I AmA Digital…Series: Black in Digital
Editor’s Note: Building on what we’ve learned from our COVID-19 pandemic response, the Ontario Government is expanding the range of programs and service available online, simplifying the government’s role in people’s lives and businesses, and putting people at the centre of everything we do. This includes helping public servant teams build skills to adopt digital practices and technologies to improve how government can work better for all.
This week we introduce The I AmA Digital…Series which consists of facilitated discussions, highlighting the perspectives of underrepresented groups to share their experiences working in digital transformation. The ODS digital training team leads these sessions.
If you have questions, send an email to the team at digital.training@ontario.ca
How do we promote diversity in digital? How do we create a culture of inclusion and understanding? Through the power of storytelling.
The power of stories
We launched the IAmA Digital…Series in the fall of 2020 and have held three sessions so far.
Through sharing stories and enabling conversation, we are working to build empathy, inspire learning, promote diversity in digital and cultivate more understanding around what it means to be an ally. Why? Because as noted in our previous blog post:
As we learn this, in the name of designing better digital interactions and communities, we learn in lockstep the limits of the digital world. What cultures aren’t represented. Who isn’t participating?
The series features experts in their field of practice who share insights and knowledge of their domain (for example, data science or software development), while creating safe spaces for underrepresented voices in the digital ecosystem. Ultimately, the approach helps enable a more connected digital community, and showcase talent from often underrepresented groups.
We’ve selected this format because we learned from building our record-breaking digital transformation bootcamp that…
…immersive experiences are key (for our learners) — people wanted more ways to interact with the material and each other; videos were most popular, followed by webinars
And by elevating people’s stories and using storytelling as a tactic to highlight different points of view, we draw the learner in. When we elevate digital talent insights from underrepresented groups, we show (not tell) the range of perspectives across the digital ecosystem. In doing this, we continue to bring the digital service standard to life and highlight ways to make digital transformation happen across government teams.
How the series is structured
Part 1: Three Questions
Panelists are asked three questions to provide context into their professional background and to tease out insights that have helped them succeed throughout their digital career.
Part 2: The Knowledge Round
The facilitator asks a series of questions unrelated to their professional journey with the goal of revealing more of their personality and forging a path into the engaging Ask-Me-Anything portion.
Part 3: Ask-Me-Anything
The audience can ask questions freely, allowing for organic participation and engagement.
The combination of these three parts provides opportunities for panelists to share their unique perspectives based on their personal identity and the technical role they fulfill in the workplace.
The value of digital community
Through our discussions, participants start to form lasting links to other digital practitioners. A new space is opened to explore challenging questions, ideas and the implications of digital transformation across communities. A single conversation alone can shift a view or introduce a new insight which helps contribute to better, more inclusive digital products and services. Participants can learn the latest about digital trends and best practices, in an inclusive environment designed to support and engage them.
A spotlight on Black in Digital
Our first discussion focused on being Black in Digital and featured digital transformation leaders Lequanne Collins-Bacchus, Colleen Elliot and Ikenna Agu. We asked each of them to summarize what has helped them build their digital careers to date in three words or less. Here’s how they responded:
Teach yourself — Ikenna Agu
Believe in yourself — Colleen Elliott
Take bold action — Lequanne Collins-Bacchus
On issues of “invisible” barriers
Colleen noted not having access to programs/mentorship opportunities.
Ikenna recalled being discriminated against based on the name on his resume.
Lequanne reflected on not having immediate support systems at the beginning of her career, and needing to put in the extra legwork to navigate the world of tech.
On systemic barriers
Along with systemic barriers, there is also ignorance about those barriers.
Colleen further explained, “it is important to understand the barriers that exist. Not just being the only one in the room, but the pressure that comes with that. Having trusted people that we can get advice from is important.”
On intersectionality and user research
Lequanne told the story of doing user research through an Indigenous and transgender lens during her time at the federal government as a Code for Canada Fellow, “Just doing user research was new for the team,” she noted. “We went the extra step to directly collaborate with Indigenous librarians to build trust and understanding with our users. We involved our users in the process.”
On building multidisciplinary teams
Thinking through who we have on our teams is just as important as the way services get delivered. As Colleen further explained, pulling from the principles shared in Dan Sullivan’s book Who Not How, thinking through not only how teams deliver but who makes up the delivery teams is integral.
“Diverse teams are so important. Bringing in different perspectives. Making room for (healthy) conflict is a good thing.”
Further learning
In partnership with our panelists and our attendees, we also created a list of further learning resources, including:
The Skin We’re In — by Desmond Cole
Black Writers Matter — edited by Whitney French
BlackLife: Post-BLM and the Struggle for Freedom — by Rinaldo Walcott and Idil Abdillahi
The Fire Next Time — by James Baldwin
Continuing the series
We are thrilled to continue with the IAmA Digital…Series and had an impactful session on Indigenous people in digital just last month. Upcoming sessions for Ontario public servants include:
● LGBTQA+ people in digital
● Experienced (older) workers in digital
● Newcomers in digital
● Digital professionals living with mental illness
● New graduates in digital
● Muslims in digital
Stay in touch
Did you know we’re on Twitter? Follow us at @ONDigital / @NumeriqueON to stay up to date!
Stay safe
If you haven’t already done so, please visit the Apple App Store or the Google Play store to download COVID Alert today.
Folarin Obikoya is a Digital Training Resident with the Discover Digital Training Team — Change Analyst, Integrator, Learner
SPOTLIGHT FOCUS: The Ontario Government has introduced anti-racism initiatives to create a more inclusive society.
These actions include:
· Annual progress report 2020: Ontario’s Anti-Racism Strategic Plan and the ongoing work led by the Anti-Racism Directorate
· The Premier’s Council on Equality of Opportunity (PCEO) which is an advisory group that champions community voices and provides advice to the government on how to help young people succeed in Ontario’s changing economy.
· Investing in the Safer and Vital Communities (SVC) grant to help communities combat hate-motivated crime.
· Actively working to identify concrete actions employers can take to enhance workplace opportunities for Indigenous, Black and racialized employees. Learn more about tools and resources advancing racial equity key to COVID-19 recovery.
