Calls to Action

5 Days of Action's large wooden numbers from 1 to 5.
5 Days of Action Hub by Petch Fountain with large numbers from 1 to 5.

We don’t always have time or ability to physically attend an event during 5 Days of Action, so the 5 Days of Action team curated resources to read, watch, and explore each day.  

These resources are aimed at building a more inclusive and relational community – one where discrimination, harassment, and sexualized violence have no place. This starts by building our skills in listening to one another, reflecting on what we hear, having dialogue, engaging with one another, and taking action.  

Meeting these calls, and aligning our values and actions, helps us achieve objectives such as: Black flourishing, Indigenous reconciliation, trans and gender inclusion, and accessibility (among others). If you have resources that you think we need to add, . 

Please note that while some of the resources are specific to UVic, and others to Canada more broadly, some come from the US and elsewhere and contain a mix of short and long-form content.

Monday: Listen

When we actively listen to understand, we learn where each of us is coming from, about our worldviews, and what matters to us – this is the first step in communicating across difference and building a strong community. 

Tuesday: Reflect

When we reflect on our own ideas, assumptions and beliefs and consider other perspectives, we learn to be more open-minded and less judgemental of one another. 

Wednesday: Dialogue

Learning how to have difficult conversations and engage in meaningful dialogue builds our understanding and empathy for others. It is an important skill for identifying pathways forward and reducing conflict. 

  • “In Good Faith” (The CJN Podcasts) is a podcast series that showcases difficult, honest, challenging conversations with Jews and Muslims, Israelis and Palestinians. We see them having difficult conversations with one another to promote understanding and move through conflict. 
  • “The Dialogue” (Arnd Wachter, Crossing Borders Education) is a documentary that follows American and Chinese university students as they engage in dialogue with another and in the process cultivate inter-cultural competency.  
  • The Witness Blanket (Canadian Museum of Human Rights) is a series of stories told by Survivors of residential schools who talk about the experience of being forced into residential schools. Their generous and insightful stories convey the reality of anti-Indigenous racism, colonialism and genocide. They reveal the ongoing harms caused by Canada’s residential school system. 
  • Challenging Racist ‘British Columbia’: 150 Years and Counting (UVic and Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives BC Office, 2021) is an open-access, multimedia resource that explores the history and ongoing impacts of racism in British Columbia, centering the experiences and resistance of Indigenous, Black and other racialized communities. 

Thursday: Engage

Engaging asks us to take our learning and focus outward to implement change. 

Friday: Take Action

Taking direct action for positive change can feel daunting, but most people who have made important changes in society have started out by taking small achievable perspectives. 

  • Brother Outsider: The Life of Bayard Rustin (Netflix) is a documentary about “troublemaker” Bayard Rustin, his role in the American civil rights movement, and how to strategize and organize for change. 
  • “Activism, changemakers and hope for the future” (Malala Yousafzai, TED Talk) highlights the role young adults play as agents of change in society. 
  • Justice Action Toolkit (Center for Community Health and Development, U of Kansas) is an American resource that provides strategies and practical advice on how to move from talking about anti-oppression to engaging in anti-oppression.  
  • Equity Action Plan (UVic) and it’s implementation guide & toolkit can support your unit/department in moving from words to action.  
  • ReconciliACTION Plans (National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation) provide a step-by-step guide and sample plans to help individuals and organizations choose a Truth and Reconciliation Commission Call to Action and turn it into concrete, accountable action toward reconciliation. 

365 Days of Commitment

  • Join one of the future events listed on the 5 Days of Action schedule. 
  • Sign up to the Equity Action Plan mailing list to stay updated on the action progress, events and outcomes. 
  • If you are an employee, consider engaging in further learning by signing up for the UVic Citizen Series (Employee Learning Program). 
  • Consider reaching out to the Equity and Human Rights office to ask about hosting a workshop for your group. 
  • Ensure that you stay updated with new University plans so we can use the University's strategic directions to enact social change when challenged or when facing resistance.