Inclusion Week 2025: Connect. Belong. Thrive.
Join us for Inclusion Week on October 20-23, 2025, as we celebrate U of G’s many voices, create space for dialogue and reflection, and inspire meaningful change.
Schedule of Events:
Blanket Exercise & Reflection - Monday, October 20, 2025 - 11:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. - Art Gallery of Guelph
Led by Cara Loft, Educational Developer, Indigenous Knowledges and Pedagogies, Office of Teaching & Learning, the Blanket Exercise teaches people about the history of Indigenous and non-Indigenous relations in Canada and the impact of colonization on the relationship between these communities. As part of the exercise, participants step onto blankets that represent the land, and assume the role of First Nations, Inuit and Métis peoples. The Blanket Exercise is a powerful tool that encourages both intellectual and emotional learning and reconciliation.
Office of Diversity & Human Rights Open House - Monday, October 20, 2025 - 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. - UC room 337
The Office of Diversity & Human Rights(DHR) team is excited to welcome our U of G Community to stop by our office and say hello! Drop in and meet our human rights team to learn about our work and how we can help and support you as we build a welcoming and inclusive learning community together. Coffee, juice and snacks provided.
Queering Guelph - A Mapping Event - Monday, October 20, 2025 - 5:30 - 8:30 p.m. - Interdisciplinary Lounge, MacKinnon room 050
For this event, we will be mapping Guelph and showing our participants where all of the Queer and Gender Neutral spaces are on campus. We will provide copies of the campus map and crafting supplies to decorate and identify which buildings provide what spaces for us! After completing our mapping craft, we will take a short tour of the campus to see out maps come to life, showing our participants where to physically find these spaces(we know maps can be a bit confusing. lol.)
IEDIA Resource Fair - Tuesday, October 21, 2025 - 10:30 a.m. - 2:30 p.m. ( Kickoff & formal programming 10:00 a.m.) - UC Courtyard
The Office of Diversity and Human Rights is hosting an IEDI Resource Fair to showcase all the supports and resources available for our campus community when it comes to equity, diversity, inclusion, Indigeneity, and accessibility. Stop by and take a look at the amazing booths, resources and important work being done to support our community. Music, food and refreshments available.
Prosperity Project's Annual Report Card on Gender Equity & Leadership - Tuesday, October 21, 2025 - 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. - McLaughlin Library room 384
The Prosperity Project's, Caroline Duvieusar-Déry will deliver the findings of their Annual Report Card on Gender Equity and Leadership (ARC).This national initiative takes a look at some of Canada’s top 500 companies to find out how women are doing nationally when it comes to leadership. Caroline will highlight current trends, gaps and the importance of achieving gender-equity in the boardroom, community and beyond.
About Caroline:
Caroline Duvieusart-Déry is the Director of Operations and Strategic Partnerships at The Prosperity Project, a national charity dedicated to advancing women’s economic empowerment and leadership in Canada. Passionate about building equitable systems and strong collaborations, Caroline works to connect people and organizations with the tools, data, and networks they need to help women thrive and, in turn, strengthen Canada’s economy and communities.
Wednesday Noon Walk - Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 12:15 - 1:15 p.m. - U of G Arboretum
Arboretum naturalist, Christa, will lead a 1 hour walk along several upgraded trails and discuss recent efforts to increase inclusion and access to nature for all. The Walk starts at The Hales McKay Bus Shelter, beside the main parking lot for the Arboretum Centre, at 12:15 p.m. (200 Arboretum Road).
Breaking Barriers: Accommodation to Inclusion Workshop - Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 1:00 - 2:30 p.m. - UC room 430
Participants learn how to confidently engage in practices to break down barriers when it comes to disability and inclusion. You will find out how to recognize and address the various forms of disability stigma. You will also discover ways to apply an accessibility lens to everyday situations, like work, conversations, and even decision-making so everyone belongs.
In Conversation with Dr. Samra Zafar, Author of "A Good Wife" - Wednesday, October 22, 2025 - 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. - Art Gallery of Guelph
Dr. Samra Zafar is an award-winning international speaker, author and psychiatrist. Hear her powerful story about escaping a decade of abuse as a child bride in Canada, to go on to educate herself and became a global human rights advocate. Recognized as Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, Samra is a trailblazer, spearheading authenticity, resilience, and wellness in organizations across the world.
About Dr. Zafar:
Dr. Samra Zafar is an award-winning international speaker, bestselling author, and resident psychiatrist. After escaping a decade of abuse as a child bride in Canada, she went on to pursue her education and became a global advocate for progress.
Recognized amongst Canada’s Top 100 Most Powerful Women, Samra is a trailblazer, spearheading authenticity, resilience and wellness in organizations across the world. She combines scientific research with hard-earned life lessons to share courageous strategies that lead to bold results.
Her speaking portfolio includes four TEDx Talks and speeches to leading corporations, non-profits, governmental agencies, and educational institutions. Samra’s work has been extensively featured in both Canadian and International media.
Understanding Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Indigenization in Organizations: Insights from Research - Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. - MacKinnon room 231
Join U of G Professor, Leanne Song Hing from the Department of Psychology as she explores the research into the crucial need for IEDI to be part of organization culture.
About Dr. Son Hing:
Dr. Leanne Son Hing is a Professor of Industrial-Organizational Psychology at the University of Guelph. Her research examines inequalities in society and the workplace along the lines of gender, racio-ethnicity, social class, and other marginalized identities, as well as disparities in income, status, and power. She studies the individual, situational, and societal factors that reinforce or legitimize inequality - particularly through beliefs about justice and meritocracy - and develops and tests strategies to reduce discrimination and promote equity, diversity, and inclusion.
Her work also explores how inequality and bias affect well-being, stress, and relationships within groups, organizations, and societies. By understanding these processes, she aims to improve people's experiences and opportunities at school and at work.
Dr. Son Hing's research has been supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research. She collaborates with organizations to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion in the workplace. At the University of Guelph, she serves as Chair of GenEQ, the university's gender equity initiative, and leads the Department of Psychology's IEDI Committee. She is also a dedicated teacher and mentor who supports students in developing the critical thinking and research skills needed to advance social justice and organizational change.
Inclusive Leadership in Action: Embedding Anti-Oppression and Anti-Racism in Decision-Making Workshop - Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 12:00 - 1:30 p.m. - MacKinnon, room 231
What does it mean to lead inclusively in academic and professional settings? This important workshop invites U of G students, staff, and faculty to explore how anti-oppressive and anti-racist principles can make decision making more equitable, innovative and inclusive and gives tips and guidance on how to give everyone a voice at the table. Together, we will build practical strategies to foster a culture where equity, inclusion, and justice build stronger communities.
Directions to MacKinnon room 231: go to the "Classroom wing" marked with Orange accent walls (Extension has red accent walls) from either the ground level or the first floor
Exhibition Tour | Unsettlling Conversation Collective: Reworldings - Thursday, October 23, 2025 - 1:00 - 2:00 p.m. - Art Gallery of Guelph
Join Erin Szikora, Curator of Contemporary Art at the Art Gallery of Guelph, for a tour of Reworldings. Over the past two years, the Unsettling Conversation Collective has catalyzed a series of projects that challenge dominant understandings of how Land and Water are used, valued, and protected. Rooted in collaborative relationships, creative practice and Indigenous knowledge systems, artists Glenn Gear, Melaw Nakehk'o, Sheri Osden Nault, Adrian stimson, and Michelle Wilson centre relationships of care, respect, responsibility, and reciprocity that underpin connections that have long been erased or obscured by settler colonial frameworks of conversation and preservation.
Journalists for Human Rights: Global Initiative, Amplifying Voices of Women & Girls - October 23, 2025 - 4:00 - 5:00 p.m. - UC room 332
Join Bill Killorn, Executive Director of Journalists for Human Rights as he shares his work on reshaping the narrative of human rights journalism and amplifying the voices of women and girls and around the world. This bold 10-country project is designed to strengthen democracy through media that gives women and girls a voice in public life. The project aims to foster more accurate, ethical and empowering media coverage of women's rights to create environments where human rights stories are told and heard.
About Bill:
Bill Killorn is the Executive Director of Journalists for Human Rights. A Canadian international NGO focused on engaging journalists, media outlets, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders across the globe on issues of human rights and democracy.
Since joining JHR, Bill has taken the lead on building the internal infrastructure to foster organizational growth and has played key roles in international projects in South Sudan, Kenya, Iraq and the Philippines.
Over the course of his career Bill has held positions in both the government and private sectors including serving as the Executive Director of Issues Management and Legislative Affairs to the Premier of Ontario and as a Senior Manager of Issues Management and Media Relations for Rogers Communications.
Bill is an avid believer in the vital role journalism plays in democracy and good public policy and is honored to help JHR grow its programs both in Canada and internationally.