We have been fortunate at Social Fabric Institute Inc. to have worked with a number of private and public organizations. Our current and former clients include:

Ariane Savi, Project Manager, Halifax Immigration Partnership, Office of Diversity & Inclusion

“We hired Social Fabric Institute to do a literature review and environmental scan for the Halifax Immigration Partnership and it was a transparent, comfortable, and clear process. Willow and Ayse understand how to transform complex questions into a simplified format so that research is accessible for a diverse group. They had good attention to detail, kept the community embedded in the work, and presented us with results that give us a better understanding of the directions we want to take in aiding newcomer integration.

Willow and SFI's community of consultants are very respectful and mindful of the community they work with; I recommend their services as we will continue to collaborate with SFI.”

What People Are Saying

“We were inspired and enlightened by Social Fabric Institute's work on our 2022 Diversity Audit of selected library collections, funded in part by a TD Ready Commitment (Connected Communities) grant. Their final report was professional, and included recommendations for enhancing public library services to members of equity-seeking communities. We look forward to continued dialogue with SFI through this process of meaningful change."

— Dr. Bonnie Morgan Director of Operations Newfoundland & Labrador Public Libraries

“I've literally been all around the world to a range of different kinds of trainings, and your work ranks among the top sessions I've attended. This is world class training. Your dexterity negotiating the dynamics of a room with a range of interests and perspectives is what impressed me most. Your material was excellent, but you really know how to get the messages across.”

— Training participant

“We have invited Willow as guest speaker twice because she is fantastic. Yes, she brings a voice from Atlantic Canada that is rarely present in Central and Western Canadian conversations, but more importantly, she is insightful, reflective, critical, and honest. In guest speaking among youth and young adults, she is a role model of how one can be mindful of strengths, weaknesses, and gaps where new knowledge is needed. Though she has traveled to many corners of the world, she is still able to ask questions rather than jump to conclusions - a trait that we all need more of today.”

— Dr. W. Y. Alice Chan Executive Director and Co-Founder The Centre for Civic Religious Literacy

“Your 2021 report was intended to build a more inclusive and resilient career development environment for diverse job seekers. Even years later it continues to inspire countless prompts and conversations - for front line career development practitioners, managers of career services, and even employers!“

— Julia Bloomquist

“In just the few moments since the session closed, I have received more than a dozen messages and emails with how excited and grateful our staff are for your time and wisdom. Your ability to create a space where people felt safe to share challenging but sincere questions is unmatched; and the grace you extended in answering honestly and with compassion is a gift. You modeled how to have these challenging conversations, while teaching about the importance of having them.”

— Megan Stuckless Programs Manager Conservation Corps Newfoundland and Labrador

“The entire day was so well articulated. I learned a lot from watching you both make such dense material relevant for participants with a range of experiences and perspectives. The flow of your maneuvering and negotiating and valuing was so skillful... something I aspire to. What a treat!”

— Training participant

“Dr. Anderson and I first worked on a project called ‘Settlement opportunities for newcomers in Labrador West: What are the gaps in service?’ I was impressed with her ability to understand and verbalize the need to honour racial and cultural diversity in our research process. I was equally impressed with her openness to be challenged and her flexibility to learn and grow in her understanding of the insidiousness of racial and cultural biases and discrimination. Since 2013, I have worked with Dr. Anderson on six separate projects all focused on gender, cultural and racial discrimination. She has been stellar in her commitment to engage with ideas, research, activism and training about diversity in a complex and nuanced manner that accounts for various lived experiences.”

— Dr. Delores V. Mullings Associate Professor, School of Social Work, Memorial University

“Thank you for guiding us on this journey - it’s been a true joy to learn and grow with you.  You’re skilled practitioners and facilitators who know your material and have such skill and care with the various individuals in the group, meeting each person at their current level of knowledge and understanding. You’ve opened an important conversation about diversity and inclusion, and navigated us through it expertly - always leading with kindness, empathy, and just enough push.”

-Brendan Agnew, Production Manager, Terra Bruce Productions

“Thank you for your work again. It was a challenging ask and we are happy with how far we’ve gotten. We could not have arrived here without your expert facilitation and coordination.”

-Elayne Greeley, Career Development Practitioner, Community Employment Collaboration

Dr. Sonja Knutson, Director, Internationalization Office, Memorial University

“[Social Fabric Institute Inc.] is the leader in the province in terms of customized training, coaching, consulting, and facilitation opportunities that are pedagogically sound, empathetically delivered, and robustly evaluated. It punches far above its weight due to the dedication, expertise, and leadership of its Principal, and the high standards that are set for course and program delivery. The Internationalization Office of Memorial University has great admiration for the work of [Social Fabric Institute Inc.], and values the advice and support we have been given by the company.”

More testimonials.

  • "[Social Fabric Institute Inc.] has been indispensable in the planning and roll-out of our WelcomeNL program. Sustaining necessary conversations about cultural sensitivity at individual, community, and provincial scales among our membership and the growing network of program followers requires a skilled navigator. We couldn't have done it alone."

    Dr. Kathleen Parewick, Community Collaboration & Development Officer Municipalities Newfoundland & Labrador

  • “Our board and senior staff retreat was elevated thanks to the workshop provided by Willow and Social Fabric Institute Inc. Her informative session provided our team with a fresh perspective. Through this experience, we have acquired valuable insights that we will be able apply to our everyday relationships and decision making. We look forward to bringing this knowledge to the communities in which we serve and exemplify diversity, equity, and inclusion practices.”

    Tammy Goodwin, CEO & Executive Director
    YMCA of Pictou County

  • "Presenters were very knowledgeable and used material that was relatable. Will highly recommend this course to my co-workers. Should be mandatory!"

    Province of Newfoundland and Labrador employee

  • “Diversity is a complex concept. The ability to understand, articulate and deliver pragmatic solutions as we become a more diverse community is one that [Social Fabric Institute] owner Willow Anderson has been successfully navigating. Willow brings a calm, thorough understanding of this complexity in her work with clients. She doesn’t shy away from tough discussions but involves her clients in finding effective solutions.”

    Elizabeth Lawrence, Co-Chair, City of St. John’s

  • “[Social Fabric Institute Inc.] has been a significant resource to Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador (MNL) as we assist municipalities to prepare for – and respond to – the growing cultural diversity in our province. In particular, the company has helped us with community education, building a toolkit of online resources, as well as presenting at our regional meetings throughout the province in order to build awareness and offer guidance on welcoming.”

    Craig Pollett, CEO

  • “Willow is insightful, reflective, critical, and honest…she is a role model of how one can be mindful of strengths, weaknesses, and gaps where new knowledge is needed. Though she has traveled to many corners of the world, she is still able to ask questions rather than jump to conclusions - a trait that we all need more of today.”

    W. Y. Alice Chan, PhD, Executive Director and Co-Founder The Centre for Civic Religious Literacy

  • “Thank you both – this was the best training I’ve received through the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador”

    Training participant

  • “I thought that I needed [Social Fabric Institute] to deliver training, as it turns out I needed [them] for three huge pieces of work. I needed a skilled professional to help contextualize diversity and intercultural skills in the community employment sector. I was having difficulty figuring out a roadmap. Willow was appreciative, supportive and collaborative in her approach. A plan emerged including training to career practitioners, which [they] delivered skillfully, demonstrating curiosity and warmth. We have completed phase one and are now building our learning into our monthly community of practice. Everyone wins!”"

    Elayne Greeley, Partnership Broker

  • “The presenter presented the information in a fair (non-bias) way, which causes one to think and reflect. Much appreciated.”

    Training participant

  • “Professional, engaging and always went the extra mile - Willow facilitated a number of lunch and learn sessions for international business students, which were well received. The sessions were well organized, well prepared and delivered with genuine enthusiasm. As a result of her work, students now have a focused understanding of effective tools to utilize in an academic setting. Look forward to working with her again”

    Renee Elliott, Manager of Academic Programs (Undergraduate), Faculty of Business Administration

  • [Social Fabric Institute Inc.] is certainly having a significant positive impact on diversity in this province.”

    Craig Pollett, CEO

  • “It was my pleasure to meet and work with you. I appreciate the extra digging you provided and the follow up. We all thought your session was very good, ranging from concrete, practical info to a better understanding of the local mindset. The pace, interaction, content – all was very good!”

    Maly, cross-cultural professional for a relocation company

  • "The efforts of [Social Fabric Institute Inc.] in capturing the local reality in terms of welcoming newcomers greatly aided our efforts to address some immediate gaps, but probably even more importantly gave us some more medium- and long-term goals to focus on that could truly make a difference.”

    Randy Edison, Project Coordinator, Welcome NL Grand Falls-Windsor