We Are Trades: A Workplace Culture Learning Event Recap
On December 1st, YWCA Halifax Shift Change invited agency and industry partners together for the We Are Trades: A Workplace Culture Learning Event to discuss the challenges and opportunities for change people face while working in the skilled trades.
The event combined listening to women's lived experiences and how to create a safe and respectful working environment. Corrie Melanson, the facilitator, started the event with a land acknowledgment. Each table had a map of African Nova Scotian communities, and participants were asked to label Mi’kmaq First Nations on the same map. The land acknowledgment activity aimed to remind participants about the history of Mi’kmaq First Nations and African Nova Scotians across the province. If you would like to know more about the Indigenous land that you are on, please click here.
The first session was a video segment that discussed women’s experiences in the skilled trades workplace. Participants watched a video from Melissa Cooke, a red seal plumber. Cooke felt there was limited understanding and support as she faced with racism and gender-based discrimination. Participants discussed Cooke’s experiences, including sharing their own experiences in the industry and the kind of change and work culture women and gender-diverse people need in the workplace.
After the video, participants were invited to the Barriers and Promising Practices Panel Discussion and heard from Sarah Lumsden, a power engineer, who shared experiences she has faced in the industry. The panel also included Stephanie Gill (Shift Change) Yvette Jarvis (Women Unlimited), Kate Venas (Cherubini Group), and Travis Woodworth (Glooscap Ventures), who related Lumsden's experiences to their own knowledge of workplace culture and the need for change with some ideas of how to change it. After the panel, participants discussed in different breakout sessions different elements of workplace change including topics, such as how to address harassment and how to create a safe and respectful workplace.
Next, Travis Woodworth gave a presentation on the Glooscap Ventures Psychological Health and Safety Initiative and the IDEAL for the Trades partnership with Shift Change, which is funded by the Canadian Apprenticeship Service. Woodworth provided an overview of what the training does, including background on the project and his experiences in the skilled trades and working with skilled trades companies to address psychological safety. You can see the presentation here.
The event concluded with Stephanie Gill’s Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment Primer. Gill defined the differences between sexual harassment and gender-based harassment and how many women and gender diverse experience both in the skilled trades. She also included a video on how to receive a disclosure to help people understand how to have a trauma informed response.
When asked about her report, Gill stated that: “The SGBH [Sexual and Gender-Based Harassment] in Skilled Trades project recently published a report on the key findings from the YWCA Halifax’s research into sexual and gender-based harassment in the skilled trades. The SGBH in Skilled Trades project plans to share this report in 2024 with government and industry partners to encourage action.”
The SGBH in Skilled Trades project is continuing the work and remains committed to centering the voices of Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotian, and racialized women and gender diverse people and 2SLGBTQIA+ community members working in the skilled trades. To help center the voices of women and gender diverse people from these communities, the SGBH in Skilled Trades project is working with the Ignite Group, a Halifax-based consulting firm, and building relationships with community organizations that support Indigenous, Black/African Nova Scotian, and racialized women and gender diverse people, and 2SLGBTQIA+ communities. This collaborative effort aims to foster a holistic understanding of the unique barriers and successes experienced by these groups within the skilled trades.”
After the presentation, participants quickly debriefed and shared their thoughts through an evaluation. The results are linked in our event report. To request the report, please email Morgane Evans at m.evans@ywcahalifax.com
Thank you to the staff at Mic Mac Aquatic Centre in Dartmouth NS and Divine Dishes, and everyone who joined us at the event. We will see you at the next one!
If you missed the event and would like to learn more or have any questions, contact Shift Change’s Communications and Meeting Coordinator, Morgane Evans, at m.evans@ywcahalifax.com. If you are interested in learning more about Glooscap Ventures, contact Travis Woodworth at travis.woodworth@glooscapventures.com. You can also join our LinkedIn Group!