Bridges of Belonging is an opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations on belonging and how it impacts our individual and collective journeys. Moderated by Andrea Carey, a Canadian Certified Inclusion Professional, these sessions will feature two guests sharing their stories of belonging in their lived experiences. We are surrounded by diversity, and there is increasing appreciation that we need to create inclusive spaces and places in order to support the success of our diverse workforces and clients – but until we find ways to creates cultures where each person can belong, we will struggle to support people to thrive.
These conversations are an opportunity to think about our connections – and how we can be intentional in appreciating each other, listening to understand, acknowledging that we don’t know what we don’t know, and going on a learning journey together to share, learn, connect and create.
Richard ‘Bear’ Peter (born September 10, 1972) is a Canadian First Nations wheelchair basketball player. Peter was born in Duncan, British Columbia, and currently resides in Vancouver. When Richard was four years old, he was injured in a bus accident, leaving him in a wheelchair ever since. He began playing wheelchair basketball at the age of 15 when he was inspired by a team that came to his school and introduced him to wheelchair sports. Since then, Peter has competed in the 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games, winning the Gold medal for wheelchair basketball for three of those years.
Risa Isard is a sports industry veteran and policy expert. She specializes in advancing equity for girls and women, LGBTQ+ people, people of color, and others in and through sport. Her career in the sports industry spans professional and college sports, sports policy, and nonprofit thought leadership. As Project Director for the Aspen Institute Sports & Society Program, for five years she launched and oversaw all community-based work across eight regions; was founding director for the annual flagship event the Project Play Summit, which in 2016 hosted Michelle Obama; launched a first-of-its-kind consumer online portal to grow access to youth sport; and managed the team’s administration and DC office. Risa is co-editor of the seminal Project Play report, co-author of Aspen’s physical literacy report, and co-editor of State of Play scans for Southeast Michigan, Western New York, Greater Rochester and the Finger Lakes, Baltimore, and Harlem.