CESBC Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Commitment

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The Canadian Evaluation Society (CES) recognizes that evaluators have a role to play in addressing systemic issues that affect people’s lives. Evaluators are in a position to influence the decisions of governments, non-governmental organizations and other key service providers whose actions affect our daily realities. CES considers it part of our mandate to support evaluators in dismantling systemic and structural oppression and is actively working towards modelling inclusion, encouraging diverse perspectives and learning new ways to acknowledge and address the struggles of historically oppressed communities.¹

— Canadian Evaluation Society

The CES British Columbia chapter (CESBC) fully embraces this message. As part of our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), CESBC wants to further elaborate on our chapter’s role. CESBC recognizes systemic and structural oppression happens, among other ways, through the silencing and ignoring of certain voices. Given the position of evaluators to influence policies, the inclusion of underrepresented communities both in the evaluator community and in evaluations is an important way to recognize and address oppression.

CESBC hereby commits to advancing the mandate of supporting evaluators in dismantling systemic and structural oppression through:

1. Building an evaluator community that reflects the diversity in our society;
2. Creating opportunities to promote the involvement of underrepresented groups as members and in professional development opportunities; and
3. Supporting and educating evaluators to integrate diverse voices in evaluation work.

So far, CESBC has:

• Established the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Committee to guide the chapter’s DEI work;
• Established a DEI Mentee position on the Council;
• Provided free and lower-cost professional development opportunities (for example, CESBC webinar series);
• Provided bursaries to new and emerging evaluators for CESBC workshops and conferences;
• Offered two cohorts of the Evaluation Matching Service²;
• Hosted a Culturally Responsive Evaluation workshop;
• Hosted the Office of the BC Human Rights Commissioner and Executive Director, Research and Policy as keynote speakers for our 2020 Annual General Meeting³; and
• Started the Diverse Voices webinar series⁴.

CESBC recognizes that advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion is complex and requires a long-term commitment. The kind of progress we want to see requires commitment and collaboration both within and beyond our chapter and field. Moving forward, CESBC will:

• Establish a Diversity Fund to support members of underrepresented communities in accessing evaluation professional development opportunities;
• Host Anti-Racism workshop series;
• Continue to offer workshops and other events that support evaluators to integrate diverse voices in evaluation work;
• Continue to offer free or low-cost professional development opportunities;
• Seek to understand the state of diversity in our evaluator community;
• Seek to understand the experiences of evaluators from underrepresented communities;
• Report on DEI work at the Annual General Meeting; and
• Continue to seek and listen to diverse perspectives and provide channels for ongoing dialogue.

This DEI statement is of a living nature. As we learn and grow, we will continuously reflect and evaluate our work in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion.

Do you want to join the DEI conversation? We would like to hear your perspective. Do you have a favourite DEI initiative, speakers, or resources? Are there types of DEI initiatives missing from our list? What do you think are the most effective ways to advance DEI in evaluation? Get in touch with us today via cesbcdei@evaluationcanada.ca.

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1. Source: https://evaluationcanada.ca/diversity-equity-inclusion-working-group [page defunct]
2. Evaluation Matching Service connects emerging evaluators (as volunteers) and experienced evaluators (as coaches) to offer pro bono evaluation services to organizations in need. The program provides volunteers with valuable real-life evaluation experience and thus helps enhance diversity in the evaluator community. Source: https://evaluationbc.ca/Evaluation-Matching-Service [page not currently active]
3. The topic of the presentation was on the report Disaggregated demographic data collection in British Columbia: The grandmother perspective. “This report both answers and echoes the calls to collect disaggregated data to advance human rights. It emerges from decades of activism—particularly from communities of colour—calling for the data needed to develop policy that effectively addresses systemic inequalities. In other words, it calls—we call—for data that reflects the lived experiences of many, allowing their stories to be amplified and heard clearly by those in power.” Source: https://bchumanrights.ca/publications/datacollection/
4. Source: https://evaluationbc.ca/event-4040404