A Message from Linda Melnick, Executive Director, Queen's Athletics & Recreation
The future of I-EDIAA at Athletics & Recreation (A&R) is centered on the transition from awareness to action in how we live, work and play.
As a department, we recognize the need to co-create next steps and inform the way we think to best serve our program participants, student-athletes, coaches and staff. Achieving a more equitable, diverse and inclusive environment that supports the pursuit of potential and the cultivation of community is rooted in a culture of trust, understanding and leading with purpose.
I-EDIAA is more than a plan. Rather, it is a clearly defined ‘living and breathing’ intersectional approach that continuously embeds equity, diversity and inclusion into daily practice. It normalizes the creation of programs, services and supports with I-EDIAA considerations at the forefront of development and design.
Commitment to I-EDIAA as an overarching principle fosters the reduction of systemic barriers in constant evaluation and alteration to practices, policies, traditions and/or values that may be not be visible to those who thrive within the system, but can significantly impact the lives of underrepresented individuals. It is an ongoing process of fortitude and unwavering mindfulness to constantly be better. The commitment to fostering an environment that promotes respect for everyone, and where differences are recognized and valued, must become a common practice that supports necessary learning to advance an I-EDIAA focused culture.
The work we embrace is driven by diversity of thought, and recognition that diversity across competitors on playing surfaces, causal staff teams, coaches and administrators has the strength to break down existing barriers, and increase the pace at which sport is an agent of change through greater representation.
Necessary shifts in perception call for a large-scale commitment and greater transparency. With that transparency comes the increased need for accountability and sustained conversations that assign meaning to social realities, uncovering the often covert and subtle forms of systemic discrimination that continue to exist. It requires a redefinition and reimagination of how we describe the gym, pitch or gridiron as spaces that extend beyond their brick and mortar structures. They are accountable spaces, that encourage learning, foster belonging, and provide an openness that cultivates meaningful conversation and a culture of accountability.
Ongoing training and education must become visible and reflected in the actions, behaviours and ways that, as Gaels, we choose to conduct ourselves, and in our willingness to take on challenges and act with courage. We are striving as a team to create profound change, which reflect inner shifts in values and beliefs, and outer shifts in field-level practices.
I am excited to continue to evolve communication strategies in support of the ways A&R has taken action, and provide information with a high level of transparency and accountability in support of advancing measurable change. Reporting on commitments and providing clear results on what has been accomplished is critical to the ongoing work of A&R.
I would like to thank the voices of students, staff, members of the Queen’s community at-large and beyond that have shared their lived experiences and helped to shape Athletics & Recreation’s ongoing commitment to I-EDIAA and called for purposeful actions.
As we continue to advance our I-EDIAA initiatives, the focus of A&R is on the impact, not the intent. We are designed to be active and, therefore, as we work towards reversing patterns of inequity, being purposeful in increasing representation and ensuring we honour the need for ceremony, we must be action oriented as we reimagine the rules for A&R.
By using the universal language of sport to foster collective accountability, we can create places and spaces where people matter, as well as a value system that enacts purposeful change and an unparalleled experience for everyone.
