A new online tool has been launched by the Alberta Council of Women’s Shelters to help facilities and organizations across the province like Odyssey House be more inclusive of individuals from the 2SLGBTQ+ community. However, though the ACWS has launched the Guide for Gaps, officials say that it can be accessed and used by any group wanting to make their workplace or services more inclusive.
Kristy Harcourt, a social worker and facilitator of the ACWS 2SLGBTQ+ Community of Practice group that created the Guide for Gaps, says the tool was developed through the Blueprint Project, which is a federally funded project and action-based initiative that is focused on limiting barriers for people experiencing domestic violence. The Guide for Gaps tool has two parts to it, the first being a quiz where organizations can assess where they are at on their inclusion journey along with where they can grow. The second part is several resource materials; these tools address several areas including attitudes and awareness of staff and clients, the workplace culture, policies and operations that could impact the 2SLGBTQ+ service user’s experience.
“People really want their organizations to be inclusive, they want to be serving their whole community, but sometimes we really don’t know where to start. So the guide helps people to decide whether they are starting, deepening or maintaining the work they are doing.”
Jill Shillabeer Manager of Learning for the Alberta Council of Women Shelters adds the guide is designed to meet people and organizations where they are at, and the language used in Guide for Gaps is intentional to create a safe space to learn.
“I think it is important to recognize that we often don’t know what we don’t know, and even when we think that we are doing really well around inclusion, there is always room to improve. So a tool like this gives people an opportunity to pause and reflect about where they are and access direct recourses in terms of how they can be even better.”
Harcourt and Shillabeer in several communities, including Grande Prairie, several organizations are doing or wanting to do this kind of work and support those who are dealing with domestic violence. Harcourt says that when there is a broad scope of organizations working together it creates a safety net, but what the guide does is it helps groups to check for holes in the net and make sure that it is solid.
“So this is just one approach to helping organizations think about who do we serve right now, is there anybody else we could or should be serving, and do we know how to do that?”
The guide can be accessed online on both a desktop computer and smart phone.