Case study:
À GO, ON LIT!
Industry
Arts and culture
Selected solutions
Documentation review
DEI 101 training
À GO, on lit! is a multiplatform digital campaign where young people are invited to complete an interactive questionnaire with the aim of finding out their reader profile and then access personalized reading suggestions based on their interests. AGOL was created by Partenaires pour la réussite éducative dans les Laurentides (PREL) in 2018. This Instance régionale de concertation en réussite éducative, which allocates money to local school perseverance projects, identified a gap in literacy services for teenagers and young adults. The movement was thus born to fill this need for this very specific clientele.
Challenge to solve
For several years now, the À GO, on lit! campaign has aimed to get young people interested in reading by creating themed lists of personalized book suggestions. In 2023, the organization faced criticism regarding some potentially sensitive content, notably titles, images and descriptions on the themed lists.
The diversity of topics covered in the lists, from eating disorders to suicide to cultural and gender diversity, raises concerns about the way in which these topics are treated and presented. Young people are exposed to a variety of topics, ranging from the light-hearted, such as sports, to the more sensitive, such as grief and racism. However, the way in which these topics were approached could sometimes be perceived as offensive or inappropriate by some people; all the more so given young people's deep interest in DEI themes.
AGOL therefore wanted to find a solution to ensure that its themed lists were as respectful and inclusive as possible, while continuing to engage young people's interest and commitment to reading.
The diversity of topics covered in the lists, from eating disorders to suicide to cultural and gender diversity, raises concerns about the way in which these topics are treated and presented. Young people are exposed to a variety of topics, ranging from the light-hearted, such as sports, to the more sensitive, such as grief and racism. However, the way in which these topics were approached could sometimes be perceived as offensive or inappropriate by some people; all the more so given young people's deep interest in DEI themes.
AGOL therefore wanted to find a solution to ensure that its themed lists were as respectful and inclusive as possible, while continuing to engage young people's interest and commitment to reading.
Proposed solution
Two components: content review and training.
- Analysis and advice on content revision
- Identified elements that could be perceived as sensitive, offensive or inappropriate
- Took into account AGOL’s tone, writing style and target clientele
- Specific recommendations and customized reformulations for each piece of content, suggesting alternative titles, more inclusive images and descriptions that respect cultural and gender diversity.
2. Training on the basic principles of equity, diversity and inclusion
- AGOL also wanted to offer a training webinar on equity, diversity and inclusion to the Instances régionales en réussite éducative du Québec. This training was aimed at raising awareness among teachers, library staff and any adult who works with teenagers and young adults. 43 people benefited from this training!
Between the two workshops :
Online questionnaire sent to participants.
Gather questions and real-life situations from the workplace to address in the second workshop.
Impact of DEI workshops
Thanks to the DEI workshops, À GO, on lit! now benefits from :
Improved inclusiveness of content
Proactive response to criticism
Increasing awareness
What À GO, on lit! thought of our collaboration
Accepting that we can make mistakes and that we're not necessarily horrible human beings! We found it hard to take criticism at first, but URelles' support helped us to see things a bit more clearly. URelles' non-judgmental stance helped a lot.”
- Julie Bissonnette, Project Consultant at À GO, on lit!
If you had to choose three words to describe working with URelles, what would they be?
Non-judgmental
Support
Efficient
Other studies to consult
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