At Placemaking 4G, we believe Nova Scotia has a bright future. Think back to ten years ago: the “Now or Never: An Urgent Call to Action for Nova Scotians” report by Ray Ivany and the One Nova Scotia Coalition had just come out, and things looked pretty bleak. The quote that always stands out for me from that report is: “We are at a crossroads. The world is changing. We must change too or face the consequences. The only certainty is that the status quo is not an option.”
Times have changed, and a lot has happened in ten years. No one could have predicted the pandemic or the impact that would have on inter-provincial migration and immigration numbers, which have exceeded the report’s wildest dreams. As the co-founder of a company that provides human-centric recruiting services and support to employers across the region, I can tell you firsthand that Nova Scotia is moving in the right direction to be a desirable destination where people want to come and stay, but that doesn’t mean we have no work to do. For example, there has been no meaningful progress in First Nations and African Nova Scotian employment rates in the past decade, which has been a systemic issue for generations. The status quo is most certainly not an option here.
Additionally, employers are concerned about retention rates. I had the opportunity to moderate a panel on retention for the Association of Industry Sector Councils, and employers are putting their hands up to ask for help to build a roadmap to retention that places a culture of belonging at the center of that strategy. As referenced in the Psychology Today article “The New Psychology of Belonging” by Kim Samuel, today, amidst rising rates of loneliness and isolation, belonging is recognized as vital not only for emotional well-being but also for physical health, social discourse, and economic systems.
Placemaking 4G has partnered with the Nova Scotia Career Development Association to create a self-led, 11-module online course designed to build both individual and organizational awareness surrounding the dynamic lived experiences within Nova Scotian workplaces.
Created to be an engaging and thought-provoking journey, users get to explore how we can each contribute to a safer and more inclusive environment for everyone. The modules—which include themes such as Disrupting Bias, Stereotyping, Accessible Workplaces, and Influencing Organizational change—contain examples and scenarios that impact our everyday lives in Nova Scotia. Whether you have participated in multiple workshops on inclusion or have recently made the decision to start your journey, it’s an opportunity to continue your practice. Designed to be accessible and with adult learning and ease of use in mind, users gain access to:
- A customizable onboarding process that aligns with your organizational needs
- Streamlined account activation across your entire organization
- Measurable progress reporting at your fingertips
- Additional wrap-around services to continue your organization’s learning journey
- Engaging and interactive elements to expand and deepen employee learning
- Availability in both French and English
The Foundations of Belonging in the Workplace is not the be all, end all solution, and it won’t provide participants with every ounce of knowledge to turn everyone into experts. That’s not what we built it for. It was instead designed to provide every Nova Scotian an opportunity to change the status quo, to create a foundation upon which we can build a strong, inclusive and intentional next chapter. Let’s embark on this next chapter, together.
Explore The Foundations of Belonging in the Workplace with this QR code or by visiting:
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