Taking a little time here to shout out a client, share a resource and invite you to the Gender Analytics: Possibilities (GA:P) Conference
Late last year I partnered with Internews to deliver Intersectional Gender Analysis training. Internews is an international media support nonprofit, that is founded on the idea that everyone deserves trustworthy news and information to make informed decisions about their lives and hold power to account. They train journalists and digital rights activists, tackle disinformation, and offer business expertise to help media outlets become financially sustainable. And they do all of this in partnership with local communities. The training included over 15 program staff from 8 countries, and covered the 5 stages of gender analysis. While I shared my expertise, advice and planted a few seeds for ongoing nurturing/learning, I also took away a lot about the diversity of working environments within this organization. I was reminded that the questions you ask and approaches you apply need to be customized to address specific social-political context. The engagement from participants and interest in learning more and doing better was a real energizer for me and I will continue to follow Internews as they continue to build their capacity to embed an intersectional lens to their organization’s programs and practices.
Gender Analytics Online Course
At the end of all learning sessions that I facilitate I leave the group with a list of resources and suggested next steps. For this group I highlighted the Gender Analytics Online: Gender equity through inclusive design specialization that is offered through the University of Toronto’s Institute for Gender and the Economy (GATE). Yes, I am biased since I was involved in the early research and design of this program, but trust me, it is an amazing opportunity to deepen your understanding of gender identity, race, disability, sexual orientation and other intersections and how human-centred design, participatory practices and empathy can create equitable outcomes for those that are underrepresented and underserved.
The specialization is for social change leaders, non-profit professionals, business analytics and HR professionals, and anyone who wants to uncover insights about their organization’s policies, processes and programs through a lens that examines gendered impacts. It’s my experience that many leaders want to do more when it comes to inclusive design in their strategic planning, program design and evaluation, but don’t know where to start.
Before we embarked on the course design, we researched examples of related competency frameworks, explored promising practices in this area and also spoke to several sector leaders to delve into what they really needed in terms of a gender analysis and equity centred leadership.
I was eager to share learnings from my experiences related to community engagement, and participatory practices that support people with diverse lived experiences to share their realities and expertise. I think there are fundamental practices that the non-profit and private sector can adapt when planning community engagement strategies including the importance of starting from a place of learning and empathy.
The specialization goes beyond typical conversations around “diversity and inclusion” and encourages learners to take stock of their default ways of thinking and working. The program is hands-on in nature, and by the end of it, participants will have completed a series of exercises, a mini bootcamp and a capstone project.
Enrolment is open for the Gender Analytics specialization on Coursera, join us by signing up for the course today.
You're invited!
You can also join me in-person on April 27-28, at the Gender Analytics: Possibilities (GA:P) conference, co-hosted by the Institute for Gender and the Economy and the Management and Data Analytics Lab (TD MDAL). I will be one of 26 speakers and hundreds of attendees learning how inclusive analytics and innovative product, service and policy design can unlock business opportunities and create greater equality outcomes.
Grab your seat now while the Early Bird pricing is on! https://www.thegapconference.com/