This week's theme is engagement: what makes it effective, how we can improve it, and the quality it brings to our work.

Two Fridays ago, I had the opportunity to attend an afternoon session hosted by the United Way Public Policy Institute called "Decolonizing Systems through Collaboration." It was four hours of sharing stories, learning from each other, and building relationships for future work. Although I have never participated in the United Way Public Policy Institute, being in the room with others dedicated to engagement to make public policy inclusive and reflective was intoxicating. Click here for more information on the program intake for the January – June 2025 cohort, which opens in September.

I attended Board Voice's conference in Richmond last Thursday and Friday. The discussions continued many of the approaches to informing public policy. This experience reminded me that understanding how policy is created, tested, and implemented is crucial in ASPECT's work.

Yesterday, I was interviewed in support of the Credential Recognition Improvement Branch (CRIB) at the Ministry of Post-Secondary Education and Future Skills, which has been nominated for the Premier's Innovation and Excellence Awards. They were nominated for the work and creation of the Credentials Recognition Act, and because I was part of the process, as were many of our ASPECT members and their clients, I was delighted to be involved. 

Engagement is crucial for improving public policy and service delivery. The recent United Way Public Policy Institute and Board Voice conference sessions highlighted the importance of collaboration and inclusivity. Recognizing the Credential Recognition Improvement Branch's work underscores the power of collective effort. We continue striving for better engagement and inclusivity to enhance our impact. Accordingly, ASPECT wants to do better in attracting more leaders with diverse backgrounds to our board and sector, but we are still determining where to start. Beginning June 25, we will launch a series of engagement sessions to explore how we can create an inclusive environment for everyone in our Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Committee. I hope you will join us.