Author: Woodsworth Housing Co-op

DEI Committee: Getting Started Playbook

From the Board of Directors re DEI Committee, March 9, 2025 Weekly

Woodsworth Housing Coop DEI Committee: Getting Started Playbook

1. Introduction

Welcome to the Woodsworth Housing Coop Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee! This playbook serves as an unofficial guide to help the initial committee members establish a strong foundation, recruit new members, and engage the cooperative community in meaningful DEI work.

2. Committee Purpose and Goals

The DEI Committee aims to promote a culture of respect, fairness, and inclusion within Woodsworth. The initial focus will be:

• Establishing the committee and developing operational norms.
• Recruiting additional committee members.
• Raising awareness about DEI topics within the coop.
• Identifying initial priorities and projects.

3. Building the Committee

A. Informal Recruitment Strategies

Growing the committee is a priority in the early stages. Since elections are not yet required, the following informal recruitment approaches should be used:

• Personal Outreach: Talk to members who may have an interest in DEI topics and invite them to join.
• Community Events: Host casual gatherings, such as coffee chats or social hours, to discuss DEI and encourage participation.
• Committee Collaboration: Connect with other committees, such as Strategies for Staying (S4S), to find members interested in related work.
• Newsletter & Bulletin Board Posts: Share information about the committee and invite members to get involved.
• Word of Mouth: Leverage existing networks and personal relationships within Woodsworth.

B. Addressing Common Challenges

• Lack of Interest: Frame DEI as relevant to all members and highlight its benefits for community well-being.
• Misunderstanding of DEI: Offer clear, accessible explanations of what DEI means and how it impacts Woodsworth.

4. Operational Structure

A. Decision-Making Process

• The committee may consider making decisions by consensus, ensuring all voices are heard before finalizing actions.

B. Board Liaison Role

• The Board Liaison serves as a voting member and helps connect committee activities to the Board.

C. Confidentiality and Ethical Considerations

• All committee members must sign a Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Agreement within ten days of officially joining.
• The committee will not handle specific grievances but can guide members toward appropriate resolution channels, or use information to plan initiatives.

5. Planning and Resource Allocation

A. Setting Priorities

• Reviewing Woodsworth’s Human Rights Bylaw and Accommodation Policy is recommended as a first step.
• The committee should start by discussing and identifying key areas for action, with a focus on anti-Black racism and psychological safety for racialized members.

B. Requesting Resources

• The committee does not yet have an allocated budget but can request funding by presenting a business case to the Board.
• Business case proposals do not need to be formal, they should outline the purpose, expected impact, and cost of proposed events, training, or communication efforts.

6. Engaging the Broader Membership

A. Early Engagement Activities

Since broad community participation is a later goal, the initial focus should be on awareness-building and relationship-building:

• Listening Sessions: Create safe spaces for members to share their thoughts on DEI issues.
• Educational Initiatives: Distribute resources or hold informal discussions about DEI topics.
• Collaborative Efforts: Work with other committees on joint initiatives.

B. Communication Strategies

• Keep members informed, potentially through The Weekly, flyers, and informal discussions.
• Use clear, simple language to explain DEI concepts and their relevance to Woodsworth.

7. Reporting and Accountability

• The committee will report progress to the Board on a timeline it determines.
• An annual report will be presented to the cooperative membership.

8. Next Steps

1. Hold the first committee meeting to establish roles and responsibilities.
2. Sign a Confidentiality and Conflict of Interest Agreement and send it to the coop office.
• Schedule B within Woodsworth’s Organizational By-law.
3. Develop an outreach plan for recruitment.
4. Begin informal engagement efforts with the community.
5. Identify potential initial projects.

Thank you for your commitment to making Woodsworth a more inclusive community!

Penthouse Electronics: Forum March 11, 2025

The Penthouse Audio-Visual ad hoc committee is hosting a Member Forum Tuesday March 11 at 7:00pm, in the Penthouse. All members interested in using or understanding the new electronics are encouraged to attend, either online or in person. We’ll provide Zoom links closer to the event.
(Some people received the email from Woodsworth admin on Friday March 7. If you don’t see it, check spam or junk mail. Contact the office.)

The mission of the ad hoc committee was to build a state-of-the-art audio-video system to better support our hybrid GMMs and other meetings. We’re still working out a last few wrinkles, but, so far, the new system has performed beyond our expectations.

What we need now is to establish procedures for the long-term management and use of the electronics. There are several goals for the member forum:

To explain the capabilities of the new A/V system, helping members to understand what it can do, what it can’t do, and what capabilities might be added in future.

To explain how the system is operated, and to point out some of the complexities that inevitably arise in today’s multi-component audio-visual systems.

To gather member feedback on uses of the new system, so that we can anticipate and prepare for as many types of use as possible, and plan future expansions of the system’s capabilities.

And, finally:

To gather member feedback on how access can be controlled. We want to maximize members’ ability to enjoy the new system and put it to work as a Woodsworth resource. But we obviously need to protect the equipment from inadvertent damage or mis-configuration, and safeguard it against theft or vandalism. There’s no perfect solution – your input will be invaluable in formulating the best policies.

from the Penthouse A/V ad hoc committee

Spring And Fall Clean-Up Day Guidelines – members, committees, management

Clean-up Days are a community event where all members come together to clean-up their own area and their communal areas.

The Clean-up Days occur the 1st Saturday in May and the 1st Saturday in November. These dates coincide with garden waste pick-up which is the first Wednesday after clean-up.
Time 9:30 a.m. – 12 Noon

The Landscape Room is open to give members yard-waste bags, cleaning supplies and equipment.

In appreciation for the members’ participation, the Social Committee serves a buffet of pastries (including gluten-free) and refreshments in the breezeway at 12 Noon.

Block Committee Responsibilities

The Block Rep Committee puts notices in the Weekly and posts flyers around the co-op regarding the date and time of the event including members’ duties for the mid-rise, ground-level units, the townhouses and alleyways.

The Block Rep Committee instructs the office to order 250 garden waste bags and 15 bottles of all-purpose, bio-degradable cleaner, deliver the order to the Landscape Room and allocate the expense to “Cleaning Supplies, account 411.1”.

Social Committee Responsibilities

The Social Committee reserves the Penthouse Room the whole day for their exclusive use to prepare a buffet of pastries and refreshments and clean-up after.

The Social Committee puts notices in the Weekly and posts flyers around the co-op regarding the location and details of the buffet (including gluten-free items).

In the case of rain, the clean-up will be rescheduled, but the buffet will still take place in the Penthouse Room.

Landscape Committee Responsibilities

The Landscape Committee puts notices in the Weekly and posts flyers around the co-op regarding the availability of waste bags, cleaning supplies, equipment and members’ duties.

In the case of rain, the Landscape Chair will reschedule the clean-up, but the buffet will still take place in the Penthouse Room.

Co-op Management Responsibilities

Subject to the budget, Management arranges for window-washing one week before Clean-up Day including vine clipping around the windows if needed. And the medium-rise carpets should be steam cleaned at least one week after Clean-up Day.