Over June 11 and 12, CivicAction brought together 300 civic leaders from all sectors and backgrounds for the Re:Action Forum, a virtual gathering to shape our region’s collective reaction to COVID-19.
Through consultations and virtual town halls with our network of diverse senior, risen and rising leaders, the Forum focused on three interconnected opportunities: helping young adults enter or re-enter the workforce; supporting mental wellbeing and combating loneliness; and building and maintaining trust in our communities and leaders.
These issues were also examined through an anti-racism lens and gave consideration to the experiences of residents who are Black, Indigenous and other vulnerable populations.
300 participants
over June 11 and 12.
650+
ideas for action submitted by participants.
100 commitments
made by participants to take action.
56% Risen or rising leaders
44% Senior leaders
36% Private
34% Non-profit
23% Public
7% Other
93% agree that
the overall format of the Forum was engaging.
3/4
were exposed to new ideas.
7/10
met new people.
Here are some of the key themes and ideas for action that emerged at the Re:Action Forum. These ideas were generated by Forum participants.
Reimagine how we train young people to be more nimble, affordable and accessible.
Improve how people connect and access job opportunities.
Build social connections within communities and neighbourhoods to better serve vulnerable residents.
Make workplace improvements.
Strengthen trust and understanding by amplifying voices and empowering uncomfortable, but necessary conversations.
Improve data collection and accountability to build back better.
Taking action requires making a commitment to change. Here’s a sample of the commitments made by Forum participants to help our region recover.
“Work on initiatives to embed mental wellness in the culture of my organization.”
“Challenge individuals and companies to hire or mentor more Black youth.”
“Encourage rising leaders to improve hiring practices in their organizations.”
“Use my privilege to amplify the voices of those who may not have a platform for their inequality.”
“Join an organization to community effort to improve employment opportunities”
It’s clear the greater Toronto region faces two pandemics—COVID-19 and the systemic racism and deep injustice that has for too long defined our society. Both will require sustained efforts to build back better. Now CivicAction and our partners must turn good intentions and words into concrete actions.
Over the coming months, CivicAction will begin by taking action on four key ideas that lend themselves to CivicAction’s collective impact model and diverse stakeholder network.
On Trust, we will start with:
On Re:Employment, we will start with:
We will continue to seek out opportunities to support mental health and tackle isolation through CivicAction’s programs and share ideas and other outputs from the Forum with our network of partners who are well-positioned to take action.