Durham College
RISE Program (Reach, Include, Support, Elevate)
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The RISE Program at DC is part of the Ontario Access and Inclusion Program (OPAIP) that is aimed at reaching out to students who may not have accessed and attained post-secondary credentials. The directive is to reach Ontarians at "every age and stage" who face barriers that prevent them from considering or applying to post-secondary.
The program is built on 3 pilliars:
Outreach - reaching out to potential students who fit the OPAIP profile through developing partnerships with community agencies and school boards to engage students in conversations and facilitate pathways into post-secondary.
Transition - providing individualized and unique supports to assist students in making a smooth transition to post-secondary, once they have been accepted to a post-secondary program.
Retention - providing one-on-one coaching, advocacy and programming that supports the diverse group of students and their needs who access the RISE Program throughout themir time in post-secondary.
This unique program is for any students who self-identifies as facing barriers and who need extra supports in order to be successful in a post-secondary program and environment.
DC’s take Black North Initiative Pledge
Durham College (DC) signed the BlackNorth Initiative’s CEO pledge, joining more than 200 leaders from across Canada in committing their organizations to realizing specific actions and targets designed to dismantle anti-Black systemic racism and create opportunities for all those in the underrepresented BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and People of Colour) community.
The pledge commits DC to implementing and reporting on measurable efforts, including new policies, procedures and practices, aimed to not only address systemic anti-Black racism within the college but to actively work to educate others and dismantle the barriers negatively affecting the lives of Black Canadians.
As a signatory to the BlackNorth Initiative CEO pledge, DC is committing to increasing its delivery of unconscious bias and anti-racism education and, by 2025, ensuring that 5 per cent of its student positions and 3 per cent of its donations create opportunities for the Black community. The college is also committing to working to attract, develop and advance talent to contribute to a target of 3.5 per cent of executive and Board roles based in Canada being held by Black people in the same time frame. The college’s actions and progress will be accountable through reports to its Board of Governors.
- Establishment of the college’s first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group.
- DC representation on the City of Oshawa’s first-ever Community Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee.
- Development of a college Equity policy.
- Ongoing delivery of unconscious bias training for students and employees.
- Formation of a DC Black Student Success Network.
The Canadian Council of Business Leaders Against Anti-Black Systemic Racism announced the formation of the Council and launch of the BlackNorth Initiative in June with a view to increase the representation of Blacks in boardrooms and executive suites across Canada. The Council held the inaugural BlackNorth Initiative Summit virtually on July 20, drawing a diverse group of supporting organizations that spans companies of all sizes, industries and mandates, including; financial services, education, extractive industries, professional services, healthcare, online services, consulting, manufacturing, small-to-medium-sized firms, business associations, private companies and more.
