Diversity Statement

Lake Ridge Community Support Services is committed to providing an environment that fosters compassion and creates a community of belonging in which employees and service recipients feel supported and respected. This community of belonging is one in which everyone is treated with dignity and promotes the voices/opinions of people from different cultural, socioeconomic, and developmental backgrounds. We continue to provide an environment that is free of harassment, discrimination, and violence and to continually grow and adapt our knowledge and flexibility. Fostering a community of understanding and belonging promotes our commitment to grow and evolve as one diverse community that is stronger together.

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Community of Practice

Lake Ridge Community Support Services is a proud member of our local Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Community of Practice and felt it important to share our commitment with our clients, and our community. As part of this initiative, our organization made a commitment to combat oppression, racism, anti-black racism and discrimination. 

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Our Commitment Statement serves as a reminder and a robust call to action to continue both individually and collectively, our rigorous efforts to combat oppression, racism, anti-Black racism and discrimination.

OUR COMMITMENT TO COMBAT OPPRESSION, RACISM, ANTI-BLACK RACISM AND  DISCRIMINATION 

We continue to bear witness to the ongoing injustice that has led to the deep sorrow and lament of the Black communities at the local, provincial, national and international levels. The sustained state of systemic anti-Black racism is historic. For generations, it has created an environment that has enabled widespread oppression, economic scarcity, over-representation in the child welfare and justice systems, health and education barriers, and loss of life.

The DEI CoP member organizations stand committed to the promotion of equity, inclusion, respect and justice as fundamental values embraced by each of our organizations, to reflect our social responsibility to the individuals and communities we serve and with whom we work.

It is our mission to act as advocates and allies for community peace, truth and restorative practice. The DEI-CoP knows that being aware of racism, oppression and discrimination is not enough.

In our Black families, clients, friends, colleagues and within the Black communities, we see the results and impact of the hurt and harm of racism, oppression and discrimination.

Also, in our Indigenous families, clients, friends, colleagues and the Indigenous communities, we see the results and impacts of racism, oppression and discrimination, including over-representation in the child welfare and justice systems. In our People of Colour families, clients, friends, colleagues and their communities, we too see the results and impacts of the hurt and harm of racism, oppression and discrimination.

We will no longer be silent. We call on the Durham community at large to join us.

We commit to take action by sitting in discomfort to have those tough, respectful, open, honest and healthy conversations about racism and doing all that we can to address oppressive and discriminatory practices, policies, beliefs and attitudes within ourselves and within our communities.

We recognize that we can individually and collectively make positive change and that the responsibility is on all of us to educate ourselves, take action and send a resounding message of NO MORE!

We have at this time in history a window to take action, to do better, to be better, now and for the future. So, join us, stand with us and share the burden that our Black families, friends, neighbours, colleagues, and communities have been carrying alone for far too long.