continue to impact employment outcomes. The Diversity Disconnect project revealed that Indigenous individuals and communities are often undervalued as economic contributors, despite their skills, experience, and potential.
This session explored how building community connections, fostering mutual respect, and creating more Indigenous-led opportunities can create stronger, more inclusive and thriving workplaces. Attendees learned about practical strategies for hiring, retention, and workforce development that recognize and empower Indigenous peoples.
Hear project contributors, Peter Bailey and Megan te Boekhorst, discuss how Indigenous perspectives were integrated into the research approach here:
Coreen Jenner,a Certified Career Practitioner and First Nations women of the Okanagan Territory. She has worked as an Employment Counsellor for the past 30+ years and her focus has always been within the First Nations communities. She works with the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Services with Okanagan Training and Development Council. She has worked with Friendship Centres and Bands within BC delivering education and employment programs to help First Nations obtain sustainable employment in Trades Business, Administration, and Health Care, to name a few. She works with the Urban First Nations population in Vernon and the West Kootenays and believes that education is the way to success. When away from work she enjoys gardening, sewing, cooking, and reading. Hear her share more about her experiences.
Diana King, a 38-year-old Metis woman and single mother of five children. She recently graduated from Seabird Island College to be a community support and mental health worker. She enjoys being with and around people and supporting those who want support. Hear her share more about her experiences.
In our research, both Community and Connections surfaced as factors that shaped respondents’ experiences finding and maintaining employment. We began our discussion with a focus on the importance of community and connection within the Indigenous context. Watch it here:
Discussion centred around:
Many respondents noted a general lack of respect for Indigenous ways, culture, and experiences. We asked roundtable participants how could we build respectful interactions/relationships. Watch their responses here:
Discussion centred around:
Consider a time you felt respected. What occurred? What indicated that respect was present? Consider how you can infuse this into your work with Indigenous folks. What is needed to make that happen?
Watch the responses from the group. How did your responses compare?
Opportunities was the most reported factor for success in our research. We asked what this looks like in the Indigenous context. Watch the responses here:
Discussion centred around:
Consider practical strategies for hiring, retaining, and developing opportunities that recognize and empower Indigenous peoples. What has worked in your context? What has challenged you? What supports are you aware of? What supports do you need?
For a summary, watch:
Explore Francophone Workplace Inclusion, the next workshop in the Bridging The Disconnect workshop series. The fifth workshop was a dedicated French-language session focused on adapting DEI strategies to Francophone communities.
Bridging cultural differences isn’t always an easy practice. It requires an understanding of the systems at play. Individuals, workplaces, and communities each play an important and interconnected role in the success of the other. To ensure the “system” is functioning in a positive and effective manner, all groups need to work together – disjointed, isolated efforts won’t effectively Bridge the Disconnect.
Listen to the Diversity Disconnect Podcast, exploring the findings of the Diversity Disconnect research and examining the 20 factors that influence employment success. You’ll hear from the research team directly, and you’ll hear real quotes from the research participants they spoke with.
