Category: Equity

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birth Canada Equity fertility pregnancy shame vulnerabiliity

Fat.

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Fat.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644624846918{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Read the word.  Read it once, twice, and then again.

How does reading the word make you feel?  How about saying it aloud? 

Most of us have learned to treat fat as a bad word and, beyond that, a bad thing to be.  We hear this from our friends and our peers, our families, our communities, the media we consume, and the healthcare systems we turn to when we’re unwell.  Fat is the punch line of countless jokes, the subject of over 40% of New Year’s resolutions[i], and the fuel of a weight loss industry worth $332.8 million in Canada alone[ii].

Fat people are scrutinized everywhere—in clothing stores that stop at size 14, on airplanes with too small seats, in conversations with relatives that always begin and end with comments on our size.  More than anywhere else, you can find this scrutiny in healthcare.  “Obesity” is listed as a risk factor for almost everything.  Any fat person who has been to a doctor’s office can tell you this. Depressed? Lose weight. Ear infection? Lose weight. Infertility? Lose weight.

When somebody is pregnant, trying to get pregnant, or even just a person between 20-40 with a uterus, their body is monitored in a whole new way.  They might be told that their weight will stop them from getting pregnant, that it will cause them to miscarry, that gestational diabetes will be inevitable, that they will need to be induced early, that their baby will be big, and on, and on, and on.

While any of these things might happen to a fat person, they won’t happen because the person is fat. Intentional weight loss is not a magical cure.  In fact, dieting could even lead to further issues with conception or pregnancy, where a nutrient-rich diet is important and weight gain is linked to the healthy development of the placenta, fetus, and pregnant person.

Over the past several years, there has been a shift in popular culture towards body positivity. Championed by celebrities and social media influencers, body positivity tells us to embrace and love our bodies (and other people’s bodies) as they are.  If this seems like a stretch goal, then we can be body neutral, accepting our body (and other people’s bodies) as they are, as the tools we use to engage with and experience the world.  These approaches can feel revolutionary when we’re used to hating our bodies and can absolutely improve our relationships with ourselves, but they aren’t enough.

Sofie Hagan, author of Happy Fat, explains, “I am not a body positivity campaigner, I am a fat liberationist. I do not care if you love your body or not, I care about abolishing the systemic discrimination and abuse that fat people endure on a daily basis.  Body positivity is fine, but it doesn’t at all fix the problem.” (Twitter, October 25, 2021).

The problems that Hagan is talking about are systemic fatphobia and sizeism. 

Fatphobia tells us that fat bodies are undesirable, unhealthy, and repulsive.  It includes fat jokes in the schoolyard and your grandmother telling you how much weight you’ve gained, but also means that fat people are less likely to be hired, less likely to be seen as attractive, less likely to be taken seriously by their medical providers.  It doesn’t just make people feel bad, it can be a matter of life or death: when Ellen Maud Bennett died of terminal cancer in 2018, her obituary named fatphobia as the cause, explaining, “Over the past few years of feeling unwell she sought out medical intervention and no one offered any support or suggestions beyond weight loss.”[iii]

Sizeism privileges smaller bodies over larger ones.  Not just through beauty ideals but through the systems and structures that we interact with every day.  This can include everything from insurance policies that have a body mass index (BMI) cutoff to hospital gowns and beds that don’t fit larger bodies.

To confront fatphobia and sizeism we don’t just need increased confidence in our own bodies, we need a different approach to size and weight.

The health at every size (HAES) movement is pushing medical providers to recognize that people can be healthy at every size, that fat shouldn’t be treated as an illness, that weight loss shouldn’t be treated as a cure, and that there needs to be (literal and metaphorical) room for fat people in our healthcare system.  It’s an important movement, but still prioritizes health. Fat people can be healthy or unhealthy, thin people can be too. All of us, regardless of size, will experience variations in our health throughout our lives.  We don’t owe anybody good health, and we don’t need to be healthy to deserve respect.

We need fat positivity: a mental and systemic shift that includes and embraces fat bodies, regardless of health. [/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644624383626{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]So, as a doula, how can you provide fat positive support?[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644624485528{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]1. Don’t ask about or comment on your client’s weight.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1645143545782{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]2. If your client asks about how being fat will impact them during conception, pregnancy, or birth, share evidence-based information and resources that are size inclusive.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644624540161{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]3.Support your client through their healthcare experiences.  If your client is worried about weight checks, let them know that they have a right to refuse or to ask why they are being weighed.  If they are worried about whether a hospital or birth centre will accommodate them (from weight limits on hospital beds to BMI limits on epidurals), contact the birth location to find out.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644624580474{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]4. Provide emotional support, recognizing the trauma that many fat people have experienced in healthcare.  Your client might feel anxious, avoidant, or upset when having to interact with healthcare providers or entering doctors’ offices or hospitals.  Validate these feelings.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644624610152{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]5. Recognize that everything from common birth support positions to equipment like birth balls or birthing pools haven’t been made with fat people in mind.  Consider in advance how to adapt your support to include fat bodies.  If your client is comfortable, this can include practicing support positions to see how they feel for you and your client, as well as any other support people involved.[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1644624639055{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]6. Examine your own biases.  We grow up in a fatphobic and sizeist world, and internalize these beliefs from a very young age. Ask yourself what you think and feel about fat bodies, then ask yourself why.  This is hard, ongoing, and crucial work.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1645287465765{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Fat people deserve to have our pregnancies and births treated with respect and care. We deserve health systems that see us as whole people and not as problems. We deserve to have our strength and capacity recognized.  We deserve partners, healthcare providers, and doulas who support, affirm, and hold us as we are.

Interested in learning more?  Sign up for Doula Canada’s webinar on Addressing Sizeism and Fatphobia in Birth Work, happening on February 27th from 12:30pm-1:30pm EST.[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_btn title=”Click here to register for our FAT: ADDRESSING SIZEISM AND FATPHOBIA IN BIRTHWORK webinar” color=”mulled-wine” align=”center” link=”url:https%3A%2F%2Fstefanie-techops.wisdmlabs.net%2Ftraining%2Ffat-addressing-sizeism-and-fatphobia-in-birthwork%2F|||”][vc_separator color=”white”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1645287477111{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][i] https://today.yougov.com/topics/lifestyle/articles-reports/2020/01/03/canada-new-year-resolutions

[ii] https://www.ibisworld.com/canada/market-research-reports/weight-loss-services-industry

[iii] https://www.legacy.com/ca/obituaries/timescolonist/name/ellen-bennett-obituary[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
Anti-racism work Canada community connection decolonization Equity indigenous doula intersectionality MMIWG national indigenous peoples day Trauma understanding bias

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1632997516706{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]September 30th is now National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. So what does this mean? How does it relate to doula care and birth work?

The National Day for Truth and Reconciliation comes after decades of emotional labour and advocacy from Indigenous communities, as well as a year of grieving Indigenous children and investigating the tragedies of the residential school system. Not only did Indigenous families experience the horrors of this system, but many others as well, such as the epidemic of Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG), the 60’s scoop, and current extraction of environmental resources.

This is not history. This is happening now. Something needs to change.

Why are we asking members to reflect today? Besides being citizens on Indigenous lands, birth and postpartum workers interact directly with Indigenous families, and play an integral role in mitigating systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma.

For example:

  • Providing culturally sensitive care and awareness when working with Indigenous families
  • Providing trauma-informed care for those impacted by violence and adult child survivors of the child protection system
  • Creating space for cultural birthing practices
  • Advocating against racialized medical violence

Getting comfortable with truth and reconciliation requires a lot of discomfort. This is okay. It is only when we face our shortcomings head on that we can progress toward change. We welcome you to reflect on some questions today.

Reflection Questions for Doulas:

  • How have I benefited from capitalism, colonialism, and extraction of resources?
  • How have I upheld colonial norms that can potentially cause harm?
  • What did I learn growing up about the history of Canada and Indigenous Peoples?

When we can acknowledge we are a product of wider system indoctrinations like white supremacy, colonialism, etc. we can separate our character from the issues at hand. Good people can do harm. Good people are capable of racism, classism, and perpetuating colonial norms. Shame restricts us from moving forward.

In an effort to show this to you, here is mine. As an Indigenous person, I am still capable of perpetrating colonial harm.

  1. I benefited from colonial post-secondary institutions and obtaining a western education
  2. I have upheld colonial norms in the social work field as a mandated reporter
  3. I learned in elementary school that Canada obtained the land fairly and through agreement with Indigenous Peoples. Since then, I have done a degree in Indigenous Studies and learned about the tragedies of colonialism.

Don’t know where to start? Dr. Lynne Davis of Trent University and her class “Transforming Settler Relations” have compiled a database of Canadian initiatives that support allyship, education, and decolonization. Find an initiative here: https://transformingrelations.wordpress.com/

You can take action today by signing up for our trauma series this fall. The workshop “Intergenerational Trauma: The Doula Connection” on October 28 from 7-8:30pm EST will focus primarily on working with Indigenous families impacted by trauma and systemic oppression. All proceeds will go to The Indigenous Foundation.

To any Indigenous and non-Indigenous doulas who have questions, need support, or would like to chat about truth and reconciliation, please contact Kayt at kayt@doulatraining.ca

Miigwetch,
Kayt Ward (She/Her)
Indigenous Inclusion and Engagement Lead, BSW[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
Anti-racism work Business Equity intersectionality LGBTQ2S+ Members understanding bias

Applying an Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Lens to our Curricula

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1626172064269{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]In Fall 2020, Doula Canada circulated a survey that was looking to hear specifically from members self-identified as belonging to equity-seeking groups such as, but not limited to, Indigenous, Black, racialized, immigrants or newcomers, LGBTQ2S+, and/or disabled peoples. We really wanted to hear directly from members about their experiences, learn from them, and listen for ways that they felt that we could do better. Something that came up repeatedly was the gaps in our curriculum materials that resulted in members feeling excluded – things like gendered language, white dominant images, only heteronormative references, limited or inappropriate cultural references, and more. We were feeling this too and it was powerful to hear it echoed back at us!

We certainly see that, historically, the primary narrative in education and training in the perinatal field (especially in Canada) centers and reflects persons and experiences characterized in the following ways: white (including white/light skin tones and hair that tends towards long, blonde/brown and straight/wavy), in a heterosexual and racially homogenous couple, able-bodied, thin, 30-something, with pregnancy intentional and resulting from sexual intercourse between a cisgender woman and man. This narrative has been applied to both doula clients and doulas themselves. It is seen in images, language, resources and references, and focus of discussions. This narrative leaves so many valued people and groups OUT.

In late 2020, we took deeper action to change this narrative in our own house by initiating the development of a robust Curriculum Checklist that is built around an intentional integration of an equity, diversity, and inclusion (EDI) lens in curriculum materials (oral and written). Yes, a checklist sounds like it could be ugh when it comes to EDI work  – like a token action that gets people off the hook from doing any deeper, transformational work. We thought about that! Our Curriculum Checklist is for internal and external course developers and instructors who work with Doula Canada. It pushes them to reflect on how people who differ from the primary narrative are excluded and ignored, or, are mentioned and described in ways that present them as out of the ordinary. The Checklist means that dominant biases get reduced or removed from our curriculum through an intentional and guided change in language, images, references, and resources. The Checklist is also part of our Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Action Plan (that we will officially launch soon). 

We have just started to test out the Checklist in practice. We will watch the results and take action as required. We see it as a living document that will be continuously refined and improved. Right now, it largely focuses on sexual orientation, gender identity, race, and culture as areas where the dominant narrative is exclusionary. We have started adding more on intentional inclusion of Indigenous Peoples and disabled people.

Wondering what it looks like? Here are a few snippets![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_single_image image=”377355″ img_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
balance birth Business Equity intersectionality Labour Doula LGBTQ2S+ Postpartum Doula pride

Bringing Your Whole Self into the (Birth) Room

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1623409186714{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]It’s June, which means it’s Pride month here in Ontario as well as many other places across Canada and the world. For many of us who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer, and/or Two Spirit, (LGBTQ2S) that means an opportunity to celebrate our identities, our relationships, our families, and our whole fabulous selves. But even as we take to the (virtual) streets, we might wonder about bringing our identities into our work with clients.

You might be wondering, “Why do you have to bring your identity into your work? Why can’t you just keep the two things separate?” Bringing your identity into your work doesn’t necessarily mean beginning every introduction with, “Hi, I’m a doula and I’m gay!” (Though it can!) It means being able to use your pronouns, talk about your family, and share stories without having to edit yourself. It means not just seeing your clients, but also being seen by them.

While everybody has different ideas of professionalism, our work as doulas is deeply personal and relational. Sharing between doulas and clients is rarely one sided, and doesn’t have to be. Straight and cisgender doulas share their identities all the time, whether talking about their husbands or posting a family photo on social media, it’s just not seen as coming out because those identities have already been assumed.   

You might also be wondering how moving through the world as an LGBTQ2S doula might impact your business. It’s a real fear: homophobia and transphobia exist everywhere, and there are families who might choose not to hire you because of how you identify or present yourself. There are also families who will hire you exactly because of these things.  

This doesn’t mean that you have to come out: it’s a deeply personal decision. LGBTQ2S doulas navigate their identities in many different ways. You can incorporate your identity into your business mandate and name, and choose to work primarily with LGBTQ2S communities. You can market to a broader audience but share how you identify in your bio or on social media. You can plaster your website with rainbows. You can ask and expect your clients to use your name and pronouns. You can come out in your meet and greet, or as your relationship with a client builds, or when they ask you about your family. You can come out to some clients and not to others. It’s up to you.

Whatever you choose to do, we’re proud of you.

 

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Categories
Anti-racism work Canada community decolonization Equity indigenous doula Trauma Uncategorised

215.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1622592235107{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]We acknowledge and honour the 215 children whose unmarked graves were found at Kamloops Indian Residential School last week. Their deaths, as well as their short lives as residential school victims, are acts of terrible violence.

These 215 children represent only a small fraction of those who have lost their language, culture, families, and lives to the residential school system in Canada and the residential school system is only one element of ongoing colonialism and cultural genocide in Canada.

As birth workers, and as Doula Canada, it is our responsibility to name and resist the ways in which colonialism and cultural genocide show up in our work: in the practice of birth alerts; in the overrepresentation of Indigenous children in child welfare systems; in the erasure, dismissal, and coopting of Indigenous birth practices; in the systemic oppression present in healthcare settings; in the ongoing violence perpetuated against Indigenous children and families; in intergenerational trauma that this has caused. As Doula Canada, we are holding ourselves accountable for how these show up in our curriculum, teaching, and engagement with members. This work is imperfect, ongoing, and necessary.

We send our love and rage to our Indigenous members, colleagues, friends, clients, and families. We are so very sorry for your children.

[/vc_column_text][vc_separator color=”white”][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1622592102485{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Resources:

Indian Residential School Survivors Society: https://www.irsss.ca/

Plain Talk Residential Schools Guide, Assembly of First Nations: https://education.afn.ca/afntoolkit/learning-module/residential-schools/

Tk’emlúps te Secwe̓pemc (Kamloops Indian Band) Office of the Chief May 27, 2021 Press Release: https://tkemlups.ca/wp-content/uploads/05-May-27-2021-TteS-MEDIA-RELEASE.pdf

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Findings and Calls to Action: http://www.trc.ca/about-us/trc-findings.html

Truth and Reconciliation Commission Missing Children Project: http://www.trc.ca/events-and-projects/missing-children-project.html

Canada’s Residential Schools: Missing Children and Unmarked Burials: The Final Report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, Volume 4 (available for purchase in English and French):

https://www.mqup.ca/canada—s-residential-schools–missing-children-and-unmarked-burials-products-9780773546578.php

https://www.mqup.ca/pensionnats-du-canada—enfants-disparus-et-lieux-de-s–pulture-non-marqu–s-products-9780773546677.php?page_id=118863&

CBC Docs: My auntie survived residential school. I need to gather her stories before she’s gone.:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToUVHjr1xK0

A national Indian Residential School Crisis Line has been set up to provide support for former students and those affected. People can access emotional and crisis referral services by calling the 24-hour national crisis line:

1-866-925-4419

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_button corner_style=”full_rounded” size=”x-large” url=”https://bhn.cmha.ca/national-indian-residential-school-crisis-line/?mc_cid=01ee69929e&mc_eid=810fcff83c” align=”center” fullwidth=”true”]National Indian Residential School Crisis Line[/mk_button][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
birth Childbirth Educator Equity fertility intersectionality Labour Doula Postpartum Doula understanding bias

Using Inclusive Language in Birth Work

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1617899935998{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Let’s start with this: not all birthing people are women.

The birth world is full of ideas about who can get pregnant, give birth, and parent.  This is reflected in the images we see on social media (hello, white dresses and flower crowns), the materials available to us (the classic La Leche League text, “The Womanly Art of Breastfeeding”), and the language that automatically gets applied to pregnant people (“Hi mamas!”)

If you’re somebody whose understanding or experience of parenthood fits into these ideas, you might not have even noticed that they exist. If you’re somebody whose understanding or experience of parenthood exists outside of these ideas, you’re probably painfully aware that they are there.

If your own personal connection to pregnancy and birth is rooted in being a woman, that’s okay. If your passion for birthwork, your reason for becoming a doula, and your personal brand are all rooted in working with women, that’s okay too.  What isn’t okay is forcing these ideas on to people who don’t fit into them.

As doulas, our work is meant to be client-centered.  This means listening to our clients’ needs and doing what we can to meet them. As well as being about which resources you share and which comfort measures you offer, being client-centered is about how you recognize your clients and the language that you use. If you are working with a client whose experience of pregnancy, birth, and parenthood don’t align with your understanding of these things, then it is your job to shift your framework to include them.

Some suggestions:

  1. When introducing yourself to a client, share your pronouns as well as your name: “Hi, my name is Anna and I use she/her pronouns.” This creates space for your clients to share their pronouns too.
  2. Think about the language and images you use in your own materials and brand.  Who does it include?  Who does it exclude?
  3. Share the terms that you use, but acknowledge that clients’ may use different ones.  “I generally use the term breastfeeding, but let me know if you would prefer chestfeeding, nursing, or something else.”
  4. Recognize that we are always learning and growing and sometimes that means we will make mistakes.  If you are challenged on something that you’ve said or done, say thank you and move on: “Thank you– parent, not mom.  I’ll try to not make that mistake again.”
  5. When possible, challenge other service providers’ language and assumptions too.
  6. Find opportunities to celebrate a range of identities, experiences, and families.  You can do this through your conversations with colleagues and clients, your social media, and events like Pride.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][mk_image src=”https://stefanie-techops.wisdmlabs.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/04/instead-of.png” image_size=”full”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1617915869980{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Building an inclusive doula practice means being intentional about the way you understand and reflect who can get pregnant, give birth, and be a parent. Unlearning and expanding these ideas can be challenging, but also rewarding.  Doing this work means that you’ll be ready to work with all clients, not just all mothers.

What are you doing to make your work inclusive?  Let us know in the comments![/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
Anti-racism work decolonization Equity intersectionality Members understanding bias

Update: Equity, Diversity, & Inclusion Work at Doula Canada (2020-2021)

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1614781526791{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Thank you for visiting!

In this message, we are outlining the equity, diversity, and inclusion work that Doula Canada, with the guidance of its two Inclusion and Engagement Leads, began in 2020 and will continue to develop, update, and amend as a part of our learning and engagement on these topics and their relation to birth work.  This message will also outline our response to recent feedback, and the actionable steps that we are currently working on.  This process will take time, and we are committed to the important conversations and changes in the days, weeks, and months to come.  

The following work was done prior to the current events that Doula Canada is experiencing and were in no way a reaction to these recent conversations:

 – The hiring of two Inclusion and Engagement Leads for Doula Canada
[Applications were accepted between November 2019 and June 2020]
 [Interviews:  April-June 2020, Positions began: June 2020]

  • Creation and distribution of Equity & Inclusion Climate survey for all Doula Canada members who self-identified as members of equity-seeking groups, including but not limited to, members who identify as Indigenous, Black, racialized, a person of colour, LGBTQ2S+, disabled, and/or living in poverty. The survey was sent to full Doula Canada membership.
    [Survey sent: September 4th, 2020] 
  • Analysis of survey answers (Oct/Nov 2020) and meeting with full Doula Canada staff to review and discuss next steps for support and learning
    [Survey reviewed with staff:  November 24th, 2020] 
  • Drafting Doula Canada Equity & Inclusion Action Plan.  The overall goal of this plan is to embed equity, diversity, and inclusion, over the next few years, in all aspects of our work, from our organizational policies and practices to our daily work as staff and instructors.It emphasizes action, accountability, and meaningful engagement.
    [Draft started: November 11, 2020
    [Estimated completion: July 1 2021 ]
    For further information or discussion please contact monika@doulatraining.ca and anna@doulatraining.ca 
  • The initial draft of EDI Curriculum Checklist.  This checklist is an internal document that has been developed to support integrating an equity, diversity, and inclusion lens into curricula that is delivered on behalf of or in collaboration with Doula Canada. It will be utilized in all course audits and in the development of new materials.
    [ start date: November 11th, 2020]
    [Status: Sent for review/feedback from DTC team, including instructors, February 2021] 
  • An initial audit of labour doula, postpartum doula, menopause doula, fertility doula, triple stream, and dual stream curriculum for inclusive language, representative images, removal of incorrect or derogatory terms, and updating of statistics. 
    [Start date:  August 9th, 2020
    [End date: December 2020; now in the second audit with external advisors with July 1, 2021 expected completion date] 
  • Contacts made to set up training for instructors and staff in topics of anti-racism and anti-oppression training.  We are in communication with external facilitators to host training for all staff and instructors.
    [Communication date:  June 5th 2020, follow up in September 2020 and January 2021] 
  • Creation and addition of an introductory module about Anti-racism, Anti-Oppression, and Knowing Your Privilege in birth work.  This module was added to all primary Doula Canada programs by the end of December 2020.
    [Start date: September 21, 2020]
    [End date: December 2, 2020]

 

The following actions were taking between February 16th, 2021 and March 1st, 2021 in response to community and member feedback:

  • Communication via email to individual persons who felt harmed by the actions or  decisions of DTC staff or administration
    [Communication date:  February 16, 2021-February 19th, 2021] 
  • Hiring of consultants who work in equity, anti-racism, and anti-oppression capacities to discuss communication and how to move forward for the betterment of all persons
    [February 19th, 2021] 
  • A pause of all DTC social media accounts, to reflect and plan better engagement
    [February 19, 2021] 
  • Removal of instructional materials about rebozo teachings and other culturally specific practices from our learning materials.
    [February 22, 2021] 
  • Town Hall for persons who have access to DTC learning materials
    [February 24, 2021] 
  • Reallocation of anti-oppression, anti-racism, and privilege module to an earlier place in the online module system, based on feedback from the town hall.
    [February 25, 2021] 
  • Meetings with potential moderator/s for social media, who have anti-racism and anti-oppression experience.
    [February 19, 2021, ongoing until person is hired for role] 
  • Preparation of communication for stakeholders, members, and staff
    [Ongoing]

The following are deliverables that Doula Canada will continue working towards and will continue to reassess throughout 2021.  These plans may take time and will be done with respect and acknowledgment of our members voices and needs:

  • Hiring of instructors who are BIPOC, 2SLGBTQ, or members of other equity-seeking groups whose materials and instruction practices do not represent the white, heterocissexist history of modern birth work. 
  • Learning for our staff and administrators with qualified and compensated trainers on topics related to anti-racism, anti-oppression, and privilege. 
  • Review and implementation of the curriculum checklist 
  • Next steps in the development of the Equity and Inclusion Action Plan draft, including staff review and member engagement (via a small advisory committee and general membership survey), followed by implementation 
  • A restructuring of staff and management to ensure communication with our members is open, ongoing and thorough. 
  • The formation of a DTC customer counsel (member council) 
  • Regular feedback forms and town halls to hear concerns and feedback from registered members. 
  • Reassessment of our equity-seeking scholarship application  
  • Active recruitment of external course instructors who can offer instruction and/or materials on topics related to birth work and social justice, equity, anti-oppression, privilege, implicit bias and other topics of importance to members (as shared through ongoing feedback, communication, and engagement)

We thank you for your feedback and encourage you to continue reaching out via email or phone.  Persons who have chosen to take learning with DTC can also provide feedback via the anonymous Feedback Form under the 2021 MEMBER RESOURCES tab in their personal login.  Your feedback assists our staff in updating learning materials, creating new systems for engagement, and knowing what DTC needs to do to support its members.

Questions about the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion work or recent events can be sent to info@doulatraining.ca.  Your message will be forwarded to the appropriate staff member. 

All communication is electronically kept on file with DTC (from 2016 onwards).

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Categories
About Us Anti-racism work decolonization Equity intersectionality

Doula Canada: Anti-Racism Pledge (2021)

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1613744072438{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]February 18th, 2021

Our 2021 Anti-Racism Pledge at Doula Training Canada Inc.
(updated from the 2020 pledge, first posted June 25/2020)

We will recruit and amplify Indigenous, Black and other racialized (IBR) persons as contributors, members and employees. 

We will work with more IBR writers, expert sources, illustrators, and photographers, to create and enhance our content—not just on isolated topics of race, but across our full organization’s representation on all topics.   

By the end of 2021 our current and new materials will be culturally relevant and appropriate and created in consultation with the appropriate communities. 

We will make intentional efforts to not engage in cultural appropriation.  

We will commit to greater representation of  Indigenous, Black and other racialized people in our visual assets.

This includes our original assets such as illustrations, photography, and videos, as well as those sourced by stock photography resources.

By the end of 2021, we pledge that a minimum of 25% of our materials will contain visual assets inclusive of IBR people.  We will continue to update our existing materials regularly to ensure they are representative, culturally appropriate, and inclusive.  

We commit to including anti-racism education across our curriculum. 

At Doula Canada, we will promote knowledge, values and skills that help members to identify, critically analyze and intervene against the insidious and lethal effects of racism. We believe in the power of self-reflection and ongoing discussion about how issues of systemic racism influence birth work practice.

By the end of 2020, anti-racism education was incorporated into our core programs and we will continue to update, add, and adjust curriculum to continue ARO work. 

We will prioritize the diversity of our in-house team and commit to continued anti-racism education.

By the end of 2021, our entire team will have participated in and actively engage with anti-racist and anti-oppression training. 

We will rigorously examine the recruitment processes we have in place and work to improve representation amongst our staff.  We will look to external consultants to assist in this endeavour and to provide feedback to our organization on its processes and staffing.

We will not feature products, brands, writers, experts, influencers, or other sources with a known history of racist or other oppressive practices.  

If we have unknowingly done so, we’ll work to immediately correct our mistakes.

We approach this pledge as our commitment to an ongoing process built on a foundation of empathy. We promise to listen to, learn from, and support our IBR members in ways that are important to them. 

In order to best do so, our team is dedicated to educating ourselves on anti-racism and anti-oppression, and recognizing how racial inequalities impact our profession and the core content we have created. We will work hard to understand how these injustices impact our members, our communities, and the birth and postpartum environments we work within.

We will acknowledge that we have done and work to unlearn thoughts, habits, or beliefs that do not support others.

We invite you to hold us accountable and trust we are doing the same within our team. Please share feedback about how we can continue to improve and grow. We want to hear how you feel you are, or are not, represented in what you see across Doula Canada . You can reach us at info@doulatraining.ca 

 

Shaunacy King
Director
Doula Canada

Sondra Marcon
Education Director
Doula Canada

Doula Canada Staff

Jessica Palmquist – Fertility Program Coordinator 

Carissa Marks Thomson – Instructor (all programs)

Anna Penner, Inclusion and Engagement Lead – LGBTQ2S+ Community

Milly Friedman – Instructor, Western Canada (all programs)

Sara Beckel – Instructor, Western Canada (all programs)

Monika Goodluck, Inclusion and Engagement Lead – Racialized Communities

Jillian Hand – Lead Instructor, Atlantic Canada

Samantha Whitman – Communications and internal resources

Shandelle Ferguson – Student and Alumni Relations Coordinator[/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_btn title=”PDF COPY AVAILABLE HERE” style=”classic” shape=”square” color=”mulled-wine” align=”left” link=”url:%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2020%2F06%2Fdtc-anti-racism-pledge-2020.pdf||target:%20_blank|”][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
decolonization Equity indigenous doula intersectionality Labour Doula MMIWG national indigenous peoples day

How We Can Act: The MMIWG Inquiry Final Report and Calls for Justice

Doula Canada's response to MMIWG Inquiry Report

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560260285382{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”][/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560260682164{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]Doula Training Canada’s Indigenous Doula Consultant Miranda reflects on the release of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls Inquiry report and how we as citizens of Canada, and birth professionals can work towards self reflection and change. [/vc_column_text][mk_padding_divider size=”12″][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560260346551{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]The final report of the Murdered and Missing Indigenous Women and Girls (MMIWG) National Inquiry was released on June 3. The report, entitled ‘Reclaiming Power and Place: The Final Report of the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls’, comes in two volumes and issues 231 ‘Calls for Justice’ as essential next steps to end and redress the colonial violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA (two-spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex and asexual) people.

You may be wondering where to begin integrating the findings of this report and the Calls for Justice into your daily life. The vast majority of the Calls to Justice are directed toward all levels of government, and those in the media, health and child welfare systems, law enforcement, criminal justice, education, and extractive and development industries. There are also Calls for Justice for all Canadians, which can serve as a framework and starting place for you. They are as follows:

  • Denounce and speak out against violence against Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people.
  • Decolonize by learning the true history of Canada and Indigenous history in your local area. Learn about and celebrate Indigenous Peoples’ history, cultures, pride, and diversity, acknowledging the land you live on and its importance to local Indigenous communities, both historically and today.
  • Develop knowledge and read the Final Report. Listen to the truths shared, and acknowledge the burden of these human and Indigenous rights violations, and how they impact Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people today.
  • Using what you have learned and some of the resources suggested, become a strong ally. Being a strong ally involves more than just tolerance; it means actively working to break down barriers and to support others in every relationship and encounter in which you participate.
  • Confront and speak out against racism, sexism, ignorance, homophobia, and transphobia, and teach or encourage others to do the same, wherever it occurs: in your home, in your workplace, or in social settings.
  • Protect, support, and promote the safety of women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people by acknowledging and respecting the value of every person and every community, as well as the right of Indigenous women, girls, and 2SLGBTQQIA people to generate their own, self-determined solutions.
  • Create time and space for relationships based on respect as human beings, supporting and embracing differences with kindness, love, and respect. Learn about Indigenous principles of relationship specific to those Nations or communities in your local area and work, and put them into practice in all of your relationships with Indigenous Peoples.
  • Help hold all governments accountable to act on the Calls for Justice, and to implement them according to the important principles set out in the final report.

[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_separator color=”mulled_wine”][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=”.vc_custom_1560261171118{margin-bottom: 0px !important;}”]There are also Calls of Justice that are applicable to us in our roles as doulas and childbirth educators. The report calls upon governments, health service providers, and child welfare services to:

Recognize that Indigenous Peoples are the experts in caring for and healing themselves, and that health and wellness services are most effective when they are designed and delivered by the Indigenous Peoples they are supposed to serve, in a manner consistent with and grounded in the practices, world views, cultures, languages, and values of the diverse Inuit, Métis, and First Nations communities they serve.

  • Provide necessary resources, including funding, to support the revitalization of Indigenous health, wellness, and child and Elder care practices. This includes matriarchal teachings on midwifery and postnatal care for both woman and child.
  • Ensure that all persons involved in the provision of health services to Indigenous Peoples receive ongoing training, education, and awareness in areas including, but not limited to: the history of colonialism in the oppression and genocide of Inuit, Métis, and First Nations Peoples; anti-bias and anti-racism; local language and culture; and local health and healing practices.
  • End to the practice of targeting and apprehending infants (hospital alerts or birth alerts) from Indigenous mothers right after they give birth.
  • Ensure the availability of effective, culturally appropriate, and accessible health and wellness services within each Inuit community. This includes the establishment and funding of birthing centres in each Inuit community, as well as the training of Inuit midwives in both Inuit and contemporary birthing techniques.

These Calls for Justice present us with points for reflection in our practices as doulas and childbirth educators. How do you support Indigenous Peoples as experts in their own health? How can you lend support to revitalization of Indigenous health and wellness practices? Are you pursuing ongoing training and education to expand your understanding of colonization and local Indigenous Peoples, cultures, and practices? I invite all of us to reflect on our practices and examine how we can act on the Calls of Justice above.

We each have the opportunity to be a change agent in our community. We are at the frontline of birth culture and can act as advocates at a systemic level. We can collaborate and strategize to make doula services and childbirth education more accessible to Indigenous Peoples. We can support the training and mentorship of Indigenous doulas and childbirth educators, and build communities of practice around them. We can build working relationships with local Indigenous communities and service agencies. We can connect Indigenous families to Indigenous Patient Liaisons, Cultural Liaisons and Elders in Residence, or advocate for these positions if none exist in your local hospitals. We can build relationships with local health care providers and ask how they are responding to these Calls to Justice.

We have a collective responsibility to consider how our work can disrupt the status quo of societal and institutional violence against Indigenous women, girls and 2SLGBTQQIA people. I welcome your stories of how you are enacting these Calls for Justice in your work.

Here are some resources to support you further in your learning:

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Miranda Kelly Indigenous Doula Consultant Doula Canada

Miranda Kelly is Stó:lô from Soowahlie First Nation, living in the unceded, ancestral lands of the Squamish, Musqueam and Tsleil-Waututh (Vancouver, BC). She is a wife and mother of two. She has worked professionally in Indigenous health in a variety of research, policy and education roles for over a decade. Miranda holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Victoria and a Master of Public Health degree from the University of British Columbia. She is a certified Birth and Postpartum Doula and currently completing certification as a Childbirth Educator. As a member of the ekw’i7tl doula collective, she provides full spectrum doula services to Indigenous families and helps build a community of practice among Indigenous doulas in Vancouver. She is proud to join the amazing team at Doula Canada in the newly created role of Indigenous Doula Consultant. https://www.mirandakelly.com/[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

Categories
Equity Mentorship

Supporting Doula Diversity & Access to Care

It is a well known fact that doula training has largely been marketed toward white, middle-class, persons in the past.  The history of Doula Canada is no different, and this something our Doula Canada team has been mindful about shifting over the tenure of our current administration.

In 2019 our organization moved towards recognizing and augmenting our official Equity and Inclusion Policy, as well as created a number of new positions for team members who will help us to focus and execute projects aimed at creating further diversity and support in the doula and childbirth educator professions.

We are pleased to have added male doulas and educators to our roster of members this past year, and look forward to seeing how they buttress their passion for supporting their communities.  There is no doubt in our minds that these men are nothing but incredible people who will make fantastic doulas as they move through certification.

We are also moving beyond Canada to raise awareness and create greater access to doula care.  Doula Canada, in partnership with Wombs of the World, will be working with primary care providers and hospital staff in Tanzania to develop a doula training.   One of our goals of this training is to create job-sustainability and a doula economy that the residents of the Karatu district can have access to.   We have also started a GoFundMe campaign to raise funds for a much needed ultrasound machine at the DD Hospital.  This machine will change lives!  For more or to donate visit here.

Of course we recognize there are still a number of communities and persons in Canada who we can do better to support, and our team is devoted to working with our members to create opportunities and reach goals here at home.  Miranda Kelly (Indigenous Doula Consultant) and Renee Curry (Fundraising Coordinator), as well as our administrative team and dedicated Provincial Liaisons will be hosting meetings, seeking funding, and preparing project plans.  If you have ideas we would love to connect!

We want to recognize the important work being done to increase access and inclusion by such organizations as BirthMark, the Association of Ontario Doulas, BC Doulas, the BCAAFC, the Doula Fund, and many others who work daily to create equity in our profession and inclusion and access for all persons.

Equity for doulas, but more important equity for the clients we serve should be a leading thought amongst all doula training organizations, associations, agencies, collectives AND independent doula enterprises.  By embracing an equity and inclusion policy and collaborating with our professional colleagues we can begin to change the space of doula support.  Our space can grow, and it can include access and fair involvement for all.

Do you have an equity and inclusion policy in place?  Has it opened doors to collaboration?
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