diversitytalk

What is Advocacy? Tips for Communities to Advocate and to become an Advocate

Advocacy is a service aimed at helping people understand their rights and supporting them to have their voices heard. It includes different types of activities to create change. Advocates help to give people ways to speak out about things that negatively affect them.  Advocacy can be used to create a positive change toward greater social […]

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Diverse Populations in the Healthcare Policy: Challenges of Eliminating the Disparities in Canada

Healthcare is and will always be one of the top pillars upheld by every state, country, region, continent, and world as a whole. It is one subject that cannot be compromised and receives well-deserved attention and action from government institutions, academics and researchers, Non-Governmental Organizations, the private sector, Not-for-profit Organizations, and the global community.  Noting

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What are community and public engagement? How to engage correctly?

Governments, people, and organizations work collaboratively to create sustainable visions for their community’s future. Community engagement is a way of bringing them together to solve problems that affect people’s lives. For governments and organizations, it’s important to build long-term relationships and create a dialogue with the very diversity of their communities. Public engagement describes how

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Ika Washington

Ika Washington founded DiversityTalk intending to create a platform and consultancy that can work with organizations and corporations to engage with marginalized and underrepresented groups within the health and social service space. 
 
Ika Washington is a public health professional specializing in health policy and equity. She is passionate about best engagement practices, building meaningful partnerships, programs and services to improve the complex social and health problems impacting communities. Equipped with a diverse experience, including governance and regulatory affairs, policy development and implementation, health research design, and project management, coupled with an M.Sc focusing on social science and a progressive Ph.D. in Health Policy and Equity,  Ika thrives on being solution-based to improve spaces for marginalized groups and improve business designs. 
 
Ika’s work experience includes working as a Policy Analyst and Program Specialist at Health Canada and Regional Lead for an Indigenous Health Authority serving over 31 First Nations communities in Ontario. In leading the stage as a global speaker, she has been featured in Leafly, Globe and Mail, The Green Room, GrowOp, Postmedia, and guested on various podcasts and documentaries.
 
Ph.D in Health Policy & Equity – York University (progressive) 
M.Sc. in Social Science – University of Southampton (UK)
B.Sc. in Biology (Ecosystem & Health) – Western University