2023-2024 Year in Review: Advancing Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
In the 2023-2024 academic year, FIFSW made strides in advancing its ongoing work around Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI). EDI has long been central to FIFSW’s mission and embedded throughout the Faculty’s research, teaching, and outreach; however, our commitment to EDI — particularly at a time when we are witnessing multiple humanitarian crises and efforts to close doors on discussions of equity and justice — requires regular evaluation and renewal. As a Faculty, we have been challenged to expore how to better hold space for this work. We look forward to continuing to strengthen our efforts in the year to come in collaboration with our communities.
Here is a look at some of our EDI work in 2023-2024 academic year.
New Director of EDI
In October, FIFSW welcomed its first Director of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Shahana Arain. As EDI Director, Shahana works collaboratively with academic, administrative and student leaders to develop and implement initiatives aimed at advancing EDI within the Faculty’s learning and working environments. She is a key point of contact and an expert resource for staff, faculty and learners across the Factor-Inwentash Faculty and provides strategic guidance and advice related to EDI issues and policy. On arrival, Shahana started meeting with students, collaborating on events and workshops, identifying opportunities for improved communication of University and Faculty resources and supports, and more.
Learn more about our EDI Director’s roles and responsibilities.
Dates of Significance
Recognition of religious and cultural observances, heritage months and dates of awareness encourage engagement and learning, and support belonging for members of our diverse communities. Institutionally recognized dates of significance and religious observances, are now included in FIFSW’s online calendar and shared each month with students, faculty and staff in an internal EDI Newsletter, along with reminders of the University’s policy around accommodations for religious observances. Additionally, Inclusive Employer Guides prepared by U of T’s Division of People, Equity, and Culture are shared with faculty and staff.
EDI Newsletter
Published at the beginning of each month, FIFSW’s new EDI newsletter shares upcoming dates of awareness as well as events, workshops and learning opportunities related to EDI. The newsletter also shares reminders of resources available at FIFSW and U of T designed to support our diverse communities. All FIFSW students, faculty and staff are subscribed to this newsletter.
Facilitating dialogue and Braver Spaces
The crisis in the Middle East has deeply affected so many in our community, who continue to experience pain and trauma as a result of the violence and atrocities that have occurred in Palestine and Israel. Throughout the year, we have created space for students to come together to build connections and provide one another with support. Facilitated by faculty members, events titled “Braver Spaces for Arab and Muslim Students,” “Braver Spaces for Jewish Students” and “Braver Spaces: Unpacking the Middle East” were designed to foster communities and unpack the impact of the violence in this region. Efforts to facilitate dialogue also included consultations with faculty members and students seeking resources and support. Student consultations occurred both in person and through an anonymous survey.
Strengthening EDI in our curriculum
Thanks to U of T funding from the Vice-President and Provost to support EDI initiatives, in the Fall of 2023, FIFSW launched a new EDI Workshop, completion of which is a degree requirement for all MSW students. While FIFSW has provided a Diversity & Equity Workshop for a number of years, the new funding allowed the Faculty to bring in an impressive list of social work practitioners and researchers to facilitate the workshop, including FIFSW alumni, partners and PhD students who have a wealth of personal and professional knowledge and experience to share.
FIFSW’s annual MSW Orientation and Introduction to Social Work Conference was also revised to be built on a foundation in EDI and Truth and Reconciliation. Indigenous speakers and ceremony opened the conference, which highlighted Indigenous ways of knowing as part of the program.
In addition to the renewed EDI workshops and conference, the U of T funding supported a systematic review of how EDI is currently incorporated into FIFSW’s MSW curriculum. Professor and Associate Dean, Academic Eunjung Lee, Associate Professor Bryn King, and PhD student Kaitrin Doll conducted an extensive environmental scan, reviewing every required course in the program to develop a baseline understanding of how EDI is included in learning goals, course content, assignments, assessments and more. Their findings were presented to — and embraced by — teaching faculty. Opportunities for thinking through how and where EDI could be integrated into the curriculum have now been more clearly identified, and these details will help inform curriculum change and pedagogical priorities. FIFSW’s MSW curriculum committee will be working with faculty to facilitate next steps in the academic year ahead.
Practice Consultations
Practice consultation sessions were created out of a need to provide student groups with a safe space to speak about their experiences navigating professional spaces and identities as emerging social workers. These groups were one of a number of resources put in place to support Faculty efforts to recruit and retain a more diverse student population. During the 2023-2024 academic year, we held practice consultation groups for Black-identifying MSW students and international MSW students. These sessions ran monthly and were hosted by social workers, who provided students with an opportunity to receive advice, guidance, and general support on how to culturally adapt and navigate issues that may arise in their learning and in their own practice.
EDI speaker series
Each year FIFSW hosts an EDI Lunchtime Speaker Series for students to provide them with the opportunity to hear from speakers with different perspectives, lived experiences, knowledge and insights in the social work profession. This past academic year, we were pleased to host the following:
- Addressing Islamophobia, Anti-Muslim rhetoric, and the Social Service Needs of Muslims Living in Ontario, with Amina Hussain & Emad Alarashi
- Understanding Intergenerational Trauma — Jewish Perspectives, with Jenna Quint
- Having “The Talk” About Drugs: A Quranic Approach, with Jibran Khokar
- Toronto Community Crisis Service: Alternative for Calling the Police for Mental Health Crisis Situations, with Andrea W. Westbrook
- Anti-Asian Racism and Social Work: What Is It and What Do We Do About It?, with Lin Fang
Health Equity Grand Rounds
The Health Equity Grand Rounds for students focuses on equity issues related to health and mental health practice. Organized by Associate Professor Rachelle Ashcroft and PhD student Peter Sheffield, the lecture series involves talks by experts focused on key themes in the field. Five Grand Rounds were scheduled in the 2023-2024 academic year:
- Transforming Health Systems: Advancing Health Equity with Black Communities, with Kevin Haynes, Senior Manager, Black Health Strategy for the Provincial System Support Program (PSSP) at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health.
- Pathways to Mental Health Outcomes Among Women Living With HIV, with FIFSW Professor Carmen Logie
- Black Health Equity and the Culture of Accountability, with FIFSW Assistant Professor Notisha Massaquoi
- Building upstream health and social systems: Lessons from the Upstream Lab and UPLEARN, with Andrew Pinto, founder and director of the Upstream Lab
- Eating Disorder and Muscle Dysmorphia among Boys and Men, with FIFSW Assistant Professor Kyle Ganson
Reporting Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Concerns
Providing a mechanisim for reporting discrimination or harassment — and ensuring that individuals are supported through the resolution process — helps support safe, welcoming and inclusive working and learning environments for all. Responding to feedback from students that the existing process for reporting concerns was unclear, Faculty leadership created a new webpage on reporting equity, diversity and inclusion concerns to provide an accessible overview of our community members’ rights and responsibilities, U of T’s equity policies, and the steps involved in reporting and resolving concerns or complaints around discrimination of harassment.
Accessibility
Website Accessibility
In 2023-2024, FIFSW staff engaged University of Toronto’s Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) Office for support to help ensure the accessibility of its website. After providing guidance on how to improve the accessibility of FIFSW’s timetables, U of T staff completed an audit of FIFSW’s site, which led to work to improve our menus, homepage and more. As we head into the new academic year, staff are working to address inaccessible PDFs and forms throughout the site. Over the last year, staff in communications, advancement, the registrar’s office, and the practicum office took courses offered by the AODA Office on website accessibility, digital documents, accessible events, and more. Further professional development opportunities are being organized for FIFSW staff and faculty in the new academic year. Accessibility has been identified as an EDI priority for the 2024-2025 academic year.
Accessibility support for students
The University of Toronto’s Accessibility Services team supports the accessibility needs of all U of T students. To better communicate how FIFSW students may access these services, FIFSW’s EDI Director worked with students and staff to create a new webpage that compiles information previously shared in multiple places into a single page. The new page, Accessibility at FIFSW: What you Need to Know, includes clear steps applicable to accessibility needs in the classroom, in practicum, and in the simulation program.
Professional Development and staff engagement
U of T’s Centre for Learning Leadership & Culture provides professional skill development opportunities to U of T employees, which includes a focus on EDI. In addition to these offerings, FIFSW is working to support its staff and faculty and build EDI-related competencies through tailored workshops and training opportunities. In July, FIFSW held a staff retreat focused on teambuilding, inclusion and community connection and included a morning workshop presented by Dr. Ruth White on psychological safety and its relationship to identity. In the spring, the Faculty also conducted an Engagement Survey for both faculty and staff to gain insight and feedback on topics such as workload, burnout, job satisfaction, leadership, EDI, support and professional development.
Social action and advocacy: Reiterating our commitment to open dialogue, academic freedom and freedom of speech
Social work students, graduates, and faculty have long used their voice to participate in social action and advocacy. During the year, as so many in our community grappled with the crisis in the Middle East, FIFSW reminded its community about its commitment to open dialogue and the importance of sustaining relationships while rejecting discourse or action that promotes hate or discrimination. During this time we also reiterated that the University and our Faculty supports the right to speak out, to apply scholarship to the issues we face, and to participate in responsible and respectful social action and advocacy.
Learn more about how FIFSW faculty are advocating for diverse communities through their research and outreach in the Research & Awards section of the 2023-2024 Year in Review.
Did you know? FIFSW has created a new Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Truth and Reconciliation webpage. The information on this page will continue to be updated as new information and initiatives are developed.