West Vancouver School DPAC Inclusion Resources Hub
The Library has partnered with the West Vancouver School District Parent Advisory Council (DPAC) Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Committee and West Vancouver Schools to support your learning journey around inclusion, anti-racism and diversity.
We all come to these topics from different places and with different past experiences. Thank you for your curiosity and willingness to find out more.
Start Your Family Learning Journey
The resources on this page are organized into three Chapters (with more chapters to come!)
Each Chapter is paired with a live virtual speaking event, hosted by the DPAC.
Even if you don’t register for the event, you can still explore these recommendations to read as a family.
Reading as a family can take many forms:
- Take turns reading aloud to one another
- Listen to an audiobook together
- Choose a book to read individually, over the same period of time.
- Read a book that your child or teen has already read
A recent Scholastic study found that 30% of 9–11 year olds and 27% of 12–14 year olds wished they could still be read aloud to. Almost a quarter of 15–17 year olds felt the same way!
Browse the lists below or print out our Inclusion Reading Challenge for Families to get started.
And don’t be afraid to read books these books on your own—we’ve picked ones that will truly resonate with all ages!
chapter 3: Continuing the Conversation
Titles in this chapter build on the conversation with Chris Lewis (Syeta’xtn). Syeta’xtn is a highly respected leader in Vancouver’s Indigenous Community. This chapter includes such topics as:
- how to be a good ally
- the Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action
- the resilience of residential school survivors
- uplifting First Nations stories and histories
- children as the future
We are always adding titles and annotations to these lists so check back often!
Grades 3 – 5
Grades 3 - 5
Grades 6 – 12
Grades 6 - 12
chapter 2: INDIGENOUS EXPERIENCES
While some resources on First Nations, Inuit, and Metis are featured in Chapter 1, Chapter 2 takes a much deeper dive.
We are always adding titles and annotations to these lists so check back often!
West Vancouver Schools has the privilege and honour of working directly with local Indigenous Elders, Nation Council members, cultural advisors, and educators to provide authentic, meaningful learning opportunities for both students and staff. This page contains videos of legends and ceremonies you can watch as a family, and some for adults to help understand what Indigenous Education and Reconciliation looks like in our community’s classrooms.
Kindergarten – Grade 2
Kindergarten - Grade 2
chapter 1: Making Contact with Diverse Experiences
This is our starting place. These books:
- Introduce the wide range of experiences around race, religion, gender, sexuality, neurodiversity, physical abilities, and socio-economic status
- Offer great springboards for understanding big concepts like privilege, inter-cultural communication, micro-aggression, unconscious bias
- Extend learning for those that attend Alden’s virtual presentation
- Have wide appeal: they often use humour and feature realistic characters you’ll feel like you know
We are always adding titles and annotations to these lists so check back often!
Kindergarten – Grade 2
Kindergarten - Grade 2
Grades 3 – 5
Grades 3 - 5
lOOKING FOR MORE?
Check out these resources.
A curated selection of over 800 movies and documentaries relating to race and class curated by our online video streaming service Kanopy.
New to Kanopy? View a tutorial.
Download the app: iOS | Android
Access Information: Licensed for West Vancouver residents only.
A fantastic ebook list on race and racism curated by our Librarians, available through our Overdrive (Library2Go) e-collection.
Overdrive is our largest collection of ebooks and downloadable audiobooks. Search for, check out, and download titles through our catalogue or the Library2Go website. Using a tablet or phone? Get the Libby by OverDrive App, find West Vancouver Memorial Library, and enter your barcode/PIN to log in. For more information visit or call the Help Desk.
Access Information: Licensed for West Vancouver residents only.
New to OverDrive (Library2Go)? View a tutorial.