[Barrie, ON, March 31, 2021] – Sandbox Centre (SBX) is thrilled to announce the launch of the Equity Sequence™ Program, commencing Wednesday, April 28, that will support workplaces and communities in Central Ontario to become equipped with a framework to reduce bias, be more inclusive, and equitable.
In partnership with the County of Simcoe, and supporting changemakers in Central Ontario and beyond, the Equity Sequence™ Program immerses organizations and individuals in collaborative, effective, and engaging conversations about building equity while applying learnings to real-life scenarios. Delivered virtually in three phases, this program will equip participants with five effective questions to apply in both work and personal situations. These questions will guide and ensure that your organization is making the best, and most equitable, decisions possible.
“Our greatest investment is the one we make in our people,” says Amber Lovejoy, Director & Group Lead, Commercial Banking at Scotiabank. “Scotiabank recently launched our renewed Diversity and Inclusion Goals developed to strengthen the diversity of our employee population over the next five years. Coming together as a high performing team and working in an inclusive environment will always allow us to better support our clients, communities, and employees. This is a belief I know we share with the Sandbox Centre. They are creating a network that is bound to have a positive impactful change to the landscape of the surrounding business community.”
The existence of inequality and bias is rising all over the world. The need to create meaningful, lasting change and impact is only growing stronger. This program will educate teams at any level to utilize a new perspective when it comes to drafting communications, planning events, writing policy, designing strategy, creating programs, and more.
“Together, we’re building a place where we all belong,” says Danielle Lazarevska, Managing Director of Sandbox Centre. “A place where we’re all empowered to bring – and be – our whole selves. It’s the only way we can truly work as one community, and if SBX can play a role in creating high-performing organizational cultures in all aspects, then we’ll feel fulfilled knowing that business results like we’ve never seen before have been brought to our region.”
By focusing on the importance of diversity in the workplace, SBX is confident the Equity Sequence™ Program will be a contributing factor to growing known statistics centered around diversity such as diverse teams being critical for innovation, improved financial performance, creating more success for recruiting and retaining talent, and maximizing productivity.
“There’s an expression we live by ‘Diversity is a fact, but inclusion is an act.’ Moving towards true inclusion through this new level of learning allows us to build something new together,” says Michèle Newton, Co-founder and President of Making Change. “When you look at an organization, a company, a community, or a city, you can see the power of harnessing everyone’s uniqueness to make things new, to have new thoughts and new ideas that are different from a dominant cultural norm that’s been there before.”
SBX thrives on empowering the business community in Central Ontario by bringing together resources, exchanges of knowledge, and ideas to build a network of sharing and innovation right in our own beautiful backyard. However, when there are resources missing from businesses and entrepreneurs who need them most, SBX seeks to address the gaps that must be filled in a united effort by coming together with those whose expertise and leadership can be provided to make the most impact. SBX is fortunate to have community partners and leaders who support this program that provide a high degree of expertise, experience, and compassion as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. This program is designed to build a network of activated changemakers and resources that will support the recognized need for advancing education and action surrounding diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace throughout our region.
The Equity Sequence™ Program is supported by its courageous change making Partners: County of Simcoe, City of Barrie, Scotiabank, Botree Inc., Tidal Equality, Georgian College Henry Bernick Entrepreneurship Centre, Invest Barrie, Small Business Centre of Barrie, Orillia, and Simcoe County, Orillia CDC, Making Change, South Georgian Bay Small Business Enterprise Centre, XcelerateHER, Safer Spaces, North Simcoe Community Futures, UPlift Black, Women’s Advocacy Council, Centre For Business, Politics For Women.
To learn more visit https://sandboxcentre.com/the-equity-sequence-program/
About Sandbox Centre
Sandbox Centre opened its doors in April of 2019 with the mission of connecting people & their ideas to business resources; where guided collaboration and sharing of collective knowledge support their journey to success. As the pre-eminent connector of people and their ideas to business resources within Central Ontario, we take pride in uniting people and companies to grow through a culture of sharing. We strive to create collisions within our space to spark ideas and shift mindsets. From startups, scale-ups, and large enterprises to idea generators, leaders and change makers – SBX supports all stages of business. Create a better life through business with SBX.
For more information:
The Sandbox Centre is located on the second floor of 24 Maple Avenue in Barrie, Ontario. For more information about TAP and other programs visit sandboxcentre.com, and join the Sandbox community on Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram.