Equality work is a top priority at camera company Snap Inc., especially for the company’s manager of global diversity initiatives Jarvis Sam (pictured). Sam’s diversity and inclusion efforts extend to Snap’s 3,000 employees working around the world. These initiatives begin well before the hiring process by cultivating talent and interest at the educational level.

Sam takes a three-tiered approach to inclusion at Snap. “First on the pipeline layer. What are we doing by way of K-12 education to ensure communities of color, as well as women, have specific opportunities in the space to be impactful?” Sam asked.

He and his team then focus on HR best practices for an ideal candidate experience, and finally create a nurturing community for employees to ensure their entire culture is empowered by the idea of inclusion, “making sure that inclusion is not just a seat at the table, but rather a voice in the conversation that can be actioned upon,” Sam said.

Sam spoke with Rebecca Knight (@knightrm), host of theCUBE, SiliconANGLE’s mobile livestreaming studio, during the Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing event in Orlando, Florida. They discussed Snap’s tangible strategies for creating an inclusive culture beyond HR and how to address these issues industry-wide.

Starting with a safe, open, inviting infrastructure

Based in Los Angeles, Snap has the advantage of growing in a diverse community primed for innovation. Sam and his team have taken an inventive approach to inclusion through creative, personal events and outreach programs.

“We bring all of our employee resource groups together, and they hold massive events every single quarter to encourage other communities … to understand what they do,” Sam said.

Snap also maintains its dedication to nurturing young, diverse talent through projects like its Made with Code partnership with Google, a program that invites teen girls to develop geo filters for Snap with Blockly technology. In just one week, the project has seen more than 22,000 applications.

Innovation characterizes Snap’s recruiting efforts as well, with the company taking a fresh approach to unconscious biases in referral networks. “We actually do sourcing jams, where we sit down with [employees] and mine their networks … on any of the professional networking sites that they work on to find out who are the great talents that they’ve worked with before,” Sam said.

In the wake of opposition to his cause, Sam remains steadfast in tackling uncomfortable conversations. “Not facing challenges head-on is going to be the greatest threat to the tech industry. It results in negative rhetoric that inherently puts these communities out of wanting to work in this specific industry. … We have to include individuals. … Technology represents how we’re building our future,” Sam concluded.

Watch the complete video interview below, and be sure to check out more of SiliconANGLE’s and theCUBE’s coverage of Grace Hopper Celebration of Women in Computing.

Photo: SiliconANGLE