The Hamilton Centre for Civic Inclusion (HCCI) was formed in 2006 as a result of the work undertaken through the Strengthening Hamilton Community’s Initiative (SHCI), an initiative formed as a response to the burning of a local Hindu Temple in 2001, the same year the terrorist attacks occurred in the United States on September 11th. HCCI’s short-term goal was to deal with the distress in the community caused by the burning of the Hindu Temple, but it was anticipated that to address issues of racism in the longer term, a more profound systemic change would be required. To this end, HCCI was established to develop a civic resource centre to create an inclusive and welcoming city through respecting diversity, practicing equity, and speaking out against discrimination. Our current programs include: Our programs include: DiverseCity onBoard: This is an award-winning program that connects qualified, pre-screened candidates from diverse communities to volunteer board positions. DiverseCity onBoard provides organizations access to a ready pool of pre-screened, qualified individuals from which to select board members. To learn more contact, go to hamilton.diversecityonboard.ca Advantage Diversity: Advantage Diversity is a workplace transformation program that enables businesses, government agencies and not-for-profit organizations to become more successful by embracing the benefits of a skilled, dynamic and diverse workforce. Community Engagement: HCCI uses a series of sustainable learning platforms, designed to empower newcomers, immigrants and racialized community members to become more involved in decision making process in the community. This engagement is done through workshops, leadership training, and community consultation-conversation cafes.