Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Community Alliance EDICA
The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Community Alliance a community of like-minded individuals working together to foster more inclusive and conscious workplaces.
The Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Community Alliance (EDICA) is an initiative founded by Welch LLP and made possible only by the involvement and dedication of its community members. EDICA was created to empower individuals working in professional services in the Ottawa community to eliminate barriers to equality, diversity, indigeneity and inclusion in the workplace.
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Values
Empower
Impact
Empathy
Respect
Strategic Objectives
As a community alliance, we identified strategic objectives that would help guide the actions and activities of EDICA:
- Establish a platform for professionals to connect, support and mentor each other in every aspect of life, including but not limited to work.
- Exchange and share knowledge regarding EDI (equity, diversity and inclusion) best practices in the workplace.
- Encourage cross-service-line collaboration to exchange and share industry-specific knowledge to help us all to become better advisors.
- Promote content that highlights the positive impact of intersectionality and EDI practices on belonging, innovation, collaboration, recruitment and productivity.
- Establish an inclusive network of cross-service-line industry professionals to discuss both personal and professional development to help enhance EDI practices in the community.
Promoting EDI in the workplace
We are committed to educating, informing, inspiring and engaging the voices of individuals working in professional services along with community members to promote equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace. In the spirit of embodying the core values of EDICA, our events are open for all to attend. Our events focus on learning about and advancing EDI practices in professional services. They include the following formats:
Informative sessions and networking
Panel discussion with a focus on diversity and inclusion
Telling the stories of those who have experienced barriers in the workplace and how to overcome them
Story sharing and building tools for best practices
The creation of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Community Alliance (EDICA)
Since the establishment of Welch’s EDI program in January of 2020, our staff have created a number of engaging forums for various EDI practices. From these internal groups, staff members developed an idea of reaching out to like-minded businesses in the professional service sector in the Ottawa Community to create a strong network to advance EDI efforts beyond our firm. The core Welch team came together and brought in their networks to form EDICA on October 28, 2021. Since this launch, members worked collaboratively to define their mission, vision, values, and strategy for EDI advancement in the professional services sector.
EDICA is currently a network of 17 organizations in the Ottawa Capital Region. The network is composed of professional services organizations including law firms, accounting firms, human resources, and advisors.
The Welch LLP Founders of EDICA
The creation of Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Community Alliance EDICA would not be possible without the dedication, passion, and devotion of the people who strive for equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of our lives. These Welch LLP staff are founding members of EDICA, along with Moriah Gibbs and Kimberly Rodricks.
If you are interested in joining our EDI Community Alliance, please send an email to [email protected].
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