Flex Fund Update: Fresh Roots’ Work with Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Consultant Eman Salem

Towards the end of last year, SVP Vancouver Alumni organization Fresh Roots received a Flex Fund grant to work with equity, diversity, and inclusion consultant Eman Salem to continue to explore how Fresh Roots can foster an anti-oppression and anti-racist lens throughout its work, a project they had started earlier in 2022.

After starting part of the project with Eman, Alexa Pitoulis, Fresh Roots Executive Director, quickly realized that this would be a long transformation and learning process. “The nature of our organization is that we have a high turnover with the summer staff cohort, so we needed more time to figure out how we can do that learning and engagement year on year. We needed to be able to move in a deeper way, more than just learning the terminology and being comfortable with the conversations. The Flex Fund gave me assurance that I could invest an extra amount to extend that work and not rush through it. It’s not about putting a statement out quickly; it’s about seeing it alive and moving within our organization.”

Fast-forward a year, and Fresh Roots has now nearly completed a four-phase process with Eman’s support. Working on this project over the longer term meant that a continual approach and presence with seasonal and year-round staff was possible. Alexa shared that the feedback has been almost immediate from new summer staff going through the onboarding and training process. They are sharing that they feel welcome, and that Fresh Roots is a place where they could bring a problem to leadership’s attention if needed. “When someone has only been with us for a matter of days and can already see the work that we’ve done, that’s really sweet for us.” she says.

Fresh Roots’ goal is to weave this work into all pillars of their strategic plan, which is in line with how they work, and the work they do in the community. By also helping the Board to understand the positive impact of bringing children and youth together in an inclusive space, this transformation has been felt across the organization. Alexa believes that deeper learning and transformation happens when you are building these trusted relationships over time. Weaving DEI work into their strategic plan benefits the children and youth that Fresh Roots serves. “Rather than ‘targeting’ specific demographics, we spend a lot of time and energy curating and welcoming a very diverse group of children and youth.”