How to Create Social Impact Through Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenization (EDII).
By: Ashley Smith - Culture Coordinator
When you hear “EDII” – what do you think of?
While this acronym is often used as a buzzword to allude to how organizations, educational institutions, or people measure social impact, what does it really mean? Truly, there is a lot to unpack in each word – Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenization. We need to ensure that we understand each one and how they work together to create real, meaningful social impact. Please use this as a guide if you’re interested in learning how EDII can be used to increase social impact in our personal lives, on student clubs, and at school.
First, let’s break down Equity, Diversity, Inclusion, and Indigenization:
Equity is the amplification of marginalized voices to create fair and equal opportunities. An example of creating equity is the Queen’s University Advanced Route to Medical School (QUARMS) undergraduate program at Queen’s University. This program is open to Indigenous-identifying students only to create more opportunities for the Indigenous community in medicine.
Diversity is having a variety in perspectives and backgrounds; it is ultimately what makes people different from each other. Forms of diversity are in race, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, age, ability, language and more.
Inclusion goes hand in hand with diversity. It is the conscious action to not only acknowledge diversity, but celebrate it, appreciate it, and welcome it. For example, inclusion is recognizing that a late group project meeting on campus could make students, particularly female-identifying students, feel unsafe having to walk in the dark. Therefore, an inclusive action could be making the meeting online, or at an earlier time of the day to accommodate for the needs of all genders on the team.
Indigenization is the intentional addition of indigeneity in our communities and our curriculum to help Indigenous Peoples regain their power that was taken through violent colonization and generations of Eurocentric norms. It is recognizing that Indigenous cultures and ways of knowing are practiced as equal to the western world’s ways of knowing1.
So, we know the words, but how can we actually use this knowledge to create social impact?
In Your Personal Life
In our personal lives, there is often a lot going on. And so sometimes it seems like too much on your plate to add cracking a book, or reading articles and blog posts during busy days, no matter how much you value education. Therefore, start small and with the media you consume. Start listening to a podcast that teaches you more about indigenization during your 10-minute walk to class now that online school is done! If you watch the news but normally only watch one channel, mix it up so that you are opening yourself up to all different perspectives. These are just a couple ways to make little shifts to be more inclusive from a personal standpoint.
On Student Clubs
EDII is a relatively new acronym to Queen’s and is often used to measure the social impact of each club. We are seeing more and more policies in various student societies that hold clubs and people who join them accountable, such as delivering cases that asses critical thinking on situations that involve an element of EDII during hiring. One thing that you can do on your club is to be an “EDII Coordinator” in addition to your role. A trend that I am noticing among various ComSoc clubs is the removal of an “EDII coordinator” from executive team structures to hold every club member accountable to be equitable, inclusive of diversity, and committing to indigenization, not only one person. This is important as we shift away from a tokenistic society, to be more well-rounded and accountable for ensuring social impact. Send articles to your club group chat that get you thinking about a topic that resonates with you, add an educational piece to your blog, and ensure you are performing meaningful, personal land acknowledgments at events and important meetings.
At School
At Queen’s, we all have a commitment to offering a welcoming, inclusive environment for learning. Online school has definitely challenged us with working across large time zone differences and sometimes painfully long days on zoom. We have had to be inclusive and accommodating to get projects submitted. While most of us are moving back to in-person learning in the same geographic location, diversity in our classes and peer groups will remain, and we will need to be inclusive in different ways. Being in Kingston, it is important to recognize and be aware of the history of the town, and the lack of diversity within it. You can be inclusive by showing interest and socializing with peers that are different from you, like learning more about different religious holidays or cultural celebrations that Kingston may not have a large community celebrating. Offer ways to support your friends who are International or Exchange students by inviting them over to make them a meal or listening if they are feeling alone. Additionally, try to focus your projects and assignments on the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) if possible. Companies such as TEALEAVES offer programs that publish student assignments to the public to promote socially impactful work done by students at a wider reach and a larger audience.
Overall, creating social impact does not always need to be made through fundraising, making donations, or volunteering for a non-profit. Creating social impact can be made through baby steps by you and me. And it starts with understanding EDII. Hopefully you found this guide helpful, and please check out the resources listed below if you are interested in learning more.
Best,
Ashley
https://diversity.social/social-impact/