NABS has expanded its mental health and career support offerings to include resources meant to help the advertising and marketing industries achieve its DEI goals amidst the gradual return to office.

“Since the murder of George Floyd, organizations in our industry have made concerted efforts to make DEI an integral part of their operations. The opportunity for NABS is to provide individuals and organizations with resources to continue this momentum and elevate our entire industry,” said Sunil Sekhar, VP of human resources at FCB Canada and a member of the NABS baord.

Among the initiatives, NABS has added a DEI Learning Hub to NABS’ Lifespeak library of video learning resources, featuring experts in the field guiding company leaders and employers from being aware of DEI to equipping them with tools to enact and lead change.

NABS has also created custom modules as part of its career support programs. Working in groups of 10, the modules are geared towards people who have worked in the advertising and marketing industry but who are new to Canada, aiming to help them secure meaningful work that is in line with their experience. These modules will also be made available to international students in the third or fourth year of their programs, and the educators and career coaches running the three-month programs will customize the content to the needs of participants.

Recognizing the difficulty of their tasks, NABS will set up focused sessions for those doing DEI work within their organizations. As DEI work becomes more challenging in a remote or hybrid setting, when the typical “signs of success” might not be obviously seen by organizations, the goal is for DEI practitioners to meet with those doing similar work at other companies to share their successes, share idea and work through common challenges they may be facing. On the employer front, NABS is also offering training programs meant to help onboard and retain new hires.

Finally, NABS will also created a DEI community page on its website, which will serve as a hub of tools and resources developed throughout the industry. This will include the work being done by POCAM, Zulu Alpha Kilo’s “Micropedia of Microagressions,” links to the Indigenous Canada Online Certificate Course and stories covering success stories in the industry. It will also include a listing of DEI focused scholarships, paid internships and other similar opportunities.