Webinar | Aligning Policy with Practice: International, Intercultural, and EDI

Audience: Post-secondary, Languages.

Join BCCIE for the ninth webinar of our intercultural series: Intercultural Intersections in International Education: Reflective Practices through Dialogue.

Over the last year, there has been a growing recognition of the need to be more collaborative in the work that we do on and off campus and in the virtual world especially as it relates to equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) work. In this session, speakers will share insights on integrating policy with practice, ways they are working to bridge gaps between EDI and international, and provide frameworks and suggestions for creating a more inclusive environment for all.

Presenters:

Rohene Bouajram, Associate Director, Strategic IBPOC Initiatives, University of British Columbia

Rohene is the Associate Director, Strategic IBPOC Initiatives at the University of British Columbia where she provides strategic leadership and direction on embedding equity and inclusion and advancing anti-racism in policies, initiatives, and programming for students. She has an MA in Intercultural Communication, BA in Psychology and is certified as a Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (RCIC). Rohene has worked in areas related to equity and inclusion, intercultural dialogue, international recruitment, project management, ethical engagement, crisis intervention, policy evaluation and teaches courses related to Canadian immigration legislation. With over sixteen years of experience in post-secondary and international education, Rohene has coached and advised international students as an International Student Advisor and RCIC as well as led many teams at multiple Canadian educational institutions. Her excitement for holding space for courageous conversations often leads her to dive headfirst into opportunities to engage ethically and authentically in intercultural settings.

Derek Tannis, Director of Student Engagement and Learning Services and the Acting Director of Strategic Enrolment Management, Saskatchewan Polytechnic

Derek has over 25 years experience in the post-secondary sector, having previously worked as a sessional instructor, an instructional designer, a manager of international education student services, an English for Academic Purposes instructor and as an education and evaluation coordinator of a global citizenship education NGO. His recent research and writing has focused on critical policy studies and reconciliation, decolonization and transformative intercultural practice in post-secondary education.   He has lived and worked in Southeast Asia and Europe, and has a PhD in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Alberta.  He is a settler-Canadian ally, born to parents of Lebanese/Syrian and Scottish/Irish origin.  Raised in Ottawa, on the traditional unceded territory of the Algonquin Aninaabeg People, Derek now lives in Saskatoon with his wife and son, on Treaty 6 Territory and the traditional homelands of the Métis.

Moderator:

Todd Odgers, Associate Dean International at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT)

Todd Odgers is Associate Dean International at the British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) and the and the former Principal of NorQuest Centre for Intercultural Education (CIE) in Edmonton. Todd has spent his career working in many intercultural intersections in Canada and abroad as a consultant, teacher, faculty trainer, and applied researcher. The eight member CIE team he directed for nine years completed almost five million dollars in funded research and educational projects for vulnerable communities, immigrants, educational institutions, businesses and industry. He facilitates and speaks widely to groups nationally and internationally on how they can effectively create inclusive campuses and workplaces. His experience as a corporate trainer overseas informed his approach to engaging across cultural similarities and differences. Back in Canada, his early research and work in higher education contributed to the emerging practice of interculturalization. In his role at BCIT, Todd brings the experience and resources learned and earned from his work with students, faculty, leaders and service staff to move the Institute’s interculturalization initiative forward.

To register for this event, please click here.

Registration deadline: 9:00 a.m., May 25, 2021.

For more information, please contact events@bccie.bc.ca.