A new initiative on campus aims to connect Black, Caribbean and African staff at NAIT. The Black Excellence Employee Network (BEEN) was founded and is chaired by Ola Odanye, who works at NAIT’s Centre for Community and Belonging. After seeing growth in the Black community on campus after hosting events like Black History Month at NAIT, Odanye believed there was an opportunity to create a network for Black employees and students.
“With the connections that Ola had built across campus, amongst staff and others … it felt like we’re almost there, but hadn’t made it official,” said Kendra Parker, Co-Vice Chair of BEEN and NAIT’s Director of Marketing and Brand.
“We all have shared experiences and aspirations, so just connecting us all, to advocate for our voices to be heard, and also create connections with the student body, “ added Glenn Barnes, a Program Specialist at the Business Information Centre and the other Co-Vice Chair.
Over the last six months, they’ve been formalizing the project, but the sense of belonging they’ve built amongst their members has been “the first big win,” said Parker.
“To make official the sense of community and belonging amongst ourselves, creating a safe space to share perspectives and ideas about the experience of being a Black employee at NAIT and how we work together to create opportunities for staff and students at NAIT,” said Parker.
The group is still in the planning stages, but have a few exciting events coming up — including a new student orientation specifically for Black students of Caribbean and African descent. Their goal is to collaborate with some student clubs and NAITSA to “try to make some connections with the student population.”
While their focus is primarily staff, Parker said there’s a great opportunity to create a natural connection between staff and students. “We’re going to be trying to tap into what’s already built within the student community and figure out how we can add in support from an employee perspective.”
“Some of the employees have gone through what current Black students are currently going through, so we will be a great resource for that,” echoed Barnes.
He also highlighted the importance of advocacy and ensuring student voices are shared with NAIT leadership. “I’m sure there are conversations going on, but we want to make sure that at least, not just student voices, but Black student voices, are also heard by leadership,” Barber explained. “Whatever decisions that are made caters to the diverse population that NAIT has.”
“Long term, we hope to influence institutional practices, foster leadership development, especially amongst Black staff.”
BEEN encourages interested students or staff to reach out and be part of their growing community; if students are interested in being mentored, or staff is interested in mentoring, Parker highlighted the diverse experience of BEEN members. “We’ve got people in finance, we’ve got people in student services … we’ve got so many folks from different areas of the institution,” she said. “That offers a really good opportunity as we connect with students to find those mentorship opportunities and connect the right people together.”
Reach out to BEEN via email at blackexcellence@nait.ca, connect through Microsoft Teams or contact any members of the executive team.
Feature image: Ola Odanye, Community and Belonging Specialist, addresses the crowd at a 2024 Black History Month event. Photo via NAIT
