This past December, CPRS Vancouver’s EDI Director Nevasha Naidoo, APR
reflected on some of the challenges, successes, and lessons learned in her first year.
In this second installment, Naidoo provides insight into our biggest EDI accomplishments, and road ahead.
What are your three biggest accomplishments in the position so far?
As the EDI Director on the CPRS Vancouver Board, I work with the EDI subcommittee to create meaningful change and promote diversity and inclusion within the organization.
Over the past year (2021-2022), we achieved several notable EDI successes, including:
• "Awkward Conversations: Invisible Disabilities and Corporate Culture," our first EDI event.
• An event on Indigenous Relations for PR Professionals in recognition of National Day for Truth and Reconciliation, which was attended by almost 30 people.
• The management of a subcommittee of 10 volunteers, who bring diverse lived experiences to inform our processes and programming.
What is the focus for the EDI subcommittee in 2023?
Looking ahead in 2023, our primary goals are to:
• Update our website for accessibility and inclusivity.
• Offer more EDI events and training opportunities for PR professionals.
• Encourage diversity on the CPRS Vancouver Board.
• Integrate an EDI lens into all CPRS Vancouver communications.
• Partner with the National CPRS Board on local initiatives.
What inspires you about EDI in the communications sector?
What inspires me about EDI in the communications sector is the power of storytelling. Storytelling brings a brand to life and helps to build trust between the organization and its stakeholders. Authentic stories from diverse voices have a positive impact and shape the brand. I believe PR practitioners have a responsibility to communicate fairly and transparently with all stakeholders, including diverse communities.
Leading brands, such as
Dove,
Lush Cosmetics, and
M&M, are proving to be successful in the EDI arena.
As Nelson Mandela once said, "What counts in life is not the mere fact that we have lived. It is what difference we have made to the lives of others." PR practitioners and EDI advocates can make a positive impact in the industry by communicating with compassion, being empathetic leaders, and incorporating an EDI lens in their work and organizations.
If you are a CPRS member and wish to join the CPRS Vancouver EDI subcommittee, please email
[email protected].