Collaborative Solution-Building

This solution was developed in response to frequent requests for the IDEAS4GE Innovation Challenge process and tools. The reported effectiveness of the Innovative Challenge guiding process in creating a safe environment to engage in important discussions led solution-builders to explore this solution.

The IDEAS4GE innovation Challenge tools and resources provide businesses, organizations and DEI practitioners with an easy-to-follow and fully customizable template to help engage diverse perspectives across the organization in establishing Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access priorities.  It encourages taking time to understand the issues and opportunities from different perspectives before moving on to generate meaningful solutions. Using an IDEAS lens organizations can begin to integrate inclusion, diversity, equity and access solutions into workplace policies and practices for impactful and tangible systemic change. 

This solution builds upon insights from a GBA+ intersectional approach to collecting, assessing and monitoring progress toward reflecting the rich diversity of your community within your organization. 

The lessons learned, tools and sample resources are graciously shared by a non-profit organization attempting to apply the 50 – 30 Challenge Publicly Available Specification (PAS) Documents (I  & II) to their journey toward greater inclusion, diversity, equity and access within routine operations.  The PAS  III Technical resource was under development  during the early work of the Non-Profit organization, however, as The Diversity Assessment Tool – (DAT) by the Diversity Institue has since been released, it is now referenced in the GBA+ Data Solution. 

The national non-profit organization is pleased to share what is admittedly an early-days roadmap to take intentional actions to better reflect the rich diversity of Canada within their organization. They do this by engaging and supporting their local community member organizations across their national network to understand the benefit of creating a welcoming space where women in all their diversity can benefit from what the organization has to offer. 

Collaboration for Equitable Child Care emerged across the solution-building activities. 

Solution-Builders Parking Lot for Policy Development Topics

Several Policy related topics emerged across the collaborative solution-building activities.

Policy development is an ongoing process and it is expected that range of  policies will play a critical role in advancing diversity, equity and inclusion in an organization The number one topic revolved around creating a National Child Care Strategy. 

• Systemic supporting policy development ideas that emerged across the project solution-building activities. 

Child Care 

Child Care Collaboration and Consultation for Equitable and Inclusive Child Care was coordinated by the IDEAS Team with the Child Care Now Canada, BPW Canada and Municipal Children Services representative to generate systemic Early Learning and Child Care related policy recommendations.

• Brief RE: Bill C35 – An Act respecting early learning and child care in Canada – March 2023
• Draft Resolution National ECCL System Standards for Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Access – March 2023
• A Tool kit to bring about public policy change for Inclusive Early Learning and Child Care – Special Summit on Equitable Access to Licensed Child Care – May 5th-6th, 2023 Ottawa, ON.