Our Learning Journey 
août 17, 2022
We are on a learning journey and, together, we are taking steps to educate ourselves and make our communities more diverse, equitable and inclusive. Throughout the summer, our residents and team members celebrated meaningful observances, including Pride Month, National Indigenous History Month, Filipino Heritage Month, National Indigenous People’s Day and Multiculturalism Day.
Bottom: Shannex team members posing before taking part in the Halifax Pride Parade.
Bottom: Team members from the Colchester region attending the Filipino flag raising ceremony in Truro, N.S.
Bottom: Cedarstone Enhanced Care team members (L-R): Blesilda Weatherby, Maria Agcon, Rusan Manahan, Michael Galera, Rubilyn Misoles, and Arlene Ortega.
Pride Month
To honour the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, our residents and team members came together to show their Pride by raising flags, held information sessions and attending their local pride parades.
Filipino Heritage Month
The Shannex family is grateful to all the Filipino residents and team members who live and work in our communities. Throughout June, we marked Filipino Heritage Month with flag raising ceremonies and cultural celebrations.
Multiculturism Day
Residents and team members had the opportunity to learn about the many cultures living and working in our communities by taking part in various multicultural events.
National Indigenous Peoples Day & National Indigenous History Month
Last year, 12-year-old Mi’kmaw youth Landyn Toney walked over 195 km in honour of First Nations children and people impacted by residential schools in Canada and raised $46,000 to support the Indigenous community.
Following Landyn’s “Journey of Awareness,” he visited Parkland at the Gardens in downtown Halifax to speak to residents. This year on June 20, Parkland at the Gardens was honoured to welcome Landyn, his sister Mataya and his mother, Marsha, back to the community for a Treaty Walk and smudging ceremony.
To mark this special day, the retirement living community raised $772 for Indigenous supports and services. Funding efforts were led by Parkland resident, Maureen Banyard, who presented Landyn with the cheque. Thank you to Landyn and his family for once again connecting with our residents.
Meet Ann Divine
Throughout our inclusivity journey, we have been working closely with our Trusted Partner, Ashanti Leadership and their CEO and Founder, Ann Divine. She has an extensive history of working in change management, leadership development and strategic thinking. Ann says an inclusive workspace is where everyone feels a deep sense of belonging and they don’t have to hide who they are on the job.
“Organizations have to take time to educate themselves about what inclusivity is, what it means, and how can we demonstrate that on a daily basis. It’s easy to talk about, but hard to do. It means you have to put things in place to change the dynamics of the organization.”
