Clean Air Foundation recognizes that Ontario’s uniquely diverse population needs to be engaged if we are going to work together to improve the conditions of our environment. The goal of the 2008 Diversity Initiative was to create and lead the dialogue around how best to engage Ontario’s ethno-culturally diverse communities in environmental awareness and action.
Background
In 2008, the Clean Air Foundation led a unique, first-of-its-kind 'Diversity Initiative' in partnership with the Government of Ontario, to engage Ontario’s diverse ethno-cultural communities and to better understand their perspectives, needs and concerns about the environment. As part of this initiative, Clean Air Foundation met with representatives from various ethno-cultural communities as well as individuals from diverse backgrounds who are already engaged in the mainstream environmental industry, in order to research the current level of environmental awareness and understanding in the province. From there, we hosted a one-day forum, to assess the needs, barriers and opportunities to better engage ethno-cultural communities in environmental action.
 Community Engagement
Over the fall and winter of 2008, Clean Air Foundation met with a number of community organizations to begin to explore the opportunities and challenges perceived or faced with respect to current environmental programming. The groups engaged included settlement organizations, cultural organizations, community development groups, and others whose mandates include maintaining and upholding the rights of particular ethno-cultural groups and/or newcomers and immigrants.
Everyone engaged in this project expressed an interest in environmental issues and acknowledged that they have a role to play. Our research explored the levels of awareness and understanding of particular issues among Ontario’s diverse communities (including climate change and air quality; energy, water and resource conservation; habitat and land issues; indoor air quality; toxins in consumer products; food security and more) as well as the barriers and opportunities to engaging a broader population in environmental activities.
For the Clean Air Foundation’s research findings please contact Fatima Dharsee.
The Diversity Forum
On February 3, 2009, Clean Air Foundation hosted a one-day Forum to determine the types of programs and resources that are most required by Ontario’s communities to successfully engage them in environmental action. The Forum’s objectives were to:
- Understand gaps and barriers to engagement of ethno-cultural audiences
- Determine what kinds of resources and/or programming would address those challenges
- Collaborate on next steps and develop a plan of action
The Diversity Forum was facilitated by thinkx
Participants
 The Clean Air Foundation would like to acknowledge the following individuals and organizations who have generously contributed their time and expertise to the Diversity Initiative:
Program Partners
The 2008 Diversity Initiative has been supported by the Ontario Ministry of the Environment, the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and Pratt & Whitney Canada.
Program Contacts
For more information on the Diversity Initiative, please contact:
Fatima Dharsee
Acting Executive Director,
Clean Air Foundation
Phone: (416) 922-9038 ext. 248
Fax: (416) 922-1028 |
Erica Pinto
Program Manager
Phone: (416) 922-9038 ext. 286
Fax: (416) 922-1028
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Read the feature in the MCI Spring 2009 Newsletter (974KB PDF)
