Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion + Community Change

Changemakers

Virtual Connection and Workshop Sessions

Coaching and Peer-Learning Calls

This four-session learning cohort will support individuals and organizations working in community, nonprofit, government, and grassroots spaces to navigate difficult conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB). Participants will explore how to foster inclusive policies, relationships, and environments while also learning tools to disrupt exclusionary practices. Through a lens of relational accountability and equity-centered systems change, this cohort will offer participants foundational skills and strategies for embedding equity and inclusion into their everyday work.

This cohort offers a practical, reflective, and supportive learning environment for those looking to deepen their DEIB practice in community change work. Grounded in real-world experiences and co-facilitated by equity practitioners, the sessions will prioritize relationship-building, applied learning, and collective accountability.

Participants will:

Build shared language and understanding around diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

Develop confidence in navigating complex or uncomfortable conversations with compassion and clarity

Learn how to create community agreements that support safer, braver spaces for dialogue and collaboration

Explore foundational principles of accessibility and neurodiversity

Deepen their understanding of 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion and how to address transphobia and homophobia in community spaces
Gain tools to examine how policy, practice, and culture can either support or undermine inclusion

learn more

Participants will receive session recordings, learning resources, and curated tools to support ongoing application beyond the cohort. Sessions will be interactive, drawing on lived experience, storytelling, and facilitated discussion. A certificate of participation will be provided for those who attend all four sessions.

key agenda items

Introduction to core DEIB concepts and community agreements

Shared language and frameworks for inclusive conversation

Accessibility and neurodiversity as central, not additional, considerations

Addressing anti-2SLGBTQIA+ rhetoric and transphobia in our work

Applying inclusive practices in policy, programming, and organizational culture

Strategies for repairing harm and navigating accountability

who should apply?

This learning cohort is open to anyone seeking to strengthen their inclusion and equity practices, particularly:

Community organizers and engagement specialists

Nonprofit staff and volunteers

Government and public sector workers

Educators and facilitators

Funders and philanthropic professionals

Frontline workers and service providers

Sessions will take place from 12:30 ET – 2:30 ET on the following days:

October 16, 2025

October 23, 2025

October 30, 2025

November 6, 2025

Session 1: Foundations – Building Shared Language & Grounding in Community

This 2-hour session will focus on setting the tone for our learning journey together. We will begin with a community and land acknowledgement and invite participants to introduce themselves in relation to the land they are on, their communities, and the values they bring into this space. Together, we will co-create shared agreements and build a foundation for relationship-based learning rooted in psychological safety, reciprocity, and care. Participants will explore key concepts such as equity, diversity, inclusion, accessibility, and reconciliation, while reflecting on how bias, privilege, and power shape their experiences and communities. Through interactive activities like the “Circle of Trust” and social location mapping, we will begin building trust, deepening self-awareness, and grounding ourselves in relational learning and collective accountability.

Session 2: Designing for Belonging – Accessibility, Neurodiversity, and Intersectionality

This 2-hour session will focus on understanding accessibility and neurodiversity through the lens of equity and design. We’ll examine the barriers faced by disabled and neurodivergent communities and learn how ableism shows up in physical spaces, policies, and attitudes. Participants will explore ways to design environments, events, and learning spaces that are accessible, inclusive, and responsive to diverse needs. We’ll also reflect on how race, class, gender, and other identities intersect with access, and begin building practical strategies for creating more equitable community spaces.

Session 3: Gender & Sexual Diversity – 2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion & Addressing Transphobia

This 2-hour session will focus on building inclusive spaces for 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, with a focus on addressing transphobia and supporting gender-diverse people. Participants will explore the distinctions between sex, gender, and sexuality and understand how colonization has shaped narratives around queerness. We’ll look at real-world examples of trans-inclusive policies, discuss pronoun awareness, and unpack harmful systems like TERF ideology. The session will offer tools for advocacy, language, and community support—centering Two-Spirit voices and decolonizing frameworks of gender and sexuality.

Session 4: Practice – Embedding DEIB into Policy, Culture & Conflict Resolution

This final 2-hour session will focus on moving from learning to action. Participants will engage in scenario-based group activities to apply what they’ve learned to real-life challenges, including inclusive event planning, equitable decision-making, and conflict resolution. We will explore how to move from symbolic gestures to systemic change by embedding DEIB into workplace culture, governance, and team practices. The session will also include space for debrief, collective reflection, and identifying next steps for integrating DEIB into your community and organization.

Rochelle Ignacio

Rochelle Ignacio (she/her) is an equity strategist, facilitator, public speaker and community builder who guides organizations and individuals through meaningful equity and anti-racism journeys. Grounded in an intentional, relational, and care-based framework, she fosters environments where belonging, reconciliation, and transformative change can take root.

Since 2021, she has led Tamarack Institute’s inaugural Equity & Indigenization team, spearheading the Seeds of Transformation, a loving framework for equity, belonging and reconciliation. Rochelle embeds equity into organizational culture by shaping policies, leading training programs, and coaching teams. Rochelle is experienced in developing equity strategies and coaching teams on developing disaggregated employee engagement dashboards.

Rochelle holds a Bachelor of Science in Human Ecology (2011) and an Occupational Health and Safety Certificate (2018) from the University of Alberta. Despite numerous awards and achievements Rochelle prioritizes a relational practice that is guided by African Ancestral Spirituality. Her network would describe her as authentic, caring, transparent, understanding, fierce yet gentle and a systems transformer.

Beyond consulting, Rochelle advances Black mobility and belonging through social entrepreneurship focused on developing economic opportunities for Black entrepreneurs in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.

Rochelle’s Office Hours:

Tuesdays 10:00 am – 12:00pm MT

15-minute free consultations

Book a 15-minute session with Rochelle

Current Themes Being Explored:

         Equity and Anti-Racism Strategy Facilitation, Leadership and Support 
         Equitable Systems Transformation  
         Policy Review and Development  
         Anti-Black Racism & Intersectional Frameworks
         Engaging with Diverse Communities 
         Equitable Data Collection and Management Practices

Shanese Green

Shanese Green (nee Steele) (she/they) is a bridge-builder, advocate, and equity-driven community animator dedicated to fostering spaces of belonging and transformation. As Senior Community Animator, Equity and Reconciliation at Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement, she brings 14 years of experience in collaborative community development, collective capacity building, and place-based learning.

An Afro-Indigenous femme of Métis, Trinidadian, and Grenadian descent with Anishinaabe familial ties, Shanese’s work is deeply rooted in relational strategies for conflict navigation, 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion, reconciliation, and decolonial practice. She is passionate about equitable policy development, transformative curriculum design, anti-racism, and systemic equity, particularly in the context of youth leadership, community engagement, and gender-based violence prevention. Shanese's work weaves together traditional knowledge, intersectional frameworks, and community-led action, always centering a decolonial, queer, feminist, and pro-Black approach. A published writer, her work can be found in Xtra Magazine, The Trent Arthur, Global Indigenous Youth: Through Their Eyes (Columbia), and Nutmeg and Sage Blog.

Area of Practice

Collaborative Community Development

Building Collective Capacity

Place-based Learning

Relational Strategies for Conflict Navigation

2SLGBTQIA+ Inclusion & Equity

Reconciliation & Decolonial Practice

Equitable Policy Development

Transformative Curriculum & Educational Design

Anti-Racism & Systemic Equity

Youth Leadership & Community Engagement

Gender-Based Violence Prevention & Response

Shanese’s Office Hours:

Tuesdays 9:00 am – 11:00pm CST

15-minute free consultations

Book a 15-minute session with Shanese

Scholarship Opportunities

We want everyone to learn how to improve their community! To ensure this, Tamarack supports folks experiencing systemic barriers such as lived/living experiences of oppression including racial discrimination and financial poverty, and emerging changemakers who do not have access to professional development budgets through our Be a Light Fund.

Please fill out this form if you would like to apply for a scholarship. You can also learn how you can donate to the Paul Born Be A Light Fund and get a charitable receipt. Reach out to Stephanie if you have any questions or concerns.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion + Community Change:

Fostering Belonging Through Equity-Centered Action

key learning objectives

learn more

key agenda items

who should apply?

session breakdown

meet the facilitators

Rochelle Ignacio

Shanese Green

logistics & pricing:

register now:

Scholarship Opportunities