Barriers & Enablers for Racialized Women in Climate Action Leadership

While progress has been made in integrating equity and inclusion into climate action and sustainability efforts, the field of sustainability practitioners in Canada remains predominantly homogeneous, with a majority of professionals being white and middle-class. This lack of diversity in the sector hinders the comprehensive and inclusive approach needed to address the complexities of climate change.

Building on existing research, this project takes a closer look at the experiences of racialized women and non-binary individuals in mid to senior career stages to better understand the organizational and sector barriers and enablers that shape the career and contributions experiences of this particular demographic. This webinar will present an overview of our research findings and offer recommendations for people leaders, organizations, and the climate action sector as a whole on how to elevate equity in the climate action leadership field.

This webinar will cover topics related to questions like:

• How can organizations improve the workplace experiences for racialized women, trans-femme, and non-binary individuals?
• What role can accountability structures play in supporting equity commitments at the sector, organizational, and individual level?
• What sector level interventions can enable deeper support and opportunities for racialized women, non-binary and trans-femme individuals in climate action leadership roles?

*Please note this webinar will be recorded.

Agenda

• 10:00-10:10 am PT: Welcome and description of project
• 10:10-10:40 am PT: Overview of findings
• 10:40-11:00 am PT: Q and A

Webinar Host & Lead Researcher

Shagufta Pasta is a social planner, writer, researcher and emerging somatic practitioner based on the unceded lands of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh people. She is a racialized, visibly Muslim woman with a disability/chronic illness that deeply shapes how she moves through the world. Shagufta holds a Masters of Science in Social Policy and Planning from the University of Toronto, and a Certificate in Social Innovation from Simon Fraser University. Since 2019, she has run a consulting practice called Seriously Planning Consulting focused on helping organizations and individuals birth new ways of being through strategic advising, coaching, research and education. She can be found most regularly writing a Substack newsletter titled “Practising Hope” where she writes about hope as a disciplined practice, grief, disability and chronic illness and the connections between somatics and social change.