Belonging into Practice:

How have your life experiences helped shape the way you approached conversations about belonging at the Public Interest Communications Summer Institute?

Natasha: In my experience, belonging is more than being invited into the room. It’s about whether people feel seen, respected, and able to participate without shrinking themselves or translating who they are. In earlier roles, I saw how communications could create genuine connection, or quietly reinforce exclusion, depending on whose stories were centered and whose experiences were treated as secondary.

At the Summer Institute, I carried the perspective that belonging reaches deeper than inclusion. Throughout the conversations, I reflected on the role communications plays in shaping what people need to feel safe, valued, and able to contribute honestly. My previous work has taught me to listen closely and to understand belonging as something that must be built intentionally through trust, representation, and shared power.

How did your relationship to Indigenous storytelling guide the way you held space during the event?

Jordan: My relationship to Indigenous storytelling is grounded in respect, responsibility, and reciprocity. Story is not something to be extracted or shaped for convenience; it carries knowledge, memory, and connection to community. At the Institute, this understanding shaped how I showed up in every interaction. Holding space meant listening with intention, allowing for pauses, and recognizing that not all knowledge needs to be spoken to be understood.

I was mindful that creating belonging requires more than inviting people to share. It means creating conditions where people feel safe to bring their whole selves—or to choose not to share at all. Indigenous storytelling has taught me to value that choice, to honour silence as much as voice, and to approach each conversation with care.

What connections did you see between the theme of the Public Interest Communications Summer Institute and the work you lead today?

Natasha: Our work as communicators is rooted in humility, respect, and accountability. Clients trust us to hold space and to share story with care, and we don’t take that responsibility lightly. During the Summer Institute, we had the opportunity to connect with other communicators whose diverse lived experiences enriched every conversation.

Reflecting on belonging, one key takeaway was that a true sense of belonging emerges when community connections are nurtured and grounded in trusting relationships. This aligns closely with our own practices and values, particularly our commitment to working at the speed of trust and building relationships that honour community voice and leadership.

What key insight are you bringing back into your leadership, and how will it influence your work moving forward?

Jordan: One key insight I’m bringing forward is the understanding that belonging is something we actively practice through the way we design spaces, relationships, and communications, not something that happens on its own. It requires ongoing reflection on who is included, how decisions are made, and whose voices are shaping the narrative. Belonging, in this sense, is a continuous act of intentional practice rather than a passive outcome.

Moving ahead, this insight will influence my leadership by encouraging greater intentionality in how we create and hold space, both within our team and alongside our clients. It means slowing down when needed, prioritizing relationship‑building, and ensuring our work reflects shared ownership rather than top‑down direction. I will continue to centre trust, transparency, and accountability in my approach, recognizing that meaningful belonging is built over time and through consistent, thoughtful action.