MOSAIC ENGAGEMENT’S COMMITMENT TO RECONCILIATION, EQUITY & INCLUSION
My name is Megan Foster. I am a white, cisgender female and use pronouns she and her. The following statement is from me to all of you and includes some reflection, information, and invitations. In the spirit of invitations, I invite you to read on and to return frequently to see where I have grown and where I hope to continue to develop.
At any given moment, everyone is at a different point in their journey toward understanding equity and what that means for them; in their own lives. While I always considered myself to be “nice to everyone”, have been told I am empathetic, and have been complimented on my ability to include everyone in the room, I am in the process of coming to terms with my own privilege. My journey started when I completed an exercise by Wenh-In Ng based on the Doris Marshall Institute, called the Flower of Power. Seeing all the areas where I held power based solely on the luck of where I was born, the language I speak, and my skin colour had an impact. Alert to those facts, I began to see the Truth and Reconciliation, Black Lives Matter, and gender equity movements through a new lens.
I am grateful to my family who raised me and persevered through hardships to allow me the privileges that I have now. I also acknowledge those who came before my family on Treaty 2 Territory, the traditional homelands of the Očhéthi Šakówiŋ, the Anishinabewaki, and the Michif Piyii (Métis) People. I also commit to raising my children to know about, respect, and honour those that came before them too.
This is my commitment to action and to equity, and I invite you all to hold me accountable.
My Commitment to Equity will be updated annually, at minimum, and will be tangible in the areas of reading, learning, and donating.
(Updated 03/2024)
Reading
I commit to reading books by black, indigenous, and/or people of colour authors, or with a subject matter about people or families experiencing racial or social injustice. These books may be fiction or nonfiction. I will update my reading list here.
Read in 2023:
Looking For Jane - Heather Marshall, Unbroken - Angela Sterritt, Red River Girl: The Life and Death of Tine Fontaine - Joanna Jolly
Learning
I commit to furthering my understanding of oppression in Canadian history and present times. This may include formal and informal education such as classes or webinars, documentaries or shows. Additional self-reflection work included completing each of the Harvard Implicit Association tests.
Participated in 2023:
Safe Sport Training Day - Sport Manitoba, Gender Equity Playbook training - Canadian Women in Sport, Superwoman Conference - Brandon Chamber of Commerce, Winnipeg Women’s Conference, Online Safety for Kids - Val Caldwell, National Day for Truth and Reconcilliation - Riverbank Discovery Centre, Thunder Bay [documentary] - Crave
Donating
I commit to donating my facilitation services annually to one organization led by or directly serving those who are Indigenous, People of Colour, 2SLGBTQ+, or identify as female. Due to the confidential nature of these services, I will not list the organizations publicly.
POWER TO LEAD AWARD presented by MOSAIC ENGAGEMENT
The Power to Lead award presented by Mosaic Engagement is an annual financial award for a student who identifies as female or non-binary, is graduating from the Souris School, and shows potential to be a future leader. To learn more about the award qualifications and application, click here.
No matter where you are on your journey to equity, I invite you to complete the Flower of Power exercise. I invite you to learn more about those who came before you on the lands you call or have called home. And I ask you to give thought to how you might commit yourself to any of the TRC or other ways you can use your own privilege to bring our world to a place of equity.
Sincerely,
