Social Impact

Views of the ocean, mountain valleys, river valleys, forest and coastline from Canadian indigenous territories.

Digital Human Library is dedicated to the development of social programs and supporting culturally responsive teaching and learning.

Working with Indigenous Communities

Land Acknowledgement

In the spirit of respect, reciprocity, and truth, we acknowledge that we live and work on Treaty 21 territory on the traditional lands of the Anishinaabe Peoples and Metis Nation in southwestern Ontario. 

Today and everyday we recognize their stewardship of the land and regard these lands as their traditional territories and homelands. Local families know these lands as the hunting grounds, medicine areas, and gathering places related to them through oral history passed down for generations. 

We are grateful for the opportunity to live and work here and we thank the generations of Indigenous people who have taken care of this land for thousands of years. We pay our respects to the histories, languages, and cultures of the First Nations and reaffirm our collective commitment to challenge our Truth and work in collaboration with Indigenous communities towards Reconciliation in our communities.

Digital Human Library is fortunate to work with an international team and conduct business across territories and nations throughout Turtle island.

Social Impact Statement

We are privileged to work with different Indigenous organizations, Knowledge Keepers, and Storytellers from around the world. We live our commitment to reconciliation through our collaborations with the Indigenous organizations and communities we serve. Together we are creating foundations for the kinds of meaningful relationships and communities we want to build for the future. 

Digital Human Library is committed to working in collaboration with Indigenous organizations and communities to further our own learning and understanding, and to honour and protect Indigenous knowledge, perspectives, and languages. 

Our ongoing commitments include:

  • Becoming a proud ‘Business Member’ of the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (Fall 2023)
  • Providing Indigenous Awareness Training to our staff
  • Growing our collaborative relationship with the International Indigenous Speakers Bureau (IISB) to build bridges between Indigenous communities and K-12 school districts throughout Turtle Island
  • Growing our collaborative relationship with 4Canoes to bring Indigenous Knowledge Keepers sharing their stories into K-12 classrooms and homes throughout Turtle Island
  • Honouring Indigenous People and their communities appropriately for knowledge sharing
  • Contributing to the restoration and reclamation of Indigenous knowledge and languages back to Indigenous communities
  • Contributing to Indigenous Knowledge sovereignty
  • Expanding the accessibility of Indigenous knowledge to the education system
  • Contributing to reconciliation in ways that consider the 7 generations that came before, and the 7 generations that will come after

Working with Diverse Cultural Communities

Social Impact Statement

At Digital Human Library, diversity, equity, and inclusion guide how we enter into community with one another. We are committed to investing in the African, Black, LGBTQ2+, and other disenfranchised communities to help them thrive, by honouring their experiences, helping them share their unique stories, being present and striving for empathic action in every moment, and demonstrating the deepest part of our humanity by learning from each other and showing we care.

We live our commitment to equity and diversity through our collaborations with the diverse communities we serve. Together we are creating foundations for the kinds of meaningful relationships and communities we want to build for the future. 

Our ongoing commitments include:

  • Growing our collaborative relationships with Afrocentric and Black community organizations to address systemic inequities and disproportionalities in achievement and outcomes of African, Black, and other racialized students by increasing representation of culturally diverse professionals in Digital Human Library
  • Curating a growing collection of 150+ cultural virtual tours that represent diverse cultural groups
  • Offering Professional Learning Programs to our staff and the districts we serve to support culturally responsive teaching and learning

Supporting Public Education – SDG #4

Social Impact Statement

For over ten years Digital Human Library has been providing Canadian teachers and students with equitable access to community partners and the field trip experience anytime, anywhere, at no cost. We support sustainable development goal #4, to “ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all.” Our legacy is our ongoing mission and commitment to bring people together to make a difference for kids.

Our ongoing commitments include:

  • Sustainable Development Goal #4 – Quality Education
    • Growing our community content partner library of dHL Experts from diverse cultural backgrounds and industries around the world
    • Growing our library of global virtual content to bring context to learning for students
    • Collaborating with Indigenous organizations to educate today’s youth
  • Sustainable Development Goal #17 – Partnerships for the Goals

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