Inclusive Leadership: Building Cultures of Belonging

Diversity and Inclusion Office | LLMC 2024 | FR

Event Description

Join us for an immersive Masterclass on Inclusive Leadership. This Masterclass empowers public service leaders with the tools and strategies to cultivate environments where every member feels valued and respected. In our diverse and dynamic public service landscape, fostering a culture of belonging is not just a moral imperative but essential for effective governance and public trust. This session will provide actionable insights and best practices for promoting inclusivity, understanding unconscious biases, and leveraging diverse perspectives to drive innovation and organizational excellence within the federal public service.

Whether you are a seasoned executive or an emerging leader within the federal public service, this masterclass will inspire and challenge you to build a culture where every individual can thrive and contribute their best to serving Canadians.

Masterclass Teacher - Ritu Bhasin

Ritu Bhasin, Award-Winning Empowerment Coach, Speaker, Bestselling Author

Born in Toronto, Canada to Sikh Punjabi immigrant parents, living a life rooted in belonging for her means embracing her imperfections, loving hard even though she's had her heart broken a bazillion times, and embracing all aspects of herself — the good, the bad, and the ugly. It means taking care of herself so that she can live her best and give her best to others. It means wearing funky clothes, dancing it up to Bhangra and Soca music, and laughing really loud.

It also means speaking up about injustice and using her actions to interrupt the oppression that permeates society.

But most importantly, belonging for Ritu is about creating a world where everyone can be who they are. She want you to live your best, most authentic and empowered life, even in the face of experiencing hurtful, hateful, and harmful things. This is your fundamental right in life.

Co-hosts

Samantha Moonsammy, Section Head Lead Advisor for Diversity and Inclusion, Materiel Group, National Defence

Samantha has spent over 20 years in the public service working in numerous communications, outreach and engagement initiatives that focus on the people side of business. But Samantha is much more than that. Her layers include being a woman, mother, partner, daughter, sister, community builder and immigrant.

As an Indo-Caribbean Canadian, she was born in Guyana, South America and immigrated to Canada as a toddler. From a young age, dating back to elementary school to the present, Samantha has been a leader in diversity, inclusion and equity, always helping to amplify the voice of others and create sustainable change in organizations to build deeper respect and understanding for all humans. Samantha lives in the Ottawa area and spent some time in Toronto and Barbados during her Master’s degree in Communications and Culture. She is a passionate world traveller who has worked and studied in India, China, France and the Caribbean. Her daily mantra:  Be the change you wish to see in the world.

Suzan Richards, Senior Program Advisor, Office of the ADM, Settlement, Integration and Francophone Affairs, Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada

Founder of The Cultural Arts Studio,  Suzan is also professional artist and a cultural knowledge keeper in the area of Afro-Caribbean dance. She is committed to preserving and sharing Afro-Caribbean culture to this day and currently providing workshops at the National Arts Center where dances from Africa & The Caribbean are shared and celebrated.

In addition, Suzan is on the Board of Directors with Multicultural Arts In Schools and Communities (MASC), a local non-profit organization that offers schools and communities artistic experiences that awaken the creative process, deepen cultural awareness, encourage engagement, and give a vivid demonstration of Canada's diversity. You can also find her on Rogers-22 as host of Caribbean Calendar as part of their Cultural Mosaic programming.

Suzan is a proud recipient of a 2022-100 Most Accomplished Black Canadian Women Award by the Honourable Dr. Jean Augustine and Canada International Black Women Excellence (CIBWE) - Top 100 Black Women to Watch of 2022.