What are your experiences with race in the community sector?

This year, COCo is undertaking Diversité d’Abord, an in-depth research project looking into the impacts of race and colonialism on the Quebec non-profit sector. For years, people have shared stories and personal experiences with COCo that point to a wider systemic problem, and it felt like it was time to dig deeper: to collect numbers, to collect stories, and to begin speaking about this together.

This month, we are launching Diversité d’Abord with two confidential surveys:

The “Community worker experiences” survey is for staff, board, volunteers and collective members at Quebec community groups. We want to know about how race has impacted your experiences.

The “organizational profile” survey will gather an overview of what the sector looks like currently, and some basic information about how race plays into hiring and recruitment. Anyone in your organization can fill out this survey, but it is best if it is someone who has basic knowledge of internal policies and budget.

In addition to these online surveys, we will be hosting focus groups for racialized members of the community sector. If you are interested in participating, please email emilyyc@coco-net.org or call Emily at 514-849-5599

The information gathered in the surveys and focus groups will be used in a public forum, report, and a series of tools on how to address racism more effectively in your organization.

We thank you for your energy and time and encourage any questions to be sent to emilyyc@coco-net.org.