Omnibus Project: Q4 2020 Results

In April 2017, we launched our diversity initiative, the Omnibus Project, to promote diversity at Busbud and beyond. Every quarter, our team carries out up to 5 actions to help foster diversity and in turn reports publicly on our progress. This quarter we have expanded the scope of the projects to include sustainability initiatives, which is one of our core values at Busbud. 

We are thrilled to share the results for Q4 2020, ending December 31st. Here are our actions:

1) Educate Busbud team members about deafness

One week at Busbud was dedicated to deaf awareness week. One of our team members, who is profoundly deaf, wrote a series of posts that were shared on Slack to discuss the following topics:

• How much can she hear with and without her hearing device, a cochlear implant?
• How does a cochlear implant work?
• The shortcomings and benefits of a cochlear implant
• Why sign language should be accessible for all deaf children

The motivation behind deaf awareness week came from the fact that deaf people still encounter many hearing people who do not understand what it means to be deaf. This also brings awareness to the issues that deaf people face in their daily lives.

2)  Donation of  computers to people in need

Due to the current pandemic, many school activities are carried out online, and therefore access to quality computer equipment is crucial. This is why we’ve decided to give away computers to non-profit organizations in Montreal, Canada and in Istanbul, Turkey.

We prepared 7 computers to give to a non profit organization in the south of Montreal. Named La P’tite Maison Saint Pierre this community organism promotes the participation of the citizens of Saint-Pierre in the life of their neighborhood. La P’tite Maison Saint Pierre makes it possible to mobilize isolated people thanks to their shared spaces managed by its members. They offer them a place of mutual assistance and meeting. The actions of the organism aim to alleviate the poverty of families in the Saint-Pierre district by defining a network of mutual help and citizen involvement. 

These computers will be given to 7 families that do not have access to computers or where one computer can be shared amongst 8 children! 

In Turkey, students cannot pursue education at their schools because of Covid-19 restrictions. All students must attend classes online referred to as EBA (Educational Information Network, which is the central governmental network for education). Unfortunately, because of economic conditions in Turkey, more than 50% of students (~7 million) cannot access online education. We decided to donate 7 computers to those students who don’t have a computer at home, allowing them to continue to pursue their studies.

3) Create a logo for the Omnibus project

Every serious project deserves a logo. A symbol of some sort that serves as a unique voice to communicate to all that what we do is important to us and that we are proud of it. This logo for the Omnibus project aims to do just that. At Busbud, diversity and sustainability are part of our core values and keeping the conversation going is of utmost importance to us. The logo represents that with the “O” shaped as a conversation bubble with a bright and wide-ranging color gradient symbolizing diversity.