Group Education Services

We offer a series of group educational sessions for faculty and staff to help your team proactively build EDI competencies and interpersonal skills, fostering the integration of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion principles across all aspects of our work. These proactive group sessions are not intended for high-conflict, responsive situations following an incident, nor as an indirect method to address the behaviour of a single individual. If you are seeking support to help a group navigate a high-conflict, real-time situation, book a consultation.

Enhancing Communication Skills for Effective Conflict Engagement

We offer introductory, intermediate, and advanced sessions to help participants:

  • Reframe conflicts as opportunities for growth and to support inclusion of systemically, historically, and persistently marginalized groups
  • Build skills to navigate difficult conversations within groups or between individuals
  • Respond compassionately and effectively to serious disclosures of mistreatment from learners
  • Practice giving and receiving feedback while maintaining supportive relationships

For more information on conflict engagement, visit REDI Best Practices.

Designing Inclusive and Equitable Processes and Systems

We facilitate sessions to help units integrate inclusion into existing processes and systems, focusing on:

  • Managing power dynamics and fostering respectful, inclusive environments within units, committees, or teams
  • Embedding broader frameworks, such as the Indigenous Strategic Plan and StEAR, into unit activities
  • Brainstorming and problem-solving to enhance specific processes, including:
    • Hiring and Onboarding (in collaboration with HR/OD)
    • Reappointment (in collaboration with HR/OD)
    • Pedagogy and Inclusive Instruction (in collaboration with Faculty Development)
    • Awards and Adjudication

For more information on designing inclusive processes, visit REDI Best Practices.

Empowering Leaders and Changemakers to Drive Unit-Level Change

We offer tailored sessions for faculty, staff in formal leadership roles, and EDI Committee members to support them in shaping unit culture. Topics include:

  • Embedding equity within units
  • Navigating local impacts of global conflicts
  • Starting and sustaining an effective EDI Committee
  • Understanding and navigating the Learner Mistreatment process


REDI’s Approach to Group Education

Proactive Education vs. Responsive Conflict Engagement

We believe that education should not be used punitively to drive cultural change. These proactive group sessions are not intended for high-conflict, responsive situations following an incident, nor as an indirect method to address the behaviour of a single individual. For more responsive approaches to support groups or individuals in navigating ongoing or intense conflicts, please contact us to submit a consultation request. We can then recommend alternative options, such as mediation, facilitated group discussions, or leadership coaching to help individuals or teams engage in constructive dialogue, understand and grow through conflict, or move forward after an investigation, complaint, or dispute.

If you are seeking support to help a group navigate a high-conflict, real-time situation, book a consultation. If the conflict is related to a mistreatment of a learner, visit the Learner Mistreatment website.

Collaborating with Units to Co-Design and Co-Facilitate Workshops

While we are EDI specialists, we may not be experts in every facet of the diverse administrative and academic units we work with, so we frequently collaborate with these units to co-design and co-facilitate workshops. Depending on the group or topic, we may partner with Human Resources for sessions on hiring or organizational development, Faculty Development for pedagogy and learning environments, or EDI Committees within units for workshops on inclusive clinical care or research environments. We also support departmental leadership or EDI Committees in facilitating sessions on embedding the Indigenous Strategic Plan or the Strategic Equity and Anti-Racism Framework within their units.

In the past, we’ve co-designed sessions with partners on inclusive events, EDI in research, fostering inclusive learning environments for Indigenous learners, inclusive hiring, and integrating trauma-informed approaches in education.

Content is Theoretically Informed and Evidence-Based

Our group learning sessions are grounded in evidence-based approaches from non-violent communication, Self-Determination Theory, and restorative justice, helping participants prepare for challenging conversations, communicate effectively, respond with compassion, and access university-wide support during difficult moments.

Prioritizing Faculty, Staff, and Leaders in Cultural Change

Occasionally, depending on staff capacity, we may assist units in creating learning opportunities for learners. However, since our focus is on driving cultural change rather than delivering education for educational programs, our current priority is to support staff, faculty, and leaders.