ABOUT ME
My name is Karima Ramji, and I am blessed to have lived, worked and raised my family as a settler on the traditional territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən, Songhees, Esquimalt and W̱SÁNEĆ peoples for several years. Based in Victoria, BC, I am certified by the Cultural Intelligence Center, LLC, as a CQ Certified Advanced Professional and have received permission to use the term "CQ" commercially.
Leveraging my lived experience and professional career in work-integrated learning, I formed Ramji Consulting to help organizations use the power of cultural intelligence to create welcoming spaces for their diverse workforces, where people and organizations flourish because of the diverse values, ideas, approaches and personalities they bring to their organization. At Ramji Consulting, I provide cultural intelligence training, and work with a team of experts who bring their lived experiences and expertise to engage workplaces in advanced discussions and learnings on how CQ provides the foundation for important work on anti-racism and reconciliation. Together, we assist workplaces to make them and this world a better place for all. Learn more about me on my LinkedIn page.
EXPERTS I COLLABORATE WITH
Billie Tes
Billie Tes (she/her) lives on ancestral, traditional and unceded Quw’utsun lands of the Hul’qumi’num people. She grew up as a mixed-race Afro-Caribbean and European cisgender woman, with a queer single parent, and a newcomer father from the Caribbean in a low-income household. Community building became her catalyst to cultivate a sense of belonging. Billie’s personal and professional experience includes 10+ years driving learning and development of human rights and EDI, while managing people, portfolios, and projects in both the private and the civil society sectors. Billie thrives in stakeholder engagement through storytelling and resolving complex trauma-informed facilitation challenges with a dedicated, collaborative, and inquisitive mindset.
Renée Livernoche
Kwe! I am Renée Livernoche and I trace my roots to Québec, specifically to the Innu Peoples and to the French settlers of Trois-Rivières, the traditional lands of the Abenaki Peoples. Livernoche is from my father’s side, a family of French settlers; and Allard and Bilodeau are family names from my mother’s side with roots to both the Innu peoples and French Settlers of Québec.
Due to the forces of colonization, I wasn’t raised with Indigenous traditions and practices, rather I was raised French Catholic. My Indigenous identity is incomplete and we are disconnected and dislocated from our Indigenous family and have not been claimed by community. The work to reconnect and locate the Indigenous histories and communities in my family is ongoing and a work in progress.
I have a background in education, Applied Theatre, youth work and job coaching. I am currently employed at the University of Victoria, as the LE,NONET Experiential Learning Coordinator with the Office of Indigenous Academic and Community Engagement at the First Peoples House, where I work with Indigenous students building on their academic scholarship and professional practice. I have a bachelor’s degree in Women and Indigenous studies, and a Master of Arts in Applied Theatre and Indigenous Education, at the University of Victoria.