Building Bridges Podcast

Just in time for Black History Month! We're excited to welcome Neisa Long from the Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Office at Western University in London, Ontario. In this episode, we dive into the Blackademia Hub—a vital resource that uplifts Black community members by showcasing Black equity and excellence within Canadian research.

Tune in to learn how the Hub is fostering representation, amplifying Black voices, and creating space for future changemakers in academia. With hosts Felicity Santiago and Anna Dasilva.

Olivia Yusuf, from King's International, and fourth-year student, Rijul Jain, discuss the international student’s perspective, and the programming and support King’s International offers to new students in King’s and Canada. The hosts share their own experiences as newcomers to Canada, and the friends they all made while participating in International events at King’s and Brescia.  

The Building Bridges Podcast is a collaboration between the EDID offices at Brescia and King’s University Colleges. The podcast is a direct result of the report and recommendations from the Anti-Racism Working Group. The report recommended creating channels to discuss racism and intersectionality so that it is normalized as a topic of discussion, and not to treat it as taboo. The podcast is written, recorded, and edited by King’s and Brescia students, and supervised by King’s and Brescia staff.  

The goal of the Building Bridges Podcast is to discuss issues related to inclusivity, diversity, inclusion, and decolonization while bringing about awareness and normalizing these conversations.  

A Faculty Perspective on Decolonizing the Curriculum

The Black Experience on Campus

Rainbow Support: Advocacy for LGBTQIA+ Inclusion

Fueling Minds: Campus Food Insecurity Solutions

In this first Building Bridges podcast brought to you by King’s University College and Brescia University College, podcast hosts discuss what is EDID and how it has shaped our campuses. Special guests Lissette Ochoa, Coordinator of International Programs and Global Education, Preliminary Year Advisor, and Special Advisor to the President, Diversity and Inclusion from Brescia, and Jennifer Slay, Director of the Office of Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Decolonization at King’s, talk to their experiences and insight into institutional change through EDID, and how they play a part in the shift happening on campus. In the podcast, the students reflect on the way the institutional shift personally impacts students on campus, and they go over a few experiences where they could see EDID implementation taking place.

The podcast interviewers ask their guests what they think of the Anti-Racism Working Group, and discuss the accountability aspect. They highlight the role decolonizing the curriculum and changing policies plays in education and its institutions.