GUELPH – The Guelph Wellington Local Immigration Partnership (GWLIP) has launched a survey to examine the lived experiences of discrimination in Guelph and Wellington.
GWLIP developed the survey in collaboration with various Local Immigration Partnerships throughout Ontario and the City of Guelph, with contributions from multiple community partners and organizations, states a March 9 press release from the partnership.
The survey, administered by Forum Research Inc., is open to all residents and responses are anonymous.
Potential participants will be randomly selected and contacted by phone to complete a short series of pre-screening questions to confirm eligibility and willingness to participate. Interested and eligible participants will be invited to complete the full survey electronically through a link sent via text message or email.
“More than ever, the Guelph and Wellington communities understand that, despite progress, discrimination continues to be a fact of life for many residents,” said GWLIP project manager Leen Al Habash.
“As with any issue, we need to take an evidence-based approach to understanding the problem if we hope to create real solutions.”
Habash added, “Through this survey, we will attempt to collect a representative sample of the undoubtedly wide variety of experiences residents have had, ensuring that the voices of our community can lead us to a better tomorrow.”
The survey is one component of ongoing community-based efforts to eradicate anti-Black and anti-Indigenous racism, remove barriers to inclusion, and make Guelph more welcoming.
The survey’s objectives are to generate a deeper understanding of experiences of discrimination at the local level and, ultimately, inform programs and services to support equity-seeking individuals and groups, and inspire greater inclusivity.
Data collected through the survey will be available this spring.
In the spring of 2020, Guelph’s Community Plan activators embarked on outreach to the communities most affected by systemic racism. Planning for a series of community-led, city-supported conversations about this issue is underway in partnership with local community partners and organizations.
The GWLIP survey will complement these community-led conversations. Data collection and community conversations are among the initial steps toward the eventual creation of a collective action plan aimed at eliminating systemic racism in Guelph.
One such community-led conversation will take place when the Guelph Black Heritage Society (GBHS) hosts the inaugural #ChangeStartsNow Anti-Racism Summit from April 29 to May 2, 2021.
“This multi-day summit will bring together speakers to address racism with the goal to engage and educate the community, as well as empower them to take action to dismantle racism in all its forms in our community and beyond,” said Guelph Black Heritage Society president Denise Francis.
Data collected through the GWLIP survey that is relevant to the Black community may be publicly shared at a Town Hall, presented by the GBHS in partnership with Guelph’s Community Plan, as part of the #ChangeStartsNow Anti-Racism Summit.
A United Vision: Guelph’s Community Plan was presented to City Council in May, 2019 after 18 months of engagement with more than 15,000 local residents, businesses, organizations and institutions.
The ongoing work with the community towards the elimination of systemic racism reflects the community’s shared vision for inclusive prosperity as outlined in Guelph’s Community Plan and is aligned with the city’s values of inclusion, integrity, service, learning and wellness.
