LGBT+ Futures: Equity Fund
Aims/priorities: This is the second round of the Fund which focuses on supporting user-led LGBT+ organisations working with targeted under-represented and under-resourced communities.
The aims of the fund are to:
Rochdale
Rochdale
Ogden Trust – Physics Education Grants
Aims/priorities: The Trust’s grants are split into two strands:
- Curriculum support: to support the teaching and learning of physics from 11-18 in the classroom, including equipment for teaching physics, teaching resources and teacher CPD.
- Enrichment activities: to support physics extra-curricular activities for school and college students (4 -18) from under-represented groups.
Who can apply? Applications are welcome from educational establishments and charities based in the UK and working predominantly in England.
Cosaraf Hardship Grants
Aims/priorities: This fund aims to support individuals and families who are struggling with everyday costs, such as basic living expenses, household items and utilities, or rent arrears.
Who can apply? Applications will only be accepted from recognised third party social organisation, such as charities, housing associations, schools and social services who are acting on behalf of a family or individual in need.
Priority will be given to:
National Inclusion Week 2024
Founded by Inclusive Employers, National Inclusion Week (NIW) is a week dedicated to celebrating inclusion and taking action to create inclusive workplaces. This year it takes place from 23rd – 29th September.
The theme for National Inclusion Week 2024 is ‘Impact Matters’: a call-to-action to everyone in your organisation, from leaders, to inclusion professionals through to teams and individuals.
Here are some of the ways we are creating an inclusive workplace at Action Together, and some suggestions for where to start at your organisation.
Inclusivity at Action Together
At Action Together, we recognise that our strength comes from our diversity, so we are constantly working to be as inclusive as possible. Here are just some of the things we have done over the past couple of years:
- EmbRACE Diversity Group – our EmbRACE Diversity Group was created as the ‘Anti-racism Working Group’ to understand how racism might manifest at Action Together and to support our work towards becoming an anti-racist organisation. That is still its core purpose today, but we now also work towards improvements in all areas of equity and inclusion. Members meet every two months to assess progress and plan actions.
- Celebrating religious diversity through events – faith is an important part of many of our employees’ and members’ lives, and also a great way for people to connect through shared customs and traditions. We organise events throughout the calendar year to celebrate religious observances, creating opportunities for our teams to get together and connect with one another. So far this year we have held a staff iftar during Ramadan, and we are planning events for both Diwali and Christmas.
- Hybrid and flexible working – the traditional office environment and 9-5 shift pattern can make some people feel excluded from the workplace, and we know that if we worked this way we would miss out on the valuable talent and creativity of some of our employees. We offer our staff members flexibility with their working hours and the opportunity to choose their work location where possible.
- Training – we all want to ‘get it right’ when it comes to inclusive practices, and we know that appropriate training supports our employees and our members with this. We have worked with some fantastic member organisations to provide anti-racism and neurodiversity training for our staff, with more inclusion-focused training to come.
- Recruitment and induction – we have improved our recruitment processes, following best practice guidance from lived experience experts, and we’re currently doing the same with our induction processes. All candidates who interview with us now have the opportunity to give feedback on their experience to ensure that we are able to keep improving.
- Flexible bank holidays – most bank holiday dates in the UK are based on Christian holidays, so will not hold special significance for many people. Our staff members have their bank holiday allowance added to their annual leave pot, so they can choose to take those days when works best for them.
- Pronouns in email signatures – we recognise that gender is complex, and you cannot tell a person’s gender or preferred pronouns by just their name or the way they look. By including our pronouns in our email signatures, we are normalising sharing pronouns with the intention of creating a more inclusive environment for trans, non-binary and other gender non-conforming people.
- Clear reporting procedures – we have developed guidance for our staff on how to report any discrimination they may experience or witness while at work, or any changes they feel we could make to our ways of working to be more inclusive. Alongside these reporting procedures, we have also written ‘how to’ guides to support staff with managing difficult situations such as challenging discrimination, responding appropriately when challenged, and supporting an individual when they make a disclosure.
What can your organisation do?
If you want to be a more inclusive organisation but are struggling to know where to begin, these can be some useful starting points:
- Speak to your staff and volunteers – individuals in your organisation, especially those from underrepresented groups, may be able to give important insight into what you’re already doing well and where you may have room for improvement. Explain why you’re asking questions about inclusion, listen, and avoid becoming defensive if some of the feedback is challenging – remember that your staff team want your organisation to be an excellent place to work as much as you do!
- Collect and analyse data – knowing who is currently missing or underrepresented at your organisation, especially at a senior level, can help you to identify groups whose expertise and lived experience you may be missing out on. Remember that some people may not feel comfortable sharing personal information with their employer, so be clear about what you plan to do with the data and give people the option to opt out if they wish.
- Learn from experts – there are many excellent training providers with lived experience backgrounds in our local areas. They can help you to understand how to ensure that you are building a supportive and inclusive workplace. We also regularly run training sessions on a variety of topics – see our training calendar for more information.
- Speak to your development worker – our fantastic Community Development Workers can help point you in the right direction for advice and training.
- Take a look at online guides and resources – CIPD and ACAS are great places to start, but there are many organisations and individuals who share best practice based on personal experience.
Tips to feel confident talking about inclusion
Language changes all the time, and we know that this can feel intimidating, but here are some tips for being confident in conversations about inclusion.
- Use online resources to understand why some words are not used today. You can search online for ‘word + offensive’ if you’re thinking of using a particular term and you’re worried it might be outdated or harmful – there will usually be articles or web pages explaining why a particular term is no longer used and what the preferred term is.
- Mirror the language used by individuals to describe themselves. When speaking formally about their identity, people will often use the terms they prefer. However, remember that in informal settings people may use words which have been ‘reclaimed’ and should only be used within the community, so check as above if you’re unsure.
- Be honest and ask questions. If you tell somebody that you want to be respectful and use the language they’re comfortable with, most people will be happy to tell you how they would like to be described. Trust that individuals know themselves best, and if they tell you they don’t like a particular word, even if it’s used by other people in the same community, don’t use it for this person.
Key terms
Equity (and equality) – equity is giving people different resources according to their need. For example, not everybody in a hospital should be given the same treatment – they should be given the treatment that is most appropriate for them. Equality is everybody having the same outcome, so in our hospital example we would want everybody to be equally healthy after their treatment.
Diversity – diversity is a way of describing the differences in a group of people. A group with individuals from different genders, races, religions and lived experience is a diverse group. An individual cannot be ‘diverse’, because they only have one set of experiences etc. – their own.
Inclusion – inclusion is the active process of making everybody feel like they are valued and they belong.
Anti-racism – anti-racism is the active process of working to dismantle and fight against racism and racist structures.
Neurodiversity – neurodiversity is a way of describing the different ways our brains work. Within a given group, some people may be neurotypical (the world has been built to fit the way their brains work) and some people may be neurodivergent (their brains work in different ways from how society ‘expects’ them to). This may include autistic people or people with ADHD, but there are many other types of neurodivergence. An individual cannot be ‘neurodiverse’, as they only have one brain.
Gender – gender is different from sex – it doesn’t have anything to do with our bodies and instead describes the social, cultural and behavioural ideas of being a man, woman, or other gender identity.
Trans (transgender) – transgender refers to anybody whose sex doesn’t align with their gender. The opposite of transgender is cisgender, and this refers to people whose sex and gender do align (for example if you are a man who was born male, or a woman who was born female).
Non-binary – a non-binary person is somebody whose gender identity doesn’t align completely with either ‘man’ or ‘woman’. This can mean different things for different people: for some people it means their identity changes over time, for some it means they identify with multiple genders, and some people prefer not to use gender labels at all.
Gender non-conforming – somebody might describe themselves as gender non-conforming if they don’t align with the expectations of being a cisgender man or woman.
Volunteer Voices 2024, Meet Action Together
And last but not least, another story of Employer Supported Volunteering, or Corporate Volunteering, where the employees of an organisation take time to volunteer during work hours, or organise volunteer activities.
Meet our Action Together Volunteering team from Oldham who, earlier this year, took Good to Grow Week as an opportunity to volunteer their time to help support the Alexandra Park Hub. The Hub is a food-growing hub, community allotment, and is part of the Get Oldham Growing programme. It’s a resource for green fingered enthusiasts who want to learn more about growing healthy food.
Our Oldham Volunteering team met with Hannah Williams who gave them a tour around the Hub and shared with them how the Hub operates, and the many benefits it provides to the community, such as; providing volunteer opportunities, donating vegetables to local food banks, encouraging involvement from the community, and educating young students.
Following the tour, the team got stuck in and spent the morning removing weeds from the onion beds, in order for them to grow and be harvested in a few weeks.
Josie, Volunteering Development Coordinator at Action Together, said;
"Our team had a great time learning more about the Hub's projects and having the opportunity to do some volunteering ourselves! It was so rewarding to meet some of the volunteers who had been supported by our team, and to see first-hand how much they enjoy their volunteering roles."
Volunteer Voices 2024, Meet Gillian
Gillian’s journey began a while ago and she has been involved in a range of volunteer roles throughout the years. From volunteering at Age UK in 1993, to volunteering in chaplaincy, admin, reception, then onto her current volunteering role with Dr Kershaw’s Hospice in their charity shop.
In 2012 Gillian was, unfortunately, made redundant after 18 years. From here, she made contact with Action Together to discuss volunteering ideas. Gillian then went on to volunteer with Action Together as a Receptionist, volunteered at Positive Steps Oldham, and with First Choice Homes supporting their administration.
During her time as a volunteer Gillian also found paid employment at a local school, a football club and found the time to run her own business! She is a friend, a mum and a wife, and loves to walk her dog. We don't know how she fits it all in but Gillian certainly likes to keep herself busy!
Gillian told us that the benefits of volunteering have had a huge impact on her life including gaining employment, meeting new people, planning days out with new friends, and enjoying herself.
Hear from Gillian in her own words as she shares her experience as a volunteer;
Gillian's role at Dr Kershaw’s charity involves her welcoming people, stock checking, sorting donations, steaming and using the till. The reason Gillian volunteers is to support her local community and give something back. Her late Mum had helping hands support from Dr Kershaw’s Hospice, and she found that volunteering was a great way to support a local charity close to her heart. She says;
"Volunteer and go for it! What have you got to lose? Theres only things you can gain!"
Volunteer Voices 2024, Meet Findel
Employer Supported Volunteering, or Corporate Volunteering, is where the employees of an organisation take time to volunteer during work hours, or organise volunteer activities. Action Together works with local groups across Oldham, Rochdale and Tameside to develop volunteering projects and roles, and then matches workplaces that want to volunteer with local organisations who need their help.
Last year Action Together were approached by Hyde-based Findel Education with a request to help them find an opportunity for their staff to get involved in volunteering.
We were already supporting our member organisation Hattersley Projects to recruit new volunteers by advertising their volunteer opportunities through the volunteering directory on our website, social media and volunteering emails. This quickly found six new volunteers to support their projects, helping them get involved in gardening, woodwork, painting, and learning new skills around sustainability and growing flowers, fruit and vegetables.
As part of of our Employer Supported Volunteering offer in Tameside, we then linked Hattersley Projects with Findel Education, and a team of four employees attended for a volunteer day.
Sharmain, Volunteer Lead at Hattersley Projects, said;
"They cleared the space beside our entrance and planted flowers to make the area more welcoming. The difference it has made is huge and we have had nothing but compliments about the first impressions walking into our site.
A massive thank you to Katie, Maria and Paul who worked tirelessly in the heat to make a huge difference to an area of the centre and a big difference for their community. It’s employers and people that volunteer here who make the biggest difference and can help us in many different ways. Thanks also to Action Together who supported us, and who continue to do so."
Following their volunteer day at Hattersley Projects, Findel Education continued their drive to support local charities, and Action Together connected them with Community Matters.
Community Matters is run through the Hattersley Community Hub and helps support families across Tameside. The aim of the campaign was to help families in need by providing pencil cases filled with stationery to children to use as part of their learning. For many families the cost of stationery is one that very few can afford. This appeal goes a long way in ensuring children have the equipment they need to learn and that they don’t feel that they are missing out because they don’t have some of the things that other children do.
Claire Greave from Findel Education said;
“We were more than happy to donate 100 filled pencil cases to their cause as it’s important to us here at Findel that we support children’s education however we can. Part of our ethos ‘growing education for generations’ is to ensure that everyone gets a fair chance, and that’s why campaigns like these ones really matter. Thanks to Jacqueline and Janet for visiting and we can’t wait to hear how this campaign makes a difference.
Action Together helps bring people and communities together and we simply wouldn’t get to hear about all these amazing charities and groups if it wasn’t for you, so thank you!”
Findel were thrilled to support and, following their initial involvement with Community Matters, they have gone on to support them on more occasions - with donations of toys and games at Christmas to distribute across the community, and with another employee volunteer day supporting The Bread and Butter Thing in Hattersley!
Want to know more?
If your team would like to volunteer together, find out more about Employer Supported Volunteering at: www.actiontogether.org.uk/ESV
