EDI Statements, Process & Creation

By Sandrine Poulin, Aisha Taylor, Vincent Wong, & Melanie Grier

We are enthusiastic about providing an update on our continuous efforts and dedication to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) within CSIOP, CPA, and beyond. Our objective with this newsletter update is to introduce the CSIOP's EDI Commitment Statement, which was formulated by our EDI Standing Committee on behalf of the CSIOP Executive Committee.

Our Process This Commitment Statement emerged from collaborative efforts during and in between monthly virtual committee meetings, where each member was encouraged to share insights and contribute to multiple iterations of the statement. Here is an outline of our process:

1. The Internal Structure Working Group developed a draft of the commitment statement as a shared online document, promoting collaboration and enabling the tracking of version history.

2. The broader EDI Standing Committee conducted a collaborative review and facilitated the editing process during a meeting on April 5th.

3. Between the meetings on April 5th and May 2nd, further refinements to the statement occurred. A Plain Language version of the statement was drafted to increase its accessibility, and it was later collaboratively edited by committee members.

4. On May 1st, the CSIOP Executive Committee reviewed and discussed the Commitment Statement, expressing their heartfelt appreciation for our work and offering no other input than that they believed it was well-worded and appropriate.

5. On May 10th, the EDI Internal Structure Working Group met to discuss and develop language clarifying the chosen acronym for the group name and terminology in the Commitment Statement. No conclusion was made, and we are continuing to explore options.

6. The EDI Standing Committee reviewed the full Commitment Statement and Plain Language versions during a meeting held on June 6th. Along with this article, we will post both versions of the Commitment Statement on the CSIOP website, and its social media accounts (i.e., LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram). We will explore additional opportunities to expand our outreach in the coming months. Another next step involves translating both versions of the statement into other languages, including French.

The Results The CSIOP EDI Standing Committee composed the following EDI Commitment Statement, along with the Plain Language version, on behalf of the CSIOP Executive Committee for public distribution (hence the need for the Executive Committee's review on May 1st).

See our published EDI Commitment Statement here.

Thank you for your interest in our work. We welcome your comments and questions. Please do not hesitate to reach out to the co-chairs of the EDI Committee: Aisha Taylor at ataylor@taylor-madestrategies.com and Rachel Appiah at appiahr@uoguelph.ca