Consulting & Facilitation Services

Expert facilitation services and personalized attention

Over the last 20 years, we have worked with thousands of clients who each had their own unique goal. Whether you need to address people problems in your teams, engage diversity in your initiatives, or increase your effectiveness and impact within your social change efforts, we have seen and done it all.

We'd love to learn more about you, your organization and your goals, so connect with us and let's explore your possibilities for change.

Consulting & Facilitation

Using our Belonging Matters framework, we offer consulting and facilitation services to bridge the gap between people with lived experiences and system influencers to create change together. 

Sample projects include:

Diversity, equity and inclusion in schools and workplaces
Regional approach to engage and mobilize diverse cultures to generate Elders-led action groups to address financial abuse
Cerebral Palsy awareness campaign in health and education sectors
Affordable housing initiatives with LGBTQ2, newcomer and Canadian-born Elders
Municipal-wide approach to engage and mobilize diverse communities to work together to address the overdose crisis
Immigrant families project to address poverty
Parks and Recreation initiative to meet Canada’s Truth and Reconciliation Commissions’ Calls to Action
Intergenerational relationship building project to build connected and diverse communities
Youth engagement strategies with participants from Musqueam, newcomer, LGBTQ2, Canadian-born and disability communities

"...a different relationship than with any other consultant..."

~ Carol Sheridan, 

Oliver Parks and Recreation Manager

Customized Consulting

We provide the skills, knowledge and processes for your business to build quality relationships within your workplace teams as well as with the communities you serve.


Intercultural Strategies can work with you to create customized courses, training and programs to increase effectiveness, get your team doing their best work together and create magic with the communities you serve. As a result you will enjoy increased trust, loyalty and retention.

Customized Consulting

Culture of Belonging

The secret sauce to psychologically safe, collaborative, high performing and innovative teams is building cultures of belonging and inclusion.


We work with you to identify the attitudes, behaviour as well as the systems and policies that will create a culture of true belonging and deep inclusion. We then customize a package for your unique needs. We believe when we unleash the talents and strengths of diverse communities, magic begins to happen – increasing collaboration and innovation with even the most difficult challenges.

Culture of Belonging

Intercultural Collaboration

Intercultural Strategies custom designs and facilitates stakeholder engagement for collaborative decision-making to suit your unique needs. 


We engage diverse participation, transform conflict into collaboration, and create conditions for people to do their best work together producing results with lasting impact.

Intercultural Collaboration

Work Matters Conversations and System Change

Intercultural Strategies provides the skills, knowledge and tools to create the conditions for teams to do their best work together. This is particularly critical for teams who have experienced a variety of human rights violations such as workplace bullying and harassment, which often leave teams unmotivated, disoriented, confused and unsure who to trust.

Work Matters Conversations offer a safe space to explore the importance work plays in our lives and how we each contribute to our workplace culture. Collaboratively, participants come up with tools and strategies for moving forward together.

As a result, managers and employees will:

  • Enhance team communication, trust and relationships
  • Strengthen capacity to address problems effectively and creatively
  • Increase self-awareness, understanding and responsibility
  • Renew motivation, engagement and collaboration
  • Inform policy and system changes
Work Matters Conversations and System Change

When Community Leaders Work Together, Magic Happens...

Talia Smith
International Trustbuilding Program Manager at Initiatives of Change

…a journey of deep cultural change.

Jessie is the evaluation consultant and trainer for the international trustbuilding program that I manage. I have been working with Jessie for eight months now. In this time, Jessie created an evaluation plan and tools for our three projects and carried out synthesis of data to produce highly insightful, relevant and useful findings. She also carried out high-quality capacity building training for our wider team.

Jessie went beyond her contractual agreements and supported the organisation to take on a journey of deep cultural change. Jessie’s mastery for both her core role, and the activities that extend beyond it, have been critical to the program’s growth.

Jessie has a beautiful mix of productivity, passion and wisdom which sets a great example for the rest of the team, and explains why everyone loves working with her!

Thank you so much Jessie for more than just your work but your wisdom, care and guidance you are giving the South Africa, Nepal, Australia and Indonesia teams.

Karen Larcombe
South Vancouver Neighbourhood House, Former Executive Director

We love Belonging Matters.

We love Belonging Matters. Anyone who wants to do a piece of creative community development, around any issue, should talk to Jessie. The relationships built in this way are sustainable relationships.

Dr. Michael Quinn Patton
Founder and CEO of Utilization-Focused Evaluation and co-teacher for "Measure & Accelerate Belonging"

Relationships matter, which is why Belonging Matters.

The Belonging Matters framework provides an opportunity for changed mindsets, deeper interconnections, greater social capital, and stronger communities.

Too often, people focus on getting tasks done and completing their "to do" lists. In doing so, they neglect relationships. Cluelessness about the critical importance of interpersonal connections is a major roadblock to systems change. Systems change involves deepening positive and nurturing interconnections while reducing the negative dynamics of unhealthy relationships. Relationships matter, which is why Belonging Matters. This doesn't happen naturally or easily in today's busy, distracted world. Having a framework and toolkit for guidance and support can make all the difference.

Don't dabble. Commit to the whole process and stay the course. Let Jessie Sutherland, who walks the talk, guide you on a transformational journey. She has faced adversity, understands the long-term effects of trauma, and brings both personal and professional knowledge to her work.

Groups We Work With Around the World


Workplaces

All levels of government

School districts

Foundations & associations

Nonprofits

Community-led projects

The Benefits of Working with Jessie Sutherland & the Belonging Matters Framework

Christien Kaaij
United Way of the Lower Mainland

She is a great facilitator...

Jessie is very passionate about her work and has the capacity to deal with complex and challenging situations. She is a great facilitator and has the ability to enable multiple voices to be heard in complicated processes.

Melissa Lyon
Belonging Matters Project Teammate, Inclusion Advocate

[Jessie] brings out people’s strengths and helps her colleagues, employees, and clients to be their best selves.

Jessie has a real gift for making people feel comfortable and valued. Through her exceptional communication skills, she makes people feel at ease, even when discussing difficult topics. I love how Jessie makes everyone feel valued and actively listens to our ideas, then creatively builds upon them. In this way, she brings out people’s strengths and helps her colleagues, employees, and clients to be their best selves.

As a person with a disability, I feel very accepted and empowered by Jessie. The discussion framework that Jessie created is very versatile and effective. Her extensive knowledge of conflict resolution, belonging, and acceptance are evident in everything that she does. She is very enthusiastic and believes in what she is teaching.

Sarah Glen
Manager, Communications and Marketing at BC & Alberta Guide Dogs

...all our objectives were met.

Jessie was truly wonderful to work with. She designed and managed our facilitation process with a great understanding about what we wanted to achieve and kept discussions focused and on topic - all our objectives were met. She is incredibly respectful of people's expertise and opinions and has a friendly and positive manner when dealing with everyone involved in the project.

Connect with Jessie about any of our consulting & facilitation options.

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