Introduction
In September 2025, the Tamarack Institute held a webinar to discuss our Equity, Anti-racism and Reconciliation plan, which we called the Seeds of Transformation peregrination (journey) with internal team members and external partners. Participants included:
- Danya Pastuszek, President and CEO, The Tamarack Institute
- Dina Al-khooly, Board Member, The Tamarack Institute
- Kahienes Sky, First Nations Advisor from Kahnawà:ke
- Jodene Baker, VP, Research, Advocacy & External Relations at Imagine Canada
- Rochelle Ignacio, Director of Equity, Anti-Racism and Reconciliation at the Tamarack Institute
- Alison Homer, Director, Learning, Evaluation & Systems Change at the Tamarack Institute
Throughout the webinar, we discussed thoughts around equity, anti-racism, and reconciliation work being a long-term organizational journey that requires continuous learning, reflection, and adaption.
Equity, anti-racism, and reconciliation need to be embedded into systems. Panelists highlighted the importance of assigning shared internal leadership and supporting champions who can help guide the process of embedding equity into systems and structures. This involves developing accountability processes that impact organizational decision-making, policies, governance, evaluation processes, and strategic planning.
Throughout the webinar, the Resources to Do This Work tool from the Seeds of Transformation Framework was referenced, stressing that there are many forms of capital needed to begin an equity journey as an organization, including financial, cultural, and human.
A common thread amongst participants was the importance of relational practice, particularly when working with First Nations, Métis, Inuit, and equity-denied communities. Building relationships with Elders and community advisors, being willing to accept and work through differences, and listening before acting are important skills needed across roles in the organization.
An equity peregrination (journey) is never meant to be easy and will come with tensions and challenges along the way. These challenges stem from resistance within systems, multiple competing priorities, and emotional labour carried by those stepping forward to lead.
There was so much rich insight offered during the webinar, and we encourage you to view the recording here. The panel had so much more to contribute and wanted to leave you with some additional reflections to consider along your own journeys.
Q: What pieces of the Seeds of Transformation framework are resonating for you?
Kahienes Sky: A Valuation Framework Grounded in Love (p. 29)
Danya: Commitment around closing equity gaps and the collaborative improvement process
Dina Al-Khooly: 4 Dimensions of Love (p. 35)
Alison: Valuation framework priorities and mindsets we embedded on (p.33)
Rochelle: Equity, Anti-Racism and Reconciliation Analysis Tool (p. 21)
Q: Looking back, what made it clear that Tamarack staff and board needed to take the lead on carrying the framework forward?
Danya: When I joined Tamarack in 2022and then when Rochelle did, so many members of the communities we partner with and so many of our board members, including Ana Gonzalez Guerrero, had energy to make more explicit commitments to- and to build more capacity around- equity.
Power of Discourse Consulting led us through an amazing process to understand the aspirations and experiences across our staff and board teams and our members and learners. They provided incredible data and initial recommendations, and these brought up the following questions: how do we reconcile our commitments to peace AND to justice? How do we hold equity in a context where our work is to be community-driven? What public policies and positions will we prioritize?
We needed time together to answer these questions, to make mistakes and talk about them, and to- in the process- develop a lot more trust than we’d had before.
Dina: I'm going to speak a little bit from my personal vantage point because it's really shaped my experience on the board over the last two years. I'm an Arab Muslim woman. I was born in Egypt. I immigrated here with my family as a child and grew up in a big, loud, wholesome Arab community. I have several Palestinian family members and loved ones whose relatives have been killed well before 2023 and as recently as last month. I came into that first discussion with the board in a very different place than other folks have, and it was a challenging conversation.
I think that people always lament these moments of polarization and the polarization of our time and I think that's very true. But sometimes the natural next step is the romanticization of neutrality that only serves the status quo of power. I think these moments of polarization, although in the short term there's real and violent consequences, I think these are also the moments where we stand to learn something, we stand to hear new information. It exposes our blind spots, it brings assumed or unspoken beliefs into the light, and it ultimately changes the course of history.
I have to say that I'm always very impressed at what comes out of Tamarack at the staff level and we have an excellent board. We've made many strides and of course still have lots of work to do, and I think the Seeds of Transformation Framework is a practical way to help us do that.
Q: Page 35-39 of the framework lists the types of resources needed to carry out this work. What are some of the non-financial resources you found essential to do this work with care and integrity?
Alison: We live in a world of urgency culture, and it can sometimes be hard to justify work that may not come with a fixed deadline. I think we tend to bias our time towards those deadlines, so finding ways to prioritize work that is important and not just urgent, is incredibly important.
Q: We know that publishing the framework is one step, but what does public accountability mean for Tamarack now?
Danya: Moving toward the goals, focusing on specific equity gaps, bringing more voices of lived experience into governance structures, continuing to build out and use approaches to decision-making that start with listening and observing well, synthesizing, going to those who shared their experiences to validate the opportunity, and then making a decision and circling back.
In the song, I am Light, India.Arie says: “I am not the mistakes that I have made.” This is so true. Public accountability means sharing our progress and what we learn.
Starting with self, I’m working on being more thoughtful and clearer on how I make decisions. And knowing that doing so will have ripple effects. Starting with self also looks like being kind to myself.
Q: How are you thinking about embedding this work into your relationships with community and closing equity gaps?
Alison: One mindset I learned early in my Tamarack career which holds up to this day is the idea of thinking of our success as our members’ success. We are only successful when our communities are. Individuals and communities know best what they need. Our role is to continually listen and learn about their goals, and connect them with contacts, resources, learning opportunities and supports to help them get there.
Jodene: the importance of centring lived experiences and anchoring the work in authentic and reciprocal ways of working is something that I strive to carry with me in all of my relationships. During the webinar, Kahienes talked about moving “from me to we”, which really resonated with me.
Q: For others considering a similar journey, what advice would you offer to begin and sustain this work meaningfully? You can reference Tamarack’s journey here
Jodene: Being clear on your “why” is so important. What is the outcome you’re looking for? Have you engaged in conversation with people who will be most impacted by your work to ensure that their experiences and needs are what is truly guiding the work?
Q: What’s one personal or professional lesson you’re carrying with you as a result of being part of this journey?
Kahienes: I think the major roadblock that I've faced and some of the people I've spoken with being an indigenous person is mostly self-related. As we're trying to co-create spaces for inclusion, the language we use really does have an impact on those relationships. We really have to pay attention to how we put energy out there. And sometimes I've experienced- I don't want to term it a power dynamic, but I think it's just people not knowing any better and not realizing. I think that's been the challenge is telling myself every day: “you're going to encounter people who are not at the same space you're at. They're not in the same frequency you're vibrating in”.
Sometimes I wake up and I'm like, "Oh my god, it's going to be one of those days." And that's why I really appreciated the section on love because it begins from the moment you get up. And I really believe firmly because of troubled times that all of our ancestors are really speaking out loudly and saying, "Hey, will you just acknowledge me? I'm right here”. It's not hard to give five minutes and acknowledge creation and where you're standing and who you're with before you go out there in the world and put on a different face than what you're actually bringing. And I'm not sure if that makes sense, but I think that's the biggest challenge. It's not really about what's out there. It's about what's in here and making sure we're bringing it forward the best way possible with love and care, respect, and the simplicity of who we are. Even though we're very complex, we can still bring the simplicity of self-care and love.
Alison: I used to work with the Communities Ending Poverty (CEP) team where poverty was the centre of our work. Tamarack’s equity, anti-racism and reconciliation work has helped me to realize that the common goal across all our work really is equity. At this year’s Engagefest, a concept that stood out to me was “belonging as the deepest part of equity.” I’m carrying forward the goal of funneling all my work through a lens of equity and belonging, considering who is benefiting and who is not, and am committed to working toward changing systems in ways that support those who are excluded to take on leadership and decision-making roles.
Danya: I contributed this in writing in the Seeds of Transformation guide, and it still holds. “Naming and changing beliefs and actions is uncomfortable.” This is a mental model I held for a long time. The lesson I’ve learned is that the discomfort is temporary. Anger, frustration, sadness, shame, guilt, and anxiety, the things I often feel when I’m trying to change, these aren’t constant states. They are strong at first, and then they dissipate. In fact, naming and changing beliefs can be connective, validating, and joyful.
Jodene: During the webinar, Alison spoke about progress not being the creation or passing of a policy, but when the policy positively impacts people. I’m challenging myself to stop thinking in terms of a “finish line” and instead embracing equity work as a circular, ongoing process.
