Learning is the first step

The North Grove’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB) strategy is built on five pillars of action. The first of those pillars is learn.  

The past year at The North Grove has involved a lot of team learning; Iearning about this community and its changing and diverse needs; learning about the past to understand the experiences of equity-deserving groups today; learning about ourselves and our team members so we better support each other, and this community. 

We value the opportunity to share what we are learning on this journey and to appreciate and recognize those who are teaching us. Our staff have had the privilege of learning from local experts in belonging, sensemaking, and community development, and have created opportunities to educate ourselves and each other on challenging topics, like personal bias and reconciliation. 

A memorable day for our team on our learning journey 

An important step on our journey was having our entire staff team attend a full-day session at the Millbrook Cultural & Heritage Centre to learn from Mi’kmaw knowledge keepers about Mi'kmaq history and present-day experiences in Nova Scotia. We were honoured to hear from Senior Heritage Interpreters, Heather Stevens and Jeff Wilmot and Ethnologist, Roger Lewis. 

All non-Indigenous members of the team participated in the Blanket Exercise, which uses blankets on the floor to symbolize the land on Turtle Island, and participants to represent Indigenous people living there. This role-playing workshop has participants move through the devastating impacts of colonization, from before the arrival of settlers to present day. 

This day of un-learning settler narratives and hearing from Mi’kmaw voices helped our team learn, not only about Mi’kmaq history, but about the rich contributions of Indigenous communities in Nova Scotia today. 

Sensemaking to enhance our impact 

In late 2024 we completed an in-depth Annual Program Survey with 100 participants from The North Grove’s Family Centre and Food Centre programs. This data is incredibly valuable – it tells us so much about the experiences and needs of community members who walk through our doors.  

Last spring we worked with local Developmental Evaluation Specialist, Miranda Cobb to unpack this data and identify ways to enhance The North Grove’s programs and overall impact. In small groups, we shared insights and identified areas for adapting and evolving programming or taking actions based on the data.  

Foundations of Belonging in the Workplace 

What does it truly mean for us to practice belonging in our workplace? Our team has been working hard to answer that question. 

In 2025, each member of our team completed an 11-module course to build a strong foundation in what belonging means through individual and organizational awareness. Created by Placemaking 4G, the content uses real-life workplace scenarios from right here in Nova Scotia. The modules tackle important topics like bias, racism, power and privilege, and accessibility. 

To take our learning to the next level and to put it into practice together, we gathered for three in-person debrief and sharing sessions with Facilitator, Bradley Daye. Together we had brave conversations about what it takes to build a culture of belonging. 

The entire Foundations of Belonging course is now a part of employee onboarding for all new staff members at The North Grove. Bradley also led an engaging Disrupting Bias session with The North Grove’s volunteer team. 

De-escalating potentially violent situations  

This fall our team worked with Senior Associate, Paula Hutchinson from Horizons Community Development Associates to learn about de-escalating potentially violent situations. Paula has lived in Dartmouth North and understands some of the challenges faced by community members, and organizations like ours. 

In this day-long, trauma-informed training, we learned about how we can act as effective and empathetic mediators to defuse situations before they become violent, to keep community members and ourselves safe. 

Crafting meaningful land acknowledgements 

Most recently, staff members joined The North Grove’s Communications Specialist, Makayla to learn about writing and sharing land acknowledgements. Rather than a generic, scripted statement, land acknowledgements are meant to be personal, relating to that individual’s or organization’s unique relationship to the land. 

Drawing on inspiration from Every One Every Day, Treaty Education, and resources from Indigenous speakers and authors around the world, this session empowered staff to better understand the purpose and significance of land acknowledgements for Indigenous people and settlers, and to craft their own acknowledgements that are informed, personal and sincere. 

We are happy to share these resources for your own use: 

Download the presentation here. 

Download the printable worksheet here. 

Looking ahead 

As a team, we are grateful for the all the opportunities we have to learn from members of this community, and each other. This story only covers a few highlights. Staff have engaged in many individual learning opportunities, too. 

We are already acting on what we’ve learned. We are more intentional about inclusion in the meals we serve and the food we grow at the farm. Our understanding of cultural diversity in this community and representation has informed the ways we design programs, how we interact with one another, and our recruitment practices.  

In 2026 we plan to dive even deeper into our pillars of action, and we’re excited to share more stories about belonging at The North Grove. One thing’s for sure – we're never done learning.