For over 15 years, our Training Centre has been partnering with organizations in Calgary, regionally and nationally to strengthen their approaches to equity, inclusion and care for 2SLGBTQ+ communities.
Some client organizations are just beginning and see significant impact from a single workshop. Others are ready for a multi-stage journey that includes multiple workshops or taking advantage of our audit and consulting service.
We have had a long partnership with Woods Homes and recently conducted an organizational audit for them. Krista West (she/her), Chief Operating Officer, reflects on the partnership between Woods Homes and the Centre, as well as key learnings and what meaningful organizational change looks like in practice.
Q: How long has Woods Homes been working with the Centre for Sexuality and what training have you accessed?
We’ve been in partnership with the Centre for Sexuality for many years. That relationship extends beyond the Training Centre; elements of the WiseGuyz and Girls Programs are embedded within some of our therapeutic settings, including our live-in treatment programs. It’s a longstanding partnership that continues to benefit our organization and the communities we serve.
From a training perspective, the work began with individual programs reaching out to the Centre for Sexuality for support, particularly around strengthening staff capacity to work respectfully and effectively with 2SLGBTQ+ people, and creating more meaningful opportunities for engagement. Over time, that program-level collaboration evolved into a broader organizational partnership, including a full organizational audit and additional training to support our overall EDI goals.
Q: What prompted you to pursue deeper engagement with an audit?
With a team of more than 600 staff, we’re one of the largest not-for-profits in Calgary. In 2022, we conducted a workforce diversity survey, and one key finding was that many staff didn’t feel prepared to support 2SLGBTQ+ people, whether in their work with clients or in how we supported one another as colleagues. That’s what led us to engage the Centre’s audit service.
For many of our staff who identify as 2SLGBTQ+, the audit created space to name experiences they’d been carrying in their day-to-day work and within our broader community. It affirmed where we had already built capacity, while also inviting reflection, prompting us to be honest about the gaps and where we needed to focus next.
Q: What impact has this partnership with the Centre had for the Woods Homes team?
It’s been great. It’s driven a lot of our work in the EDI space forward in our organization. With the support of the Training Centre team, we were able to interpret and decide how to move forward in a path of change – there were so many options and complete flexibility to make choices that matched with our organizational needs.
We have made the Centre’s workshop Creating a Culture of Respect one of the conditions of our employment for all the staff in our organization. So that’s the main workshop that our people access, but a few of our programs have utilized other training components too.
Q: What challenges did you encounter along the way?
One ongoing challenge has been finding ways to truly honour and prioritize EDI work when, for many of us, it can feel like it’s happening off the side of our desks. That raises practical questions about capacity and accountability and how we ensure the right people are tending to the right pieces, and that the work is supported to be sustainable.
Another challenge is simply knowing where to begin. Equity and inclusion work is never static: the learning evolves, expectations shift, and priorities change as we listen more closely and understand more deeply. In those moments, teams sometimes have to choose progress over perfection, taking a thoughtful risk, leaning into learning and starting to chart a path rather than waiting until every step feels fully clear.
Q: What’s next for your team?
A key focus for us is continuing to invite feedback on how we’re doing in the EDI space, with particular attention to 2SLGBTQ+ inclusion. We want to stay connected to what’s emerging and what may be possible, then bring those insights back to staff to confirm if we’re on the right path. Above all, we’re committed to keeping the conversation open and the information flowing so we can respond thoughtfully, adapt as needed and remain creative in how we move this work forward.
Q: What would you say to leaders considering training like ours?
For us, one of the most valuable aspects has been getting to know the team at the Centre for Sexuality and building a trusted relationship over time. We’ve appreciated the flexibility and creativity of the facilitators in helping us clarify the need, develop a practical plan to address it and then deliver training in a way that genuinely fits our organization (and that our staff love).
In human services and across the nonprofit sector, the people we serve consistently tell us the Centre is a trusted place for equitable, dignified care. From an organizational perspective, there’s real value in learning from experts in this field to strengthen practice, increase confidence and improve outcomes.
Even beyond the nonprofit sector, partnering with the Centre can be a thoughtful way to live out the values we often talk about like inclusion, respect, dignity and care. For leaders considering whether it’s the right fit, I’d encourage starting with values alignment: take a look at what the Centre stands for and how that connects with your own organization’s commitments. In our experience, there’s been strong overlap, and that alignment has mattered as we’ve worked to support meaningful, lasting culture change.
The Training Centre has educated over 75,000 professionals since its creation. We work with organizations in all sectors in Calgary and across the country and meet you wherever you are in your inclusion journey.
For more information about our offerings, email Gillian Florence, Training Centre Client Development Coordinator.