Partnerships can be a crucial component to improving your DEI efforts. Watch Advancing Diversity and Inclusion Through Partnerships, featuring Janey Buzugbe LinkedIn YouTube (Head of Black Innovation Programs & Partnerships @ The DMZ) and Fahd Alhattab (Founder and Leadership Development Speaker @ Unicorn Labs) where our expert panel shows how partnering with organizations with similar missions and goals can enhance an organization’s diversity and inclusion efforts.

Key takeaways from the session:

1. Most of us think what makes a high-performing team are the individual talent parts of the team: how good are the individuals?
   Really, what makes a high-performing team is the interaction. The team dynamics. How well does each person actually get along? How well do they engage with each other? That is what makes a high-performing team. (Fahd Alhattab)
2. What does your network look like?
   Lack of diversity within networks can propagate inequitable systems. Look at your most recent LinkedIn connections. Do they mostly look like you? Who are your last five connections? What do they look like? Look at the last five hires in your organization. What communities do they represent? (Janey Buzugbe)
3. Three pillars of equity advancement:
   1. Allyship and privilege
   2. Intersectionality
   3. Psychological safety (Janey Buzugbe)

About All Things People: 

All Things People is Venture for Canada’s annual conference. The 2023 conference took place on April 4, 2023, at Toronto Metropolitan University, with the theme of unlocking the potential of multigenerational teams.

All Things People 2023 aimed to break down generational stereotypes and provide actionable insights or tools to managers and leaders through workshops, keynotes and stage talks. The conference featured 40+ industry speakers and experts, like Hamza Khan, Future of Work expert and author of Leadership, Reinvented, and Jenn Harper, Founder and CEO of Cheekbone Beauty.

The first All Things People was hosted virtually in March 2022, and had nearly 300 attendees. Focused on implementing diversity, equity and inclusion best practices at startups, over 40 speakers hosted workshops, keynotes and networking sessions.

To learn more, visit our All Things People website.

About Venture for Canada: 

Venture for Canada is a national charity focused on accelerating the careers of Canadian youth through immersive opportunities at innovative startups and small businesses. Through our three core programs—Intrapreneurship, Internship, and Fellowship—young Canadians gain the skills, experience, and networks they need to lead more entrepreneurial and impactful careers. In 2022, Venture for Canada supported over 1,000 startups and small businesses across Canada to hire entrepreneurial young Canadians. 

To learn more, read our 2022 Impact Report.