Excellence in Diversity Awards

Category: Latest Blog

  • Baroness Campbell: ‘If we do not champion Diversity in Britain, then we cannot call ourselves inclusive’

    P1020747 copyBaroness Campbell of Surbiton joins a host of diversity leaders to launch a new awards ceremony honouring British diversity.

    The widely anticipated Excellence in Diversity Awards has opened its nominations for the 2015 ceremony to recognise companies with truly inclusive workforces.

    The inaugural awards, to be held at the Midland Hotel, Manchester on May 14th 2015, will make inroads towards organisers’ goal of ‘rewarding organisations that operate within all strands of diversity’.

    Baroness Campbell, judge for The Excellence in Diversity Awards, has continuously campaigned for disability rights most notably against the legalisation of assisted suicide.

    “If we do not champion people’s diversity in Britain, whether that be in employment, education or full access to public life, then we cannot call ourselves progressive, inclusive and successful human beings. I cannot think of anyone who would want that, but sometimes we need role models to help show us the way”.

    Baroness Campbell continued “These awards will help society to understand and learn what it means to genuinely include all diverse people in our communities. To be part of that process is very important to me”.

    The event is definitely one to mark down on your calendar and provides recognition for excellence regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, faith, religion and culture.

    Headed by the Diversity Group and supported by the likes of J.P.Morgan, PwC and ITV amongst others, the launch of the unprecedented awards will break ground as the leading diversity awards ceremony recognising only UK companies that are committed to inclusion across the board.

    Mark Shrimpton, Equality Specialist for Disability Rights UK expanded on the importance of such an awards, “Modern and thriving businesses cannot achieve without embracing diversity. Barriers to inclusion fail society, trouble shareholders and damage profits. That’s why I’m delighted to help this programme by celebrating all that’s good about the UK’s diversity practice”.

    CEO Paul Sesay added, “There is still alot of work to be done on the grounds of equality, and not just in one particular strand but all strands of diversity. It is important that companies reflect the market place in which they serve, and we are delighted to showcase those that celebrate diversity throughout the whole ethos of their corporation”.

    The Excellence in Diversity Awards also focus on leading diversity champions, unsung diversity heroes and extraordinary employees that have displayed motivation, innovation and commitment to inclusion.

  • Shabang! ….Live Love Laugh Learn

    Shabang ThumbnailShabang! is all about raising awareness, promoting inclusion and acceptance, and celebrating difference.

    To this end we build networks of families with children with additional needs, bringing them together under the supportive umbrella of our arts  based projects – life enhancing and confidence building; and hopefully giving everyone a great time.

    As winners of the National Diversity Award Community Organisation for Disability it looks like we are making progress, in our Shabang! bubble at least!

    However, at the heart of what we get up to at Shabang!, it can feel like being in a strong magnetic field with forces pulling one way and then another.

    Whilst we celebrate difference, enjoying our little square pegs, trumpeting their unique qualities and giving space to our children to be themselves, we are also wishing the world would see them as just kids. See the child before you see their difference, lose the label, don’t judge a book by its cover, all men are equal etc.

    National Diversity AwardsLet’s look at the family model. When a baby is born with Down Syndrome for example, the family  will go through a phase of re adjustment  i.e. “this wasn’t the baby we were expecting but let’s get on with it”. A phase which can vary from a few fleeting moments to weeks, months or years.

    Nevertheless in most cases, acceptance eventually comes with love. The family love the child, see them as their own person and the extra chromosome no longer dominates how the child is included in the family.

    In Shabang world we aim for the same sort of acceptance – where all families value each other’s children equally. We would like to think that we have created a place where acceptance and love is the key to everything. The real trick however, is how we roll out this model into the wider world. 

    So how then do we help the world to love, celebrate, include and genuinely accept those with difference?

    Equality laws go a long way but changing hearts is the real trick.

    To be honest, we think people with an intellectual disability are too often regarded as somehow “less important”. They are seen as not having as much to give to society. There is an implication that people who are cognitively different are emotionally different too. That they don’t count in the same way. Could it be, we think that somehow they carry a lower price tag or are of less worth and consequently less human than the rest?

    Are you less of a human being because your brain works differently, or slower than your typically developing peers? In the end it has to come down to a belief system wherein we are all regarded as equal. We all have an equal right to be here.

    Let’s not forget that 90% of pregnancies in Europe with a diagnosis of Down’s Syndrome are terminated. We have a huge fear factor to work some magic on here too.

    So back to our magnetic field. How do we achieve this? Well at Shabang! we chisel away at the edges. Apart from helping families of children with additional needs feel proud, confident and proactive we also look for other ways to wave our flag at the world.

    We create beautiful calendars with models with additional needs – in the hope that the more walls they hang from, the more our children will be seen as “everyday”. 

    We post short films on YouTube promoting understanding so that the most common myths are challenged.

    National Diversity AwardsWe make children’s DVDs starring actors with additional needs – in the hope that the more exposure our children have in the media the more familiar they become. How we long for TV and film to embrace intellectual disability in the same way, then we really would be getting somewhere n.b. A Shabang! series on CBBC would be great, yes please!

    Once we reduce the fear, achieve familiarity and improve acceptance then we must work on inclusion, integration and equality. Equality doesn’t just mean “same”. Equality involves accepting, celebrating and embracing our differences.

    At Shabang! we say “Live, Love, Laugh, Learn” 

    We know we are only just starting to scratch the surface , but believe us – we will keep scratching! 

    If you would like to find out more or buy a Shabang calendar follow this link:

    https://www.shabang.org.uk/product.php?id=63

  • You Made a Difference in My Life

    National Diversity AwardsIt was such an honour to be recognised as an entrepreneur of excellence and represent the LGBT community at the National Diversity Awards. Sitting in the same room as so many amazing individuals and organisations who work tirelessly to support their communities, at the NDA Awards Dinner, was humbling. It is often easy to forget that we still need these activists, campaigners, support groups and community leaders to build diversity and inclusion within the UK. In fact, being nominated and then shortlisted gave us the inspiration to strengthen the Planet London website and undertake a complete site redevelopment to ensure Planet London (and Brighton) is even more accessible and offers even more for the Lesbian, Bi and Queer women’s community.

    When we read the nomination reasons that came in from a number of people we have supported over the last few years, we were struck at how one simple idea to bring inclusion to the lesbian, bi and queer (LBQ) women’s community in London has grown, evolved and really helped the women we set out to support.

    From an events calendar that aimed to be a comprehensive and accurate source of information and encourage a diverse and thriving social community for LBQ women to a growing portfolio of affordable business support opportunities aimed especially at micro businesses run by LBQ women, building on mobile technology with the My Pocket Planet app – Planet London is THE place for women to connect with their community and grow their ideas to create spaces women can connect. We wanted to make sure that LBQ women will always have somewhere they can go and be themselves and that meets their needs.

    DSCF4638There are not a lot of opportunities to give recognition to LBQ women working incredibly hard to create exciting, different, diverse, creative and safe spaces for their community, nor are there many places for event organisers to raise their own profile. We are currently running the grass roots focused Ultimate Planet Awards to give that opportunity to say thanks, “you made a difference in my life” – to recognise the passion behind the LBQ social community. Change starts at the grass roots and this level of change is so often ignored as it’s not always sexy or media friendly work. It’s not about the winning – it’s about every now and then being reminded of the difference made to people’s lives by the things you do with only passion as a driver.

  • Educate OUT Prejudice

    Sue Sanders copyWe care about diversity and, I assume, equality. That’s why we are on this site is it not?

    With an election looming we need to be on our toes. We need to be ready to challenge the lies and stereotypes that will unfortunately start to flow as the parties sink to the lowest common denominator.

    It is useful to see that in areas like London, where a great many locally run state schools have embraced and celebrated diversity, there is little support for parties that seek to demonise immigrants. Though London can be said to be multi-cultural, employment is also high and schools constantly outperform their counterparts in other areas. Immigrants are not a problem, yet the media and the mainstream political parties keep them at the front of the agenda.

    In the Essex seaside town of Clacton, however, the immigrant population is less than half the national average – yet wages are 20% below the national average, while the proportion of people dependent on benefits is higher.

    In Kent – and Buckinghamshire – grammar schools and secondary moderns still exist and children are selected at 11. Kent’s local authority held on to section 28 for some years after it was repealed. It is there that we see prejudice and stereotypes abound and a growing support for political parties that want to blame immigrants for local joblessness. It was telling that recently a TV news programme asked residents of Ramsgate what percentage of immigrants were resident in the area and what the problems were. One woman was adamant that it was in the 80’s; whereas it is between 8 and 9%. One may wonder what has fed this erroneous estimate. 

    My guess is ignorance of the facts and a perpetual diet of misinformation. Because people seek scapegoats; they want to blame someone for their misfortunes – or perceived misfortunes – and political parties have down the centuries used ethnicity, sexual orientation religion, gender and/or disability.

    The 2014 winter floods were blamed on lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people; disabled people claim too much benefit and are not ‘worth’ the minimum wage; it was not that long ago that equal pay for equal work was disputed and the reality is we still do not have it!

    So we see politicians shifting the blame, making up stories such as one about ‘tourist benefit scroungers’ which they were unable to prove when challenged. They focus on the people who have less power and squeeze them; so we see disabled people being deprived of their benefits by inappropriate tests that have resulted in many deaths.

    ”    By Nick Sommerlad on April 4, 2012 11:00 PM in Health

    32 die a week after failing test for new incapacity benefit

    More than a thousand ­sickness benefit claimants died last year after being told to get a job, we can reveal.

    We’ve highlighted worries about the controversial medical tests for people claiming Employment Support Allowance which are being used to slash the country’s welfare bill.

    The Government has boasted that more than half of new ­claimants are found “fit to work” – failing to mention that over 300,000 have appealed the decision and almost 40% have won.”

    So we have seen the present Government’s policies have already cost lives. The policies being talked about: reducing the power of the Public Duty of the Equality Act; scrapping the Humans Rights Act and reducing  immigration, which would mean leaving the EU and thereby the Human Rights Court as well.

    The Stephen Lawrence Report of 1999 raised awareness of institutional prejudice and instigated much needed work in the criminal justice system, which meant that hate crime was taken more seriously. However, under the concept of ‘austerity’ we see the structures, training and culture that supported this work massively diluted.

    We see the appalling result in an atrocious homophobic attack and totally inadequate response from both the CJS and NHS here http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/homophobia-in-microcosm-how-a-savage-gang-attack-tore-one-mans-whole-life-apart-9780443.html

    We know what will happen if we do nothing.

    Gordon Allport produced a really useful diagram explaining what happens if we do nothing (see below). It starts by enabling people to see the danger of using banter and inappropriate labels, which all too often people ignore or trivialise. This perpetual labelling feeds a culture of negativity and prejudice which quickly builds to social withdrawal from the target of that abuse. Once that is done the target is less known, so they can be demonised and seen as less human. This encourages discrimination, which further feeds the targeted group’s lack of worth in the perpetrators’ eyes and it is even seen as acceptable to attack members of the group physically. Dealing with that level of abuse often renders the target unable to go on; so they suicide or the dominant group feels justified or confident or enough to kill them.

    It is our job as citizens to dispel the lies, challenge the prejudice, and educate OUT prejudice.

    Sue Sanders chair LGBT History Month www.lgbthistorymonth.org.uk

    Allport’s Scale

    Extermination

    Genocide 

    Murder

    Suicide

    Resignation

    Physical Attack

    Assault

    Rape

    Criminal damage

    Physical bullying

    Graffiti

    Discrimination

    In employment, education, 

    access to housing, health 

    care, services, goods etc.

    Avoidance

    Ignoring, excluding, invisilbilising, physical

    withdrawal, not patronising businesses etc.

    Anti-locution

    Bad-mouthing, spiteful gossiping, creating

    negative myths about people, anti-jokes, verbal

    abuse, stereotyping

     

  • Supporting boys and young men: Is this the shift in mindset we’ve been waiting for?

    Working With MenThis month we won the Community Organisation Award for Gender at the National Diversity Awards. I was genuinely surprised when they announced our name.  At that moment I was sitting back in my chair getting ready to applaud the winner, when I realised they were playing our video on screen and saying our name.

    WWM Blog PicChief Executive of Working With Men – Shane Ryan 

    It is a significant moment for us in many ways – not only are we getting a clear message from people that what we are doing is recognised and needed – but it means disadvantaged boys and young men have finally made it on the public agenda.

     We are the first ever charity working specifically with helping boys and young men to receive such an award. This is great, but there is a penny dropping – true equality needs to work both ways for men and women for everyone to move forward together.

    Equality for men and women

     While much of the public focus on our work tends to highlight our programmes in schools or our work with unemployed young men. Families are the perfect example of the place where the two things can go hand in hand, where there is reciprocity between equality for men and equality for women.

    Imagine if we offered all fathers the same level of support and services we offer mothers. We have nearly a quarter of a million fathers in the UK that are stay-at-home dads and two million mums. In 1993 there were less than 120,000 dads. Things have changed. Some women are out at work earning more than men. How are we accommodating that change? This is the reality of 21st century Britain.

     The more we offer family services for men, the more we make it OK for them, and, for those women, to make conscious decisions on how they are going to live their lives. This removes the shackle, or the onus, that is constantly on mums to look after children.

     If we want to reduce the incidence of children’s involvement in social care, if we want to foster more equitable arrangements around child rearing and parental roles and want a more equal society where both women’s and men’s roles in life and wider society are not tied to historic stereo types and positions this has to extend to family life as well as work place and public life.  We have quite rightly witnessed the emancipation of women from enforced roles within society and now hope and expect these rights and freedoms will grow and continue.

    Everyone of both genders and from whatever cultural or ethnic background need to be afforded the same rights and opportunities including when it comes to children, families and parenting roles; if we set an expectation or precedent that men can and should be involved in all aspects of parenting not just in the financial provider or occasional babysitter role, we make an important statement about equality for all generally.

    Breaking down boundaries

     The work we are doing is breaking down boundaries and is forcing a change in mindset. Not only are we truly humbled that so many people would go out of their way to vote for us among such strong competition, we also recognise – as someone said to me the other day – we now “deserve to be in that field”.

    Remaining with the family theme we have really important work ahead of us. For example we want to record the numbers of fathers who are still in school.  Most of the time people don’t acknowledge they are fathers – so understandably they struggle with it. These young men have just been told they are going to be a dad, they can’t get time off to go to the antenatal appointments or the birth. Rather than brand them as boys who need to be punished, we need to keep them involved with the family and support them – the outcomes are better for the whole family, and the young mums we’ve spoken to agree with this as does the associated research. This is why we believe the creation of statutory requirements to capture father’s data where possible by health and children’s services is essential particularly where they may be vulnerable

     “An extraordinary 10th anniversary year”

    WWM Pic02We are having an extraordinary 10th anniversary year. It’s snowballing; we have cross party support for the work we are doing, the next all-parliamentary group on fatherhood is around the corner; press interest is high; we are being asked to speak at  conferences and universities; our fundraising is growing, our profile is stronger, and we are looking forward to marking International Men’s Day on 19 Nov.

    And here we are, a small organisation with a funny name!

    On a serious note, what is significant is that our national and parliamentary work is growing. Two years ago we took over the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Fatherhood and that added a new dimension to the work. 

    In this crucial time before the general election we need to show politicians what we have learned in the last decade about how to target marginalised young men and make them feel they have a stake in society. We also now work with organisations nationally, including Bardardos, Mums Net and the Royal College of Midwifery for their support at the party conferences recently it shows a real shift in mindset. With this in mind our core three-pronged strategy works on a ‘Manifesto for Men’ for the 2015 General Election, developing a robust evidence based programme that beings to address inequalities in health and education.

    We will continue to push the message that there are other paths to walk down – we need to gear up our young men particularly with the tools to do that. Otherwise they can often become lost and unsure what their responsibilities are.

     There is more than one way to be male.

     Thank you to everyone for your support. We are really proud to have won this award.

  • Conquering Intolerance Through Peace

    Muslim Youth Association

    There is a breeze blowing in parts of the world today. In some areas it is gentle, a serene zephyr drifting in the peaceful azure skyline. In other places it blows fiercely, knocking people off their feet, causing houses to be demolished and lives ruined. In such areas of our planet this breeze has become a tempest, causing misery to innocent souls, a whirlwind creating destruction. It is no longer simply an insignificant breeze but has transformed into a devastating storm.

    This is the storm of intolerance.

    Its gales are far-reaching, and its flames devour individuals and groups who are perceived different, those who’s appearances, or beliefs, or cultures are not in line with those who are more powerful. This storm aims to destroy diversity, to suppress that which makes societies flourish, to quell our differences rather than to celebrate them.

    It is through a variety of means that people today seek to create division and disharmony, but the most distressing for me as an Ahmadi Muslim, is when people use religion as means of sowing the seeds of hatred, particularly when it is Islam, a word literally meaning peace, which is the faith that is hijacked in this manner. Groups such as ISIS today not only discriminate, but also murder with relish those whom they decide, all the while pretending to be the custodians of religion. Such barbaric atrocities are not new to our world; rather these flames of division and discrimination have plagued our planet for as long as Man has ruled over it.

    Thus as sectarian conflicts and brutal horrors plague the Muslim world today, the picture painted of Islam, and indeed religion as a whole, is not a pretty one. The truth however of what all faiths really teach, is quite different.  It was the Buddha who said that he who experiences the unity of life sees his own Self in all beings. It was Jesus who urged his followers to pray for those who persecute you. It was the Prophet Muhammad who said that a white has no superiority over a black, nor does a black have any superiority over a white – except by piety and good action. On a personal level, it is because of my faith, and not in spite of it, that I follow the motto ‘Love for all, hatred for none,’ as I believe, as the Quran states, that we have all been created with diverse looks and beliefs and characters not for the purposes of hating each other, but so that each of us can utilise the gifts of our diversity to build a more cohesive and just society for us all.

    As a tenant of my faith, I pledge each year to always remain loyal to my country, the United Kingdom, a place in which the light and sound of diversity reverberates with beauty and with colour and with life. I live each day with friends and companions from all walks of life, united despite our differences, bound together by the thread that connects us all – the thread of humanity. I often pray that in the near future, the entire globe can feel a sense of unity despite our diversity, and that I may soon see the day that the storm of intolerance in our world is replaced by the shining light of peace. 

  • What do toys have to do with inequality?

    Let Toys Be Toys This year, bloggers around the world are writing on the topic of inequality for Blog Action Day. Jess Day looks at how ‘boy’ and ‘girl’ toy marketing connects with the inequalities men and women face in adult life.

    The UK gender pay gap stands at nearly 20%. Direct and indirect discrimination certainly haven’t gone away, but it’s widely acknowledged that much of the difference comes from the different choices men and women make, with women over-represented in low paid caring professions, and far more likely to work part time due to caring responsibilities. But how free are those choices? And what are the forces shaping them?

    Toy marketing might not seem an obvious place to look, but children don’t pop out of the womb with expectations about their future careers, or beliefs about what their work is worth. However, by late primary age, research by Welsh organisation Chwarae Teg shows that children already have very clear ideas about the jobs that are suitable for boys and girls; ideas that are very hard to shake later on.

    Setting the patterns

    Science sets under ‘for boys’ labels, building and construction toys marketed with adverts and packaging featuring only boys, dolls and ‘home corner’ play clearly labelled and packaged towards girls all give children clear messages about what the grown up world thinks is suitable for them.

    Toy marketing is pushing stereotypes which are well past their sell-by date. When I see Dads with pushchairs every day, why would a toy buggy be a ‘girls’ toy’? My children see me do most of the driving in our family, so why would a car be ‘for boys’?

    Children are picking up these messages though – my daughter has been treated by female doctors and male nurses. So where would she get the idea that ‘Boys are doctors and girls are nurses’.

    Play matters

    Play is absolutely fundamental to children’s learning and development, and putting limits on what kind of play is permitted is putting limits on children’s development, it’s as simple as that.

    You cannot make a child play with a toy, but you can very easily stop them, either by never offering it, or by subtle or less subtle messages that it’s ‘off limits’. Children are very attentive to social cues. They’re trying to learn how to be a grown up, and ‘Boys don’t play with dolls’ will be understood by them in just the same way as, ‘Hitting is wrong’ – they can’t understand the difference between those kinds of social rules.

    A variety of play is really important for every child – enjoying sewing or colouring doesn’t rule out loving football or construction and all of these types of play develop different skills.

    When we give boys the idea that they’re not to play with dolls or dressing up we’re taking away opportunities to develop their abilities to nurture, empathise and be creative. Failing to offer girls chances to build and construct means they miss out the chance to hone their spatial skills and build and reinforce the stereotype that girls are weaker in technical subjects. And the skills that are encouraged, praised and developed in childhood will naturally feed into the academic and career choices they make as they grow older.

    Lucrative Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) fields don’t only have trouble attracting women, they also fail to keep them, the so-called ‘leaky pipeline’ that sees women dropping out at every stage.

    Sugar and spice

    Dressing up is fun. But themes of glamour and beauty in toys and playthings directed at even the youngest girls tips over into a worrying emphasis on outward appearance. Make up sets for toddlers, ‘Top Model’ stationery for pre-teens, endless princess dresses can create an overwhelming wallpaper to girls’ lives that focuses on passively ‘being’ pretty rather than on ‘doing’ anything. Little wonder that research by Girlguiding UK found that 87% of girls thought that women were judged more on appearance than on their ability.

    Rising levels of eating disorders are just the tip of the iceberg of body image anxiety which does untold harm, including distracting girls from focusing on learning and achieving.

    Slugs and snails

    Stereotyped attitudes about boys are equally harmful. The constant assumption reinforced in toy advertising and packaging that boys are inevitably rough, dirty, rowdy, interested only in action and violence tells calmer, more sensitive or more creative boys that they’re getting this whole ‘boy’ thing a bit wrong, and feeds low expectations of boys that undermine their performance at school.

    Who’s holding the baby?

    Women often find their careers falter when they have a family – many workplaces still have trouble adapting to the reality of workers beyond the museum piece of the full time working male whose family responsibilities are dealt with by someone else. But it isn’t only women’s careers that lose out. A study by Working Families showed that 82% of full time working men said they would like to spend more time with their children, and that many working dads felt very resentful at the lack of options for flexible working.

    Real families are changing; The Fatherhood Institute observes that a substantial number of fathers are now full- or part-time ‘home dads’: among fathers of under-fives, 21% are solely responsible for childcare at some point during the working week and 43% of fathers of school-aged children provide care before/after school.

    Increasingly, fathers want the chance to hold the baby too. So why discourage little boys from playing Daddy?

    Toys are anything but trivial

    If you think toys aren’t important, just ask a child. Toys and toy marketing loom very large in children’s worlds, and are hugely influential in children’s development. It’s time to challenge the limiting and dated stereotypes they peddle.

    Since the Let Toys Be Toys campaign was launched in November 2012 14 retailers have changed their signage to remove ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ signs, or made a public commitment to do so, and our Christmas 2013 survey showed a 60% reduction in ‘girls’ and ‘boys’ signs in UK stores.

    Just as importantly we hope we’ve really got people talking and thinking about the importance of what we tell children about boys and girls, women and men. We need to be offering children equal choices right from the start, so they grow up expecting, and demanding, equal rights at home and in the workplace.

    Find out more about the Let Toys Be Toys campaign 

     

     

  • MY WORTH AS A DISABLED PERSON

    Chelsey Jay I am sad that this is the blog post I am writing on return from my holiday, but I guess, ignorance never has a desired time to rear its ugly head.

    This blog post is a little different. It is for you to read, but the weight of its content is not for your shoulders to bare.

    It is for you Lord Freud.

    To Lord David Freud.

    I always pride myself on the fact that, even though disability came into my life, uninvited and out of the blue, I have still remained the same person as I always was previous.

    Hard working, ambitious and with good morales.

    I was training to be a nurse before this.

    Before that I worked in a Accounts Office.

    Before that I worked in a Restaurant.

    Before that, a paper round.

    And what do I do now?

    I fight people like you.

    The small minded.

    The ignorant. 

    I feel so rude addressing someone whom I’ve never met with such vulgar adjectives – but then you have just addressed over 10 million people you’ve never met with your very own vulgarity, so, I guess, you’ve kind of out done me there sir?

    As one of those 10 million. I have to ask…

    What right do you have, to put a value on me?

    Is this value based on my intellect or achievements?

    No it is not is it Lord Freud? 

    Its based on your positively illiterate and shameful view, that disabled people, are not worth the same as able bodied people in the workplace.

    Which leads me to assume, that you are so full of your own self importance, that you can so carelessly share such a bigoted and inaccurate opinion in such a nonchalant manner, without even a second thought to how idiotic and vile you sound?

    “The Ego is not master in its own house. ”   – Sigmund Freud

    I believe that it was your Great Grandfather that made that quote was it not sir?

    How bittersweet and true.

    The PM has demanded you apologise for what you have said.

    But I argue you shouldn’t.

    A sorry means nothing if the person saying it has been directed to, not by their own culpability or guiltiness, but by other peoples.

    What do I think you should do? (I know right, advice from a £2 an hour disabled person?!)

    RESIGN.

    Resign on the basis that you do not feel you are worthy of your title, your position in Government, in society.

    That you are going to educate yourself in the real life of people with disabilities – given that you clearly are clueless and ill-informed.

    Then, and only then, dish out an apology.

    One thats heartfelt, thats nurtured, that has grown.

    Not one that your flustered party has forced you to muster up.

    Chelsey Jay

     

  • All for One & One for All Project

    St Philips Centre

    Since the National Diversity Awards 2013 when we were finalists in the ‘race, religion & faith category’, St Philip’s Centre has further developed its work with young people by working creatively to embed issues of religion and belief diversity into everyday life.

    Together with Leicester College, we developed the ‘All for One & One for All’ project to help integrate issues of religion and belief diversity into the curriculum. The project focuses on two areas in particular, construction and hospitality. The project engenders an appreciation of religions/beliefs, celebrates diversity and helps learners and staff to understand the economic and business benefits which diversity brings. This is a vital aspect of the project because it helps to equip the students for their future careers.

    The project also challenges areas of prejudice and stereotyping perpetuated by extremist and racist groups, by developing the critical thinking of learners and staff and provide a safe space for staff and learners to talk about and address topical issues such as honour-based violence and forced marriage.

    All for One & One for All involves tutorials, exhibitions, visits and trips to places of worship. The project is supported by Leicester College’s multi-faith chaplaincy service and has been funded by the Skills Funding Agency and NIACE.

    This is one of our most innovative and exciting project partnerships with Leicester College. By working with students we have developed an intensive programme of education which is interactive and provides them with the skills and knowledge to benefit from the huge potential markets which Leicester offers whether it is in the construction trade or in catering. Understanding diversity can provide a significant economic boost to any organisation and this project was set up to help students before they embark on their chosen careers.

    Riaz Ravat, Deputy Director, St Philip’s Centre

    www.stphilipscentre.co.uk

  • A call to action: If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem

    Slide1

    The last few weeks have seen a massive debate on social media about the significance of race in certain institutions. It began with a photo campaign highlighting the voices and faces of black students from the University of Harvard. These students had come to believe that their voices often went unheard on their campus, their experiences were devalued and their presence was constantly questioned. As a result, the picture campaign was a way of voicing out to say: “We are here. This place is ours too.” 


    Blogpic01

    This campaign crossed over to the other side of the Atlantic and students of colour from Oxford, Cambridge and the University of Nottingham followed suit. It has resonated with several people across the world who have experienced prejudice in one way or the other. 



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I’m part of the Senior Management Team for Youth Charity Elevation Networks. Our mission is to develop the skills of young people, by partnering with outstanding employers to create diverse career opportunities. With our unwavering interest in diversity, particularly around BAME engagement, we run an annual campaign – the Great Debate Tour- which is UK’s largest University Debate Tour targeting BAME students. Over the last 2 years we have engaged over 10,000 young people through this. This serves as an avenue for students to discuss social and political issues that affect them. Last year, for example, we explored the topics like integration and immigration. It has been widely observed that ethnic minority members of the UK population are less likely to vote, and less likely to be active within areas of public life. In addition to this, particular segments of the ethnic minority population are disproportionately unemployed and engaged in the criminal justice system. We believe that to change the current negative stereotypes and outcomes, the next generation of leaders must be inspired to get actively involved in matters that are closest to their communities. As Gandhi said, one must be the change that they wish to see. The Great Debate Tour seeks to use debates to start conversations and create awareness about issues. In the end, young people’s voices are heard in a truly dynamic way, and new insight is provided to all through mass discussion.

    Taking this into consideration, I find the picture campaign at Harvard University extremely poignant. It has inspired people across the world to challenge issues that may have been accepted as the norm. The norm is not usually the truth and it is perfectly fine for anyone to challenge them when need be. A few weeks ago the leader of the British National Party, Nick Griffin tweeted “Lenny Henry wanted more black people on TV. So they put on Crimewatch”. I was intrigued by two things: Firstly, Mr. Griffin’s bravery to make such a statement. Secondly, the lack of backlash concerning the tweet from the public, major news channels or websites. I strongly believe that we have become so desentized to episodes like this occurring from Mr Griffin, and so we turn a blind eye to them every time. Why should we? Just because we expect it does not mean we should accept it.

    It is important to acknowledge that the UK is now representative of many cultures and nationalities. An academic report by Professor David Coleman has found that the UK will be the West’s most ethnically diverse nation after 2050 and by 2066, white Britons will be the minority. However, the truth of the matter is that this has not been reflected in many of our leading institutions from Russell group Universities, to blue chip companies. Over the past 20 years the rise in number of MPs from BAME backgrounds has been disproportionate to the increase in the wider UK population. Looking at the European Parliament, the UK only has 4 BAME representatives out of 78. Diversity cannot be championed through lip service – it needs to be championed in practice.

    Amongst other inequalities, ethnic minorities have not had fair access to viable finance through Britian’s banking system – something Deputy Prime minister Nick Clegg announced needed to change some time last year. Working with the governments Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, at EN we have run a campaign that has helped over 600 people over the last year set up their own business, through providing low interest loans, hence combating the issue. Over 70% of the entrepreneurs we have supported are BAME. This is because we have been very deliberate in approaching areas and communities that may have been traditionally neglected. Successfully addressing issues like this will not only improve the lives of ethnic minorities in the UK, but it will also grow the UK economy.

    People who have gone down in history as greats have decided to challenge the status-quo: whether it was Martin Luther King in America, Nelson Mandela in South Africa or Doreen Lawrence in the United Kingdom. Once upon a time, explicit racial injustice was entrenched (and to an extent still is, in a subtle way) into authoritative institutions across the world, and these leaders were relentless and willing to put their lives and reputations on the line to contest this.

    We need more people like these leaders and not necessarily on a large scale. We can make an active attempt to challenge injustice wherever you are, with whatever we have in the best way we know how. Each individual effort will collectively result in the change that we desire. Whether you correct your child for having prejudice views, you start a race awareness campaign on your university campus or you aim to tackle the lack of diversity in the workplace, you are all contributing to a significant cause. I agree, the issue of diversity and prejudice will not be completely eradicated however we would have started a worthy battle against general perceptions and norms.

    Certainly, if you are not part of the solution, you are definitely part of the problem and taking action is the biggest stage you could ever have for your voice to be heard.

    Elorm Haligah

    @SirElormH

    @elevationetwork