#DiversityHack

Diversifying the tech industry in Victoria, BC

ByKingsley
Kingsley poses with Dr. Lisa Gunderson, who has long dark hair and is wearing a red dress.

On October 22nd, Diversitechy organized Victoria’s first Diversity Hackathon – an event focused on developing strategies for improving diversity in the local tech scene. In an “unconference” style hackathon, conversations ranged from how to ensure events and media are inclusive, to how to moderate unconscious biases that affect hiring.

Kingsley Strudwick, Jen Reiher, Beca Espirito Santo, and Dr. Lisa Gunderson face an audience while offering insights on diversity through a panel discussion.
Kingsley, Jen Reiher, and Dr. Lisa Gunderson at the Diversity Hack panel discussion, moderated by Beca Espirito Santo.

The day started with a panel, featuring Dr. Lisa Gunderson from One Love Consulting and Jen Reiher from Steps Forward, and Kingsley (me!) from Ambit. While we all came from different backgrounds, we all had a similar approach to diversity in the workplace. Whether addressing ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, ability status, economic status, religion, or age – we all believed that centring the needs and desires of those marginalized was an important principle to live and work by.

Two black and white photos - Kingsley speaking while on the panel, and Kingsley speaking with a conference attendee after the panel.
The panel was a great starting place to dive into conversations with attendees!