diversity – and so she thinks https://andsoshethinks.co.uk CREATE:COMMUNICATE:CONNECT Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:09:57 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.4 https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/cropped-FAVICON-90x90-1-32x32.png diversity – and so she thinks https://andsoshethinks.co.uk 32 32 London’s voices – life in the global city https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/londons-voices-life-in-the-global-city/ https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/londons-voices-life-in-the-global-city/#respond Thu, 07 Apr 2016 20:09:57 +0000 https://andsoshethinks.wordpress.com/?p=5923 Many artists and visitors to London are inspired to create. The capital infuses the sentences of books, the scenes of TV, the worlds of films, either as a location, character, or just a sense. The second year of London Book & Screen Week, taking place 11 – 17 April, 2016 reveals an eclectic array of events all over the capital in a seven day celebration of the popular culture the city inspires.

London’s voices – life in the global city is an intimate evening at London’s museum of immigration, 19 Princelet St, with readings, performances and talks from four authores. These Londoners have all come from other places, and write about their experiences of immigration, building a home, connection with other centres, and what it means to be in a global city today.

On the line up is Amanda Elhag-Paul, a young Londoner who uses the mediums of writing & performance to express herself, drawing on personal anecdotes for her social commentary.  Ayisha Malik is a British Muslim, lifelong Londoner, and lover of books and like many creative divides her time between writing, being an editor, and studying. Sofia Khan Is Not Obliged is Ayisha’s debut novel. Sathnam Sanghera is an award-winning journalist, author and trustee and board chair for Creative Access, a charity which helps find internships in the creative industries for talented young people from under-represented backgrounds. And Nikesh Shukla is the acclaimed author of Coconut Unlimited which was shortlisted for the Costa First Novel Award 2010 and longlisted for the Desmond Elliott Prize 2011, The Time Machine and Meatspace, as well as editor of the forthcoming anthology, The Good Immigrant. 

Taking place at 19 Princelet Street, the first museum of immigration and diversity in Europe, the event takes the museum’s values of debate, dialogue and connectedness to explore the role of immigration within the city, and the importance of conversation.

Thursday, April 14, 2016 from 7:00 PM to 9:30 PM

Museum of Immigration – 19 Princelet Street Spitalfields, London E1 6QH, United Kingdom

Tickets are available here

 

]]> https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/londons-voices-life-in-the-global-city/feed/ 0 Black History Month – Making a difference with diversity https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/black-history-month-making-a-difference-with-diversity/ https://andsoshethinks.co.uk/black-history-month-making-a-difference-with-diversity/#respond Fri, 20 Nov 2015 11:38:35 +0000 https://andsoshethinks.wordpress.com/?p=5160 ‘Too white, too male, too middle class.’ It’s a soundbite we hear too often in the UK, and in 2013 was the words of an independent review Government review into skills and leadership in the voluntary sector, led by Dame Mary Marsh.
October is Black History Month, a time to celebrate and acknowledge black history, art and culture, and the value that diversity brings to society. This value exists in the third sector as much as anywhere else, but whilst there are a number individuals from BAME (Black, Asian, and minority ethnic) backgrounds doing amazing work, they are still underrepresented and their contribution under recorded.
A 2011 study by Clore Leadership found that BAME represent 7.7% of the third sector workforce – compared to 9% in the total workforce, and 14.9% of the population – increasing to 40.2% in London. One in four school children are from BAME communities – our society is becoming more diverse, and so the organisations and systems playing a part in those societies must become more diverse to be most effective. Organisations working for society should be attuned to the culture of the population they are serving, which is easier when the organisation is reflective of that group.
A workforce of individuals with varied backgrounds, cultures and experiences creates an environment in which different ideas and skills can come together and contribute to a more innovative and creative environment. It’s not only soft measures that are apparently improved by higher ethnic diversity – research by McKinsey showed that companies with higher ethnic diversity were 35% more likely to exceed industry averages in terms of their financial returns.

It’s clear that improving diversity is important, but how can this be best achieved. Some of the work that Charityworks trainees have undertaken has sought to answer this question.
Ensure that recruitment processes are fair and transparent
Widening the pool from which applicants come from by advertising in different areas, seeking out recruitment partners who focus on BAME, and ensuring that imagery and wording do not subconsciously set up a bias in favour of white applicants can all help to improve the recruitment process with a focus on diversity.
Improve monitoring systems
It is difficult to get in depth data about the representation of BAME within the sector. More detailed and robust processes will help monitor recruitment and enable changes to be implemented where necessary. This will mean that decisions can be more informed, and it will lessen the chances of unconscious bias impacting upon recruitment. Consistently using diversity monitoring data, not just collecting it, is crucial.
Encourage people to get involved at all levels
There are high levels of young BAME people volunteering, but those in positions of leadership are low. In the top 50 fundraising charities only 12 per cent of chief executives, 6 per cent of senior management team members and 8 per cent of trustees are non-white. Trustee positions, leadership roles and volunteering are all options to support charities and for individuals to engage in the  third sector, and organisations must utilise the skills available to best serve their needs and the needs of their communities.
Role models
Having high achieving role models as inspiration can help generate enthusiasm and ambition amongst the next generation of leaders. Individuals currently working in the sector could become more involved in outreach work at educational institutions, cultural groups and increase presence in the community. One of the main barriers for recruitment is a lack of knowledge about the sector, and so actively building connections with BAME organisations and groups, making people aware of the opportunities available, and doing so in an inspiring way, is crucial.

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