We are very keen to fully represent the diversity of our membership and have adopted an Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Statement, which was ratified by the CLOA Executive Committee on 21/4/21. The statement sets out our commitment to promote equality, diversity and inclusion actively in our practices, policies and procedures; in our appointments to the Executive, our work with partners and with members. This includes actively removing barriers to participation as well as treating everyone with respect.
Our Executive Committee has also had some training to increase their understanding of being an Ally and Allyship and we published our Allyship Statement as part of #NationalInclusionWeek2024.
A working group leads on progressing our iterative action plan, which is intended to drive improvement in following areas:
- Diversity and inclusivity of the Executive Committee
- Diversity of the staff teams in leisure & cultural services, especially (but not exclusively) in management roles
- Development of good EDI practice across the sector
- Promotion of our commitment and visible demonstration of it in practice
CLOA Chair, Julie Russell, has vlogged about our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion work. If you’re a CLOA member with lived experience, or a passion to support EDI in the culture and leisure sector, we would love to hear from you! #everyonecanlead
You can view the latest version of our EDI action plan here, which will be updated periodically so that members and stakeholders can view our progress. There’s also a presentation compiled by our EDI Champion Zsuzsi Lindsay outlining the EDI progress to date and highlighting priority actions planned for the coming months.
We know there is a lot to do in this area to support a more diverse leadership across our sectors. To inform thinking regarding the priority areas for our action plan, the first step undertaken was to collate the available intelligence regarding under-represented groups working within the culture and leisure sector.
This summary report Diversity in the workforce – Collated Intelligence brings together relevant data and findings from the following sources:
• Demographic data from the Census 2011 and Office for National Statistics
• Research from other industry bodies including CILIP, ARA, Arts Council England, Local Government Association, Museums Association, Sport England
Val Birchall, our first EDI Champion wrote a blog, whilst in the role of Chair of CLOA, outlining how we are keen to reflect, listen, question, learn and openly discuss how to take positive action – On the road to a more diverse CLOA #everyonecanlead
Roundtable on Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in leisure and cultural services showcased examples of best practice that highlight how members are working inclusively by co-designing initiatives with under-represented groups, working to create a welcoming environment for those from diverse backgrounds, and acting in allyship to help break down barriers and reduce discrimination or bias. Take a look at the 5 case study examples including an archive, library, museum, sport and physical activity plus a broad strategic approach for inspiration in developing and improving practice in your own locality.
Diversity & Inclusion Calendar – there are many days, weeks and months to be aware of, but it can be difficult to keep track of them all. Inclusive Employers have created an interactive diversity calendar of inclusion events and awareness days to help you in planning across the year.
