Bridging your organization's resilience & its DEI Strategy

The Centre is shifting gears and resources to focus on a three-year strategic plan. With this shift, we are looking to increase awareness of The Centre’s expertise. We will strive to offer research globally and address issues that are relevant today in the form of human rights, best practices in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), mental health, and developing a safe space for the people who need their voices to be heard.

Through our work, it is our intention to hold ourselves to the highest standard. Our goal is to offer support and solutions locally and internationally and to make a significant impact on the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) space.

We want to attain a global presence  so that our resources reflect a breadth of perspectives from around the world. We recognize we are in challenging times.t Inequality is rising and additional barriers have been built.Simultaneously, in some locations, the concept of diversity has seen increasing attention on compliance. All of this is creating conflicts and misapprehension, which is why we do need to ensure the voices of those who are experiencing inequality in the most basic forms are not drowned out, striving to get their voices heard through our efforts. The Centre is positioned to do this, and it must rise to the occasion.

We want to be part of the change that is happening now. We want to see a better future. We want to make an impact through our mission. To be part of the change we have outlined our Strategic Plan in a way that is intended to shift the way we will focus, engage, and confront issues.

The general approach of how we plan to be part of the change is to do the following (in no order of priority):

• Analyze the state of DEI globally
• Identify the various methods and approaches to ensuring organizations can better manage their DEI aspirations
• Expose issues that are obstructing the progress of DEI internationally
• Share stories, best practices and inspire people to establish Communities of Practice-based from lessons learnt from other organizations
• Educate through our publications, sharing, materials, tools, and dialogue
• Remain vigilant to change and offer cutting-edge solutions supported by credible research
• Work in alliance  for a collective impact

The Centre's Core Values

Three key core values imperative to the success of this strategy are Transparency, Integrity, and Trust. These three key core values will foster growth, loyalty, brand value, and responsibility. We will ensure to carry out our core values within the organization, and outside the organization.

Note: There are other core values that are also important, and they are subsumed in the policies that have been established and approved by the Board, for example, the DEI policy and the Ethics Policy.

• TRANSPARENCY – We will share information subject to guidelines and regulations. We will have open communication. We will be upfront and visible in our actions.
• INTEGRITY – We are trustworthy. We are reliable, authentic, and loyal. We do what we say we will do. We have the courage to do the right thing. We welcome accountability and conduct our business with honesty and transparency
• TRUST – We will strive to be worthy of our supporters, contributors, donors, and followers’ trust. We will behave in a consistent manner that strengthens people's trust in us.

The 2022-2025 Strategic Plan

STRATEGY 1: GLOBAL PRESENCE, LOCAL IMPACT

We recognize that DEI work is a global phenomenon that works on t a local level – therefore working with organizations is the first step towards positive impact

Around the world, DEI means many things. While there may be differences, the significance of its impact cuts across every culture, background, race, gender, religion, and nationality. Everyone wants to change for the better. To make this happen, we recognize the need to support platforms locally and globally that are doing this work.  We have outlined three areas of focus that reflect our mission.  

STRATEGY 2: RENEWED SUSTAINABILITY

The Centre is designed to offer value to its stakeholders in a manner that will benefit both the beneficiary and the benefactor.

It is often a crisis when the organization is not able to sustain itself.  This leaves the beneficiary in a weakened position from where it started. This is not right. Therefore, it is pertinent that The Centre focuses its ability to raise its profile and revenue in a manner that The Centre is sustainable and independent in its decision-making. The Centre is only able to attract and effectively make an impact based on the strategic plan if it can raise sufficient revenue to achieve the outcomes. Therefore, it is desirable and critical to ensuring it articulates its plan of how it will sustain the organization to accomplish outcomes. To ensure there is a renewed sustainable model in place, The Centre has designed two pivotal outcomes. They are as follows:

STRATEGY 3: GLOBAL DIVERSITY, EQUITY, INCLUSION BENCHMARKS - GDEIB 3.0

Every successful organization is in a unique position to make a difference to people and the planet, but they all face a set of common challenges in DEI.

As it stands, benchmarking is a solution for an accountable future. Without it, organizations will experience a drop in performance, profit, and ability to hire top talent. The GDEIB is an international tool that can help organizations increase their credibility, achieve the strategy, and be positioned as, diverse, equitable, and inclusive organizations. To ensure this can happen, it is imperative that the present GDEIB become version 3.0. This means strengthening its position globally. There are three areas of focus that will be the targets for the next three years. They are as follows:

STRATEGY 4: VALUE AND UNIQUENESS

Being unique and having value based on the strategy will ensure The Centre has a competitive edge and a niche to what it has to offer its stakeholders anywhere in the world.

As the world moves into Hi-Tech, the Centre will pursue its mission in the Hi-Touch arena. This is because a lot of what needs to be done now is heard from the voices of youth and the marginalized. We want to establish our uniqueness and value through the manifestation of our outcomes. What that means is that we want to see a better world and the only way we can do that is by being part of the solution to the issue and not being on the periphery. We need to be involved and current in the discussion. Only by our direct engagement in the issues can we offer support based on our products and the work we do in education and research. The Centre will be moving ahead in inserting its presence in the human rights and mental health movement that is so in need of support, especially for the present generation and the subsequent generations to come.