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Home » Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Disaster & Emergency Management

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion in Disaster & Emergency Management

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  • Dates: SEP 21 | OCT 5 | OCT 19 | NOV 2 | NOV 16 | NOV 30
  • Time: 12:00 PM – 1:30 PM EST
  • Location: VIRTUAL (ZOOM WEBINAR)

Participants in all sessions will receive a certificate of attendance from CIFAL York

BACKGROUND

As many people from diverse backgrounds continue to enter the field, it is vital to be aware of our differences. Understanding the benefits of diversity will help create an inclusive environment for responders and vulnerable communities. To help professionals become more aware of diversity in emergency management, CIFAL York will run a speaker series on this topic to provide participants with the knowledge and tools to become conscious of the value of inclusion to promote ways to optimize diversity in the emergency response. CIFAL York organizes a webinar series to provide a space for knowledge exchange and experience sharing between experts and policy makers to discuss how equity, diversity, and inclusion issues and considerations are addressed in disaster and emergency management (DEM).

GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

The key goals and objectives of the speaker series are to:

  • Learn the key challenges of diversity and inclusion in the DEM field.
  • Learn about some of the leading best practices of diversity and inclusion in DEM.
  • Raise awareness amongst disaster management professionals, within the private sector, municipalities, and other levels of government, on equity and diversity.
  • Identify the concept of diversity, equity, inclusion, power, privilege, and oppression.
  • Recognize the consequences of unconscious bias in disaster response and beyond.
  • Understand the importance of respecting cultural practices in disaster response.
  • Apply knowledge to optimize diversity and counterattack biases.

TARGET AUDIENCES

  • Emergency managers at local, provincial, and federal governmental agencies.
  • Business continuity, and risk and crisis managers in private and non-government organizations.
  • Disaster and emergency management, public health, and public policy students or researchers.
  • Public sector leaders and executives with responsibilities in disaster and emergency management.
  • Practitioners.
  • Policy analysts.
  • Students.
  • Local and regional decision makers and emergency managers.
  • Representatives of intergovernmental organizations.
  • Diversity and inclusion researchers or professionals.

SESSION 1 WEDNESDAY SEPTEMBER 21 12:00PM-1:30PM (EST)

Moderator: Dr. Yvonne Su

Assistant Professor, Department of Equity Studies, York University

Speaker: Dr. Kelly Thomson

Associate Professor, School of Administrative Studies, York University

Topic

Masculinity and Responses to Emergency: The Double Bind

Speaker: Dr. Alice Cullingford

Associate Faculty, Disaster and Emergency Management Program, Royal Roads University.

Topic

Addressing Workplace Culture in Fire and Emergency Services

No recording available for this session

SESSION 2 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 5 12:00PM-1:30PM (EST)

Moderator: Dr. Saptarishi Bandopadhyay

Associate Professor at Osgoode Hall Law School, York University

Speaker: Ben Gallagher

Emergency Management Specialist, City of Mississauga

Topic

Community Driven Resilience: Empowering Diverse Communities to Drive Disaster Resilience

Speaker: Linnea Warren May

Associate Policy Researcher, RAND Corporation

Topic

Measuring Equity in the Context of Disaster Resilience and Response

SESSION 3 WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 19 12:00PM-1:30PM (EST)

Moderator: Dr. Aaida Mamuji

Associate Professor, Disaster & Emergency Management, School of Administrative Studies, Faculty of Liberal Arts & Professional Studies, York University

Speaker: Chauncia Willis

Co-Founder & CEO Institute for Diversity and Inclusion in Emergency Management (I-DIEM)

Topic

Disaster Bias vs. Disaster Privilege: Race, Gender, and Social Status as Determinants of Recovery

Speaker: Alain Normand

Chair of the NGO Alliance and Consulting Associate, ADRA Canada

Topic

We have come a long way but we are not there yet

SESSION 4 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 2 12:00PM-1:30PM (EST)

Moderator: William Gagnon

Energy Transition Advisor,
Médicins Sans Frontières

Speaker: Dr. Noémie Gonzalez Bautista

PhD in Anthropology, Independent Researcher, Expertise in Applied Anthropology

Topic

Deconstructing the Gender Binary: A Necessity to Build a More Inclusive and Anti-Colonial Emergency Management

Speaker : Susamma Seeley

MPA, CEM, and PhD Student & Adjunct Professor, University of Delaware

Topic

Moving Beyond DEI: Identity and Multicultural Competency in EM

SESSION 5 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 16 12:00PM-1:30PM (EST)

Moderator: Sharon Chisholm

LordStone Consulting Ltd.

Speaker: Dr. Barbara Waruszynski

Defence Scientist with Director General Military Personnel Research and Analysis under Chief Military Personnel, Canadian Department of National Defence

Topic

Challenges of Diversity and Inclusion During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Implications on Canadian Defence Emergency Management and Preparedness

Speaker: Dr. Jennifer Spinney

Assistant Professor, Disaster and Emergency Management, York University

Topic

The Social Life of Structures: Exploring Individual Experience and the Diversity of Impacts From Severe Wind Events in Ontario

SESSION 6 WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 30 12:00PM-1:30PM (EST)

Moderator: Sonia Singh

Emergency Manager, City of Markham, Ontario, Canada

Speaker : Brandy Mai

Owner, CEO, and Consultant, CrisisTalker. JD & Ga-CEM

Topic

Neurodiversity Considerations in Disaster Operations

Speaker: Dr. Rodric Bowman

Director, Northeastern Operations for the Olson Group, LTD. Emergency Management and Resiliency researcher, practitioner, and thought leader

Topic

Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in Emergency Management Programs and Practice

Recording of Session 6

Organizer

Organizer

CIFAL YORK

CIFAL York is part of UNITAR’s global network of training centres for knowledge-sharing, training, and capacity-building for public and private leaders, local authorities, and civil society. CIFAL Centres are local and regional hubs for innovative, participatory and co-creative knowledge exchange opportunities to support decision-making processes, build capacity, and accelerate the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals. Established in 2020, CIFAL York started its operation in June 2021 as the first CIFAL Centre in Canada. Health and Development training and knowledge sharing is among the key focusing areas of CIFAL York.

For more information or questions please contact: cifaldirector@yorku.ca