Purpose and Context:
At 10C, we firmly believe in fostering a culture of respect, goodwill, and reciprocity that can lead to meaningful connection and collaboration. 10C is committed to creating spaces and programming that are free of discrimination, in which all individuals are treated with respect and are able to contribute fully. 10C strives to address conflict amongst its members and people in this community network by acting as an intermediary during conflicts, and making sure everyone is heard and valued. Please read more about how 10C is creating safe and inclusive spaces through our Kindness, Caring and Inclusion Policy.
As an organization, 10C is committed to building resilient and sustainable communities that inspire social, environmental, and cultural wellness. With these core values driving our work, 10C cannot remain silent and inactive on oppressive forces and systems that affect the well-being and social capacity of marginalized community members both locally and globally. We stand firmly against all forms of colonialism, oppression, racism, Islamophobia, antisemitism, xenophobia, apartheid, poverty systems, violence, terrorism, genocide, and violations of human rights.
We recognize that it is not enough to state that diversity, equity and inclusion are ideals we hold. And too often statements are simply statements without action. The focus of our action is local and on the individuals and communities that we connect with day to day. 10C recognizes that we, as people leading a non-profit changemaking organization, must actively engage in learning and action by:
- Supporting marginalized community members through programming, initiatives, communications, and within the spaces we activate (shared meeting and coworking spaces, art gallery, Nourish Kitchen, the Guelph Farmers’ Market, and in off-site programming spaces).
- Identifying barriers to accessing spaces and programs and listening, learning, and adjusting to ensure safety and accessibility for marginalized community members.
- Authentically and meaningfully uplifting diverse voices in communications and storytelling.
- Continuously educating ourselves on decolonization, reconciliation, and issues of systemic racism – with the recognition that Black, Indigenous, and people of colour in the community are not required to carry the burden of educating on matters of race, oppression, and representation.
- Identifying gaps in representation within our organization and operational systems and taking steps to adjust and increase representation at the board, staff and community membership level.
Actions and progress for Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at 10C Shared Space
10C is committed to aligning ourselves with an anti-racist framework that results in meaningful and lasting change within the organization and community. Below is a list of current actions and processes in place. This is a living document that will evolve with further action as we continue to learn and make progress.
- Embedding anti-racism and anti-oppressive practices across the organization. The Justice, Equity, Diversity, Decolonization, Inclusion, Accessibility (JEDDIA) Committee is made up of 10C staff and members of the Board of Directors. This group works to shift practices, policies and actions to align with 10C’s anti-racism and anti-oppression stance. You can submit comments and concerns to this committee here.
- Balance representation in 10C leadership. In support of these goals, 10C is currently aligned with the federal 50-30 Challenge designed to support organizations across Canada in fostering diversity and inclusion by promoting gender parity (50%) and increased representation of equity-deserving groups (30%) within leadership roles on Canadian boards and in senior management. The 2025 board of directors complement reflects 67% gender parity and 60% equity-deserving groups. This information is shared annually.
- Building a staff team with a diversity of skills and life experience. For all 10C staff positions, we encourage applications from those across race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, age, physical abilities, and lived experiences. As hiring processes can be a burden on individuals, 10C offers a $75 honourarium for all applicants interviewed for full-time and contract positions and a $25 honourarium for part-time and summer student positions.
- Foster reciprocity and respectful collaboration with Indigenous community members, enterprises, and continuing learning across our team. We also look to improve access to resources, perspectives and learning opportunities to support settler-led organizations in addressing colonial underpinnings in their organizations through Confronting Colonization, a resource and learning initiative for decolonization.
- Increase Indigenous representation in all programs. Indigenous Artists are able to exhibit in 10C’s galleries free of charge and no commission is collected on pieces sold. 10C offers a 33% discount on space fees for Indigenous community members and Indigenous led initiatives. The Guelph Farmers’ Market extends a 33% discount on vendor stall fees to all Indigenous community members.
- 10C is among the organizations who issued an open letter to Indigenous communities and organizations in Guelph and Wellington and have agreed to commit to implementing the Indigenous Identity Confirmation process with the implementation partner Debwewin. This process has been stewarded by the Guelph Wellington Ontario Health team, working with Indigenous community direction. This process will help us to confirm individuals’ Indigeneity and the Knowledges required for Indigenous-specific roles, as aligned with the standards set by First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities, that are both federally and Indigenously recognized on Turtle Island (Canada), recognizing self-identification is insufficient.
- Designing welcoming spaces, with barrier-free physical accessibility in mind. 10C’s community hub at 42 Carden Steet received Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification in 2021.
- Ensuring gender neutral washrooms are available at both 10C and the Guelph Farmers’ Market. Learn more about gender neutral and barrier free washroom upgrades at the Guelph Farmers’ Market here.
- Harvest Impact, our lending program, to support the needs of equity-deserving individuals who may face high barriers accessing capital and business support. As a network member of New Power Labs, Harvest Impact is committed to more equitable and inclusive capital, which includes the collection of disaggregated demographic data for purposes of increasing access to capital by underserved populations.
- Maintain open communication with 10C and community members, creating pathways for addressing harassment and other behaviours which are not tolerated in 10C spaces. You can find details about how to address harassment in our Kindness, Caring and Inclusion Policy and submit comments and concerns to the 10C team or Board of Directors here.
- Develop, implement and sustain projects and programs that better meet the needs of equity deserving communities by involving them in design and implementation processes. These activities also provide better access to programming and services because we can use funding to reduce financial and physical barriers to participation. Some examples of these projects and programs are:
- f.u.n. (food uniting neighbours) uses a co-design model where 10C staff and project partners work alongside and offer above living wage stipends to community leaders to develop, implement, evaluate and redesign community-based activities aimed at improving food access, food literacy, community connection and community wellbeing. With multi-phase long-term funding, we are able to work closely with paid community members, at an accessible pace, to truly understand and serve the needs of the community at the neighborhood level.
- Opening Opportunities is a community entrepreneurship program for women and gender-diverse people facing low income challenges. With low barriers to entry, the program is accessible and does not require participants to have prior business or entrepreneurship experience. The goal of the program is to make entrepreneurship skill development and resources available to those who might struggle to access them. In addition to offering training and support for aspiring entrepreneurs, the program directly supports participants with food at workshops and events, transportation support, childcare and access to technology.
- Nourishing Connections is a program for community members 55+ focused on learning and connection around food. The program aims to support skill building and social connection amongst seniors. The program offers free community meals and social gatherings as well as learning events with sliding scale tickets from $0-$25 dollars to ensure financial accessibility. The program is supported by an advisory group of 12 local seniors.
- f.u.n. (food uniting neighbours) uses a co-design model where 10C staff and project partners work alongside and offer above living wage stipends to community leaders to develop, implement, evaluate and redesign community-based activities aimed at improving food access, food literacy, community connection and community wellbeing. With multi-phase long-term funding, we are able to work closely with paid community members, at an accessible pace, to truly understand and serve the needs of the community at the neighborhood level.
- 10C’s Event/Workshop tickets are set at a varying sliding scale. The sliding scale recognizes that the current economic system is an outdated and oppressive model that does not serve the needs of our community. By offering a range of ticket prices we aim to reduce barriers to participation in community events and learning opportunities that are meant to be for everyone.
10C is committed to continued learning and action in this work. Please share any feedback, suggestions or complaints here.
If you’d like to reach our Board of Directors directly, please send an email to [email protected].