The Ontario College of Social Workers and Social Service Workers (the College) is in the process of developing an African ancestral acknowledgement in collaboration with Salaway Engagements (an external Afro-Indigenous owned communications, facilitation and project management agency) and is inviting feedback via a survey.
Developing an African ancestral acknowledgement is part of actioning our Our Commitment to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, which focuses specifically on actions against anti-Black racism and the history and experiences of slavery and colonization of people of Black-African descent in Canada. We recognize that authentic inclusion happens when individuals with lived experience are meaningfully and actively engaged. For this reason, we are inviting individuals who identify Black, or as Black being part of their identity, to review and provide feedback to the draft African ancestral acknowledgement via a survey.
We acknowledge that we do not know how you identify and/or whether the term Black resonates with you. We also recognize the diversity of Black communities and perspectives. It is important to us to hear from those who represent various Black identities and communities. We also welcome you to share the below survey link and information with your colleagues and contacts who identify as Black, or as Black being part of their identity.
This survey is one of a two-part approach to develop an African ancestral acknowledgement. Salaway Engagements will also be conducting confidential focus groups and interviews to invite feedback and inform this work. Those interested in participating in a focus group or interview can indicate their interest at the end of the survey.
The anonymous feedback survey can be accessed via this SURVEY LINK. The survey can be accessed until April 23rd.
If you have questions and/or need support accessing this survey, please reach out to communications@ocswssw.org.
We sincerely appreciate your time, commitment and interest.