Equity Statement
FES aspires to cultivate a youth climate movement that is well-sustained, which means honouring that the strength of the youth-led climate movement comes from its diversity of perspectives and identities. To support this diverse movement we must start by acknowledging the ongoing negative impacts of colonialism and oppression which continue to perpetuate harm to the most vulnerable communities, especially Indigenous Peoples. We can not advance FES’ intended impact to create a climate-resilient and fair world unless FES meaningfully addresses the systems which impede our collective pursuit of justice and liberation from oppressive systems within our work as well.
We acknowledge the historical and present role of civic institutions, the non-profit and philanthropic sector, and government systems in perpetuating racism and further oppression of equity-deserving groups. To add, we recognize and continue to reflect on how FES and its team have benefitted from these systems to continue the work we do today. But the recognition of this also begs a call to action from FES, to take responsibility to respond in supporting the dismantling of these systems. As an organization, we are in the pursuit of working our organization into obsolescence by understanding that if the world was truly fair, just, and equitable there would be no need for FES to exist because:
resources are being distributed equitably across generations;
that the public and private sectors in Canada are implementing meaningful and just climate action;
that youth are meaningfully represented in decision-making across Canada and;
equity deserving groups are meaningfully supported as they assert their right to representation, access, and consultation.
Here are some immediate and long-term actions we are taking as an organization to ensure that we are advancing equity, diversity and inclusion with an overarching theme of justice.
Governance
In 2023/2024, FES has been conducting an organization-wide governance review and engaged with a consultant to provide an equity review of our refreshed governance policies. In addition, another consultant is providing FES with support in developing an Indigenous Engagement Protocols document and strategy to expand our ability to nourish relationships with Indigenous communities.
In 2024, FES is updating its board committee structure, most notably updating its “Governance and Nominations Committee” to the “Equity, Governance, and Nominations Committee” to ensure there is an accountability mechanism for FES at its highest governance leadership level.
Team and Leadership Training
In 2024, FES staff and board members completed anti-racism and anti-oppression training. In addition, the FES team is undergoing Indigenous history and engagement training. Leadership staff are provided with professional development opportunities to participate in anti-racism learning and unlearning sessions, join communities of practice around implementing EDI strategies, and access external resources.
Strategy and Operations
With the launch of its new strategy, FES is embedding specific equity-based targets and metrics to ensure that EDI is not something performative, but is built into the culture of the team and organization. Here are the highlights of how we are embedding equity into FES’ strategy:
Equity in granting. FES currently tracks equity-related data, aggregates the data, and reports on the data internally. FES will aim to publish this information publicly by the end of 2024 and is setting a clear target that by 2030, 60% of initiatives FES supports should be led by underrepresented and/or equity-deserving groups.
Equity in program access. FES is seeking to improve the accessibility of its programs to ensure easier access for underrepresented groups. This means simplifying our application processes, improving translation capabilities, and increasing our amount of dedicated time and resources on outreach and relationship-building.
Equity in program design. FES is improving the way it consults with underrepresented groups, aiming to intentionally think about expanding its staff, committees, board, and broader consultation network to include more diverse voices.
This also means that in the development of its financial plan, FES considers the real costs of budgeting to hire BIPOC youth, experts, and consultants sustainably.
Accountability
Transparency and accountability are key to advancing representation, so we’ve set ambitious goals to continually review our progress moving forward reporting on our equity-related data each year to allow our stakeholders to keep us accountable to our EDI strategy.
We commit to publishing a one-page Lessons Learned report about our journey of advancing equity, justice, diversity, and inclusion alongside our annual impact report to share what we have learned and unlearned throughout this process.
FES is committed to working towards embedding justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion throughout the organization and its sphere of influence. We acknowledge that anything worth doing will be hard, and commit to learning and unlearning to reduce any harm for people within our network. We are taking action to uplift the work of the underserved and amplify the voices of the unheard while taking care to repair and restore relationships across generations, the land, and each other. We are grateful to our community, colleagues, supporters, friends, and all those who keep us accountable on this journey.
In gratitude and solidarity,
The FES Team
Appendix
Everyone is at a different point in their learning and unlearning journey. Here are some glossaries we refer to when navigating correct terminology: