Exciting transformations are unfolding at George Brown College (GBC) as we pursue the goals outlined in our Anti-Racism Action Plan. This dynamic plan guides the crucial steps we take to create opportunities for education, self-reflection, and accountability all aimed at addressing racism and advancing anti-racism at the college.
With leadership from the Office of Anti-Racism, Equity and Human Rights Services (OAREHRS), GBC made significant strides in the first year (2022/23) of the two-year action plan. An overview of progress made on the Anti-Racism Action Plan is now available online.
Anti-Racism Action Plan Update
The initiatives, put in place since the plan's launch in March 2022, promote continuous learning and growth among students and employees and move us closer to realizing our shared vision of a more anti-racist, equitable and inclusive GBC.
Highlights of these actions include the following:
- Delivering college-wide anti-racism and equity training for students and employees, including additional multi-session anti-racism training for senior leaders
- Creating designated spaces for Indigenous, Black and racialized students and employees to host events and celebrations and foster belonging
- Providing anti-bias training to support equitable hiring practices
- Requiring all departments and senior leaders to engage with and develop a plan to implement the actions in the Indigenous Education Strategy and the Anti-Racism Action Plan.
"Achieving the goals outlined in the Anti-Racism Action Plan depends on everyone at George Brown College learning new ways of approaching their work while committing to change at both an individual and institutional level. Transforming our college into a place where each of us feels a sense of belonging is and always will be a collective effort," said Jennifer Grant, Associate Vice-President of GBC's Office of Anti-Racism, Equity and Human Rights Services.
"I want to thank faculty, staff, departments, divisions and senior leadership, who have collaborated and consulted with the OAREHRS to advance this work. I am also grateful to those who have engaged with OAREHRS learning resources, activities and events and continue to ask for more! It is also important to acknowledge those who have quietly and without fanfare, just done the work. This collective engagement is what has led to the successful deliverables in the first year of the plan."
GBC has accomplished so much within the first year of the Anti-Racism Action Plan. We have unlearned and learned together, engaged in new approaches and begun to examine our practices and policies to ensure they align with our values and commitments to indigenization, anti-racism, diversity, equity and inclusion. Over the next year, we will continue to challenge ourselves to do more to advance the goals in the plan and hold ourselves and each other accountable to our promise, as laid out in Strategy 2026, to "cultivate a foundation of equity, reconciliation and belonging" at GBC.
For more details, visit georgebrown.ca/anti-racism-action-plan-progress.
