June is a special month dedicated to both Indigenous and 2S/LGBTQ+ communities. This is an opportunity to recognize the powerful role that Indigenous and queer and trans activism have played in generating more equitable societies both today and in generations past.
This month, we are exploring ways to stand in solidarity with equity-owed community members, supporting the leadership of experts with lived experience, and ethically engaging with diverse community members in community change work.
Belonging as Essential Social Infrastructure
Based on our Building Belonging workwith 9,000 community leaders in Canada, this resource argues why belonging is a vital sign of a community’s wellness, how Tamarack member communities have built belonging, and how to create a culture of belonging in your own community.
Strengthen your Equity and Diversity Practices: A Practical Guide
Based on years of experience in the community development field and Tamarack’s own equity framework, this guide is perfect for community organizations looking to ethically engage equity-deserving communities in their work.
Including Experts with Lived Experience in Organizational Decision-Making
Members of equity-deserving communities have the deepest knowledge of their own experiences.
Read on to learn how ethically engaging experts with lived experience can help your organization or initiative better support the people most impacted.
Note* We’re in the process of updating this guide, keep an eye out Fall 2026.
WEBINAR | Two-Spirit Perspectives in Community Research
Join Rochelle Ignacio (she/her) and KD King, proud ihkwew (or Two-Spirit) Métis founder of Good Futures Collective as they discuss decolonial practices in community research.
This free webinar is perfect for community-based researchers, health practitioners, Indigenous community members, and anyone interested in equitable community research.
How can we plan for a future that is increasingly unpredictable and unknowable? Join Daren Okafo to learn about how futures and foresight tools can help your community organization or change initiative anticipate need, navigate risk, and find future success.
Chúk is supporting CarbonRun on a consultation process that puts Indigenous voices at the centre of their climate restoration work
Yas recently delivered the keynote at the City of Oshawa’s DEI forum
Lisa, Sylvia, Sonja, and Chúk are working with the Rideau Hall Foundation to support youth-serving organizations to advance equity and access to learning opportunities
We at the Tamarack Institute recognize that the majority of our work occurs on the ancestral homelands of Indigenous Peoples including the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit. We recognize the contributions of Indigenous people and support their ongoing struggle for self-determination and sovereignty. We work to understand the history of the lands upon which we are guests and to contribute to justice for all Indigenous Peoples.
Stay in touch with us
Tamarack Institute, University of Waterloo, 140 Westmount Road North, Waterloo, ON N2L 3G6, Canada
