Registration opens on Tuesday, August 4 at 7:00 PM
Facilitated by: Mariam Waliji
This series is designed to support the facilitation of the DEIB micro-learning content presented in May at The Aware Leader. Registration is for all 3 sessions.
Meaningful leadership begins with how we show up—for ourselves, for our team, and for the children, families, and communities we serve. Creating equitable, inclusive learning environments requires more than new strategies; it calls for ongoing reflection, courageous conversations, and a willingness to lead with humility, compassion, and care.The Learning Circle offers a dedicated space for Early Childhood Education leaders to slow down, learn together, and deepen their practice. Through shared reflection, dialogue, and practical application, participants will explore how heart-centred leadership can foster cultures of belonging, trust, and equity within their teams and organizations.
Session 1: Leading with Self-Awareness and Equity (September 15)
Equity-centred leadership begins with understanding ourselves. Explore how your lived experiences, values, identities, assumptions, and leadership habits shape the environments you create for others.
Objectives
Reflect on how personal values, identities, and experiences influence leadership.
Recognize biases, emotional patterns, and leadership triggers with curiosity rather than judgment.
Develop practices that align leadership decisions with equity, inclusion, and collective wellbeing.
Strengthen reflective leadership as an ongoing practice of growth and accountability.
Session 2: Cultivating Healthy Boundaries Through Care (October 20)
Healthy boundaries are an act of care—for ourselves, our teams, and our communities. Learn how boundaries support sustainable leadership, foster trust, and create psychologically safer workplaces where everyone can thrive.
Objectives
Explore the relationship between boundaries, wellbeing, and equitable leadership.
Recognize patterns that contribute to burnout, over-functioning, or inequitable expectations.
Practice setting clear, compassionate boundaries that honour both individual and collective needs.
Consider how organizational culture can better support sustainable care and shared responsibility.
Session 3: Building Cultures of Compassionate Communication and Belonging (November 17)
Leadership is fundamentally relational. Discover how compassionate communication creates the conditions for trust, belonging, accountability, and collaborative problem-solving within diverse teams.
Objectives
Strengthen active listening with curiosity, empathy, and cultural humility.
Practice communication approaches that honour different perspectives and lived experiences.
Build confidence navigating difficult conversations with courage, compassion, and respect.
Foster team cultures where everyone feels seen, heard, valued, and empowered to contribute.
Pedagogical Focuses: Belonging - Well-being - Leadership - Networking
Standards of Practice: Standard I: Caring and Responsive Relationships, Standard II: Curriculum and Pedagogy, Standard III: Safety, Health and Well-Being in the Learning Environment, Standard IV: Professionalism and Leadership, Standard V: Professional Boundaries, Dual Relationships and Conflicts of Interest, Standard VI: Confidentiality, Release of Information and Duty to Report
Mariam Waliji has a passion for connection – whether it be with people, place, or community.Her years studying evolutionary genetics and ecology sparked questions about how local food systems and restricted access to well-grown food impact society in multifaceted ways; this encouraged her to work towards addressing inequities and barriers to access more broadly in our current systems. Her work with Pillar Nonprofit Network, and specifically past work with WOSEN(Women of Ontario Social Enterprise Network) allows her to reframe the definition of success for social impact organizations while creating space to explore what it means to have intentional, meaningful impact in community in long-term and viable ways. Through education, an emphasis on sharing narrative, an understanding of intersectional environmentalism, ongoing personal development, and a genuine connection with her community, she aims to encourage growth and power in a collaborative economy. Her hope is to participate in creating a more just, equitable and joyful future for us all.
Tuesdays: September 15, October 20, November 17
9:30 - 11:00 AM
Strive Classroom
265 Maitland St.,
London, ON, N6B 2Y3
Cost
London/Middlesex Professional: FREE
*Restricted to London/Middlesex Participants
Registration closes on Monday, September 14 at 12:00 PM
* Ticket types are based on the county you WORK in.
Registration opens on Tuesday, August 4 at 7:00 PM