We hope that this toolkit will help community service organizations become better able to reflect the values, beliefs and life experiences of everyone in their community. In this way, they will become places rich with diversity and difference where everyone works to challenge and dismantle all forms of oppression.
History of this project:
In 2005 Springtide Resources (formerly known as Education Wife Assault), started a project to create tools that would help us continue to integrate anti-oppression work in our agency. Integrated antioppression is not a new concept. However, many of us felt it was challenging to pull together what we had learned over the years, to apply it in our organization and to make sure that we applied antioppression practice in all our work.
The project, funded by the City of Toronto, involved a series of focus groups. Participants included various members of Springtide Resources and other agencies in our social change network. The people who participated identified the issues that both individuals and organizations face when trying to apply anti-oppression in their day-to-day work.
As we reviewed the focus group discussions and policies from various organizations, it became clear that organizations have developed some great policies and practices over the years that help create inclusive spaces. At the same time, we are still challenged by how to consistently integrate antioppression practice in all aspects of our work. To address this concern, we created a framework that organizations can use to develop policies with an integrated anti-oppression analysis. This framework is included as Appendix E.
Another thing we learned was that organizations needed a practical tool that would allow them to apply anti-oppression practice to their policies. This was especially important to community service organizations since they are extremely busy doing the work and do not have time to develop their own materials. Hoping to assist these organizations, Springtide Resources applied for funding to do
this work. The United Way of Toronto granted funding for Phase II of the project in 2007. This toolkit is the result of that project.
Resource details:
Guide Developed by:
Margaret Alexander, Program Manager
Springtide Resources, 2008
Special Thanks to:
The workers and organizations who participated in the focus group and evaluation process for their valuable insight.
and
Tannis Atkinson (plain language edit), Yoon Hee Park (format and design), and my colleagues Fran, Sarah, Angie and Marsha who supported the work with their comments and feedback.
Type/Format of Resource: Staff Training Materials; Other; Handbook; Audit Tool
Category/Topic of interest: Communities, Cultures and Abuse; Human Rights
Population Group: Health Care Service Providers; Social Service Providers; Legal Service Providers
Year of Publication: 2008
Contact Information:
Margaret Alexander
Springtide Resources
t- 416-968-3422 x 24
f- 416-968-2026
tty- 416-968-7335
[email protected]
http://www.springtideresources.com/
Associated Document:
An Integrated Anti-Oppression Framework for Reviewing and Developing Policy: A Toolkit for Community Service Organizations
(Acrobat PDF file)
