The TBuck Suzuki Foundation supports and promotes diversity, equity, inclusion, and mindfulness throughout our entire organization with our staff, board, volunteers, partners, and in our work with our communities. We believe in creating opportunities for our staff, board, volunteers, and partners to succeed in their work.
We celebrate the unique differences, diverse backgrounds and experiences of all our staff, board, partners, and volunteers. We welcome new talents and insights, as we foster a culture of mindfulness, inclusion and accessibility for all.
Our approach in supporting diversity and inclusion considers demographics throughout the province and systemic barriers that many groups face resulting from historical and codified policies of exclusion.
It is our expectation that our staff, board, volunteers, and partners share our values and take part in a societal transformation where a commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and mindfulness is not only an organizational responsibility, but also an individual one.
We understand diversity as the presence of a wide range of human qualities and attributes within a group, organization, or society. The dimensions of diversity include, but are not limited to, ancestry, culture, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, language, physical and intellectual ability, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, and socio-economic status.
We understand equity as a condition or state of fair, inclusive, and respectful treatment of all people. Equity does not mean treating people the same without regard for individual differences. We are committed to the fair and just treatment of all community members through the creation of opportunities and reduction of disparities in opportunities and outcomes for diverse communities in BC. We understand that these disparities are rooted in historical and contemporary injustices and disadvantages.
We understand inclusion as the situation in which individuals or communities (both physical and demographic) are fully involved in the society in which they reside, including the economic, social, cultural and political dimensions of that society. It requires the creation of an atmosphere where everyone feels welcome, respected, able to participate fully and valued. It’s about recognizing the needs of each individual and having the right conditions so that each person has the opportunity to bring their entire selves to work and contribute their ideas, experiences and talents to the fullest.
We understand mindfulness as the process of purposefully bringing one’s attention to one’s actions, and considering the potential for actions to have harmful unintended consequences and seeking to minimize harm. It requires welcoming opposed views and voices, and examining them with humility and respect.
Our understanding of diversity, equity, inclusion, and mindfulness will evolve as we learn and work on implementing this framework.
This framework has built off the work of the Victoria Good Food Network, the Ontario Trillium Foundation, and Racial Equity and Implementation Guide for Food Secure Canada.
Further Resources on building equity: Mainstreaming Equity and Justice in the Ocean, by Nathan J. Bennett, 2022