What is an Indigenous Inclusion Plan?
An Indigenous Inclusion Plan serves as a foundation of how an organization will engage, build relationship with, and create an inclusive space with Indigenous Peoples.
Why Is It Important?
Regulatory changes, procurement requirements, political and social changes all contribute to an organization’s need to bring Indigenous Inclusion Planning into business processes.
UNDRIP affirmed the rights of Indigenous Peoples and has been adopted in principle and likely will be codified into Canadian law. (Known as Bill C-15 in Canada). The Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Committee Call to Action #92, calls upon the corporate sector to respect Indigenous rights, and involve Indigenous communities and businesses in contracting and employment opportunities.
As a result of this, businesses are developing their own Indigenous Inclusion policies that require their subcontractors to provide either elements of Indigenous inclusion or have distinct policies in place to support it.
The 4 Pillars
When developing an Indigenous Inclusion Plan for a client, BRITT RADIUS considers and includes four essential pillars:
Relationship Development
Cross-Cultural Competencies
Economic Development
Workforce Development
Relationship Development
Establish: A relationship built on trust, respect and understanding. It is critical to establish relationships between key engagement staff and the communities you are going to be working in.
Be Aware: Indigenous people have faced historic mistreatment. Therefore, they may come to the table with legacy issues that need to be addressed to move forward in a productive way.
Go Above and Beyond: Spend time being present in the community; understand the richness of the community.
Cross Cultural Competencies
No one-size-fits-all approach to training. The deeper you will be engaging, the more training you will need.
Leave preconceived notions at home. Do not bring them to community. Develop the internal competence and understanding of the contextual landscape in Canada. This includes the history of Indigenous people in Canada, legal issues that affect Indigenous people, and general awareness. Effective training must not only shift the minds, but the hearts of the individuals implementing it.
Economic Development
While it is important to develop projects in a responsible way to limit impacts, many companies have been strengthening their commitment to work with Indigenous businesses in areas of their operations and areas throughout their supply chain where possible.
Identify work opportunities in a scope of work.
Identify local businesses to provide services.
Enable conversations between organizations and the proponent to understand the limitations and opportunities that exist.
Provide support throughout the process.
Workforce Development
This requires the development of policies and processes for success. Unless we understand the barriers to employment, or understand cultural differences, it’s difficult to say we are actively promoting workforce development. A commitment to Indigenous Workforce Development could include:
Provide recruitment efforts and employment opportunities.
Provide mentorship and training
Provide workforce advancement.
Want To Learn More?
The team at BRITT RADIUS would love to dive deeper and explore how wean support you with your Indigenous Inclusion Planning. Find our Needs Assessment here.
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