Owning Our Story

Tihmily Li, Communications Officer
There has been an ever-growing movement to bring inclusion and diversity to institutions and Greenwood is committed to becoming more inclusive, not only within the school but also within our community. The Owning Your Story workshops provided an opportunity to talk about race with the Greenwood community. Greenwood was lucky to have coaches Demore Barnes and Shauna Barnes lead and facilitate this two-part series with parents/guardians, board members and alumni. The workshops took place November 8, 2021 and January 19, 2022 and participants were welcome to join either any one of the sessions or both sessions.
 
Demore Barnes and Shauna Barnes are both trained coaches through the internationally renowned Co-Active Training Institute (CTI). Demore also works as an actor and finds his acting work informs his perspective on coaching others. Shauna has over 15 years of leadership development experience with organizations and individuals. Together, they form a powerful duo by offering insight, awareness and guidance to approaching conversations about race and diversity. 
 
Through the two workshops, participants learned how to understand their own stories and got tips on how to engage with conversations about race and diversity. Speaking of the series, Mary Gauthier, Executive Director, Greenwood Centre for Teaching and Learning said,
 
“Through their sessions with Greenwood staff and parents/guardians, Demore Barnes and Shauna Barnes brought together the importance of having conversations on race and the tools to approach those conversations. Creating a diverse, equitable and inclusive community is a major commitment for our school, and Demore and Shauna provided targeted support to assist us in taking that work to the next level. They are professional and highly skilled coaches, and their guidance has helped us to focus on the important discussions we need to have on race and community both within and beyond our school walls.”
 
And the work continues beyond these two sessions as well. Greenwood staff work to implement new standards for better inclusion, diversity and equity. In particular, Rachael Brownell-Swain, Director, Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Outreach, and Bethany Glick, Coordinator, Inclusion and Belonging, offer their leadership, expertise and passion as they guide our school community through this important work. They are currently working with Greenwood staff to implement the RIDES framework here at the school. Learn more about how Greenwood will bring the RIDES framework to Greenwood here.
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Greenwood College School

443 Mount Pleasant Road
Toronto, ON M4S 2L8
Tel: 416 482 9811
We acknowledge with gratitude the Ancestral lands upon which our main campus is situated. These lands are the Ancestral territories of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, Anishinabek and the Wendake. The shared responsibility of this land is honoured in the Dish with One Spoon Treaty and as settlers, we strive to care for the land, the waters, and all creatures in the spirit of peace. We are responsible for respecting and supporting the enduring presence of all First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples. When away from this campus we vow to be respectful to the land by protecting and honouring it. We will create relationships with the people and the land we may visit by understanding the territories we enter and the nations who inhabit them.
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