Courageous Conversations About Diversity

“Courage isn't just a matter of not being frightened, you know. It's being afraid and doing what you have to do anyway.” - Dr Who

In the voluntary, community and social enterprise (VCSE) sector we work hard to empower, to support and to create a sense of belonging to enable individuals and communities to thrive. The principles of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion may be woven into what we do every day, but how do we make sure our commitment to these ideas is explicit, embedded, relevant and meaningful? How do we ensure colleagues, volunteers and beneficiaries are seen, heard and supported? And what do we do when we witness discrimination or injustice?

Maya Angelou once said, ‘There is beauty and there is strength in diversity’. This is even more important and true as we reflect on recent turbulent times. Join Empowering Communities and expert facilitator Judeline Nicholas to move beyond the legislation and towards a deeper understanding of equity and inclusion in practice.

This is a great opportunity for us to:

· Explore Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion and how they impact on a sense of ‘Belonging’ – be that belonging within a team, an organisation, a local area or group

· Increase our awareness of Unconscious Bias and its impact

· Share and exchange ideas that will enable us to step up to Courageous Conversations

· Consider how we can overcome some barriers to Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion

What to expect:

• Welcome – getting to know each other
• Setting the context
• Legislation – A brief overview and what it means for us and our organisations
• Unconscious bias – what is it and what can we do when it strikes!
• Allyship – being a friend and support to those experiencing injustice – some hints & tips
• Working with colleagues to ensure we are all Inclusive.

The session will involve guidance from our expert facilitator Judeline Nicholas along with small group activities and individual exercises.

There will be a mid-workshop break with tea, coffee and biscuits provided.

A little bit about :

I work with organisations to enrich opportunities to develop their people to be the best they can be. With over 30 years' experience of supporting clients in public, private and charitable sectors – nationally and internationally.

My passion is People Skills and my niche being - equity, diversity, and inclusion matters - designing, and facilitating learning programmes. I was honoured to be approached by UNICEF to assist with their work on diversity matters.

I draw on my experiences as a Lay Panel Member of Employment Tribunals. I was highly commended for my work on EDI by the Institute of Directors where I am an ambassador. I am also a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personal and Development; the Institute of Training and Occupational Learning; the Royal Society of Arts.

I chair the Norfolk Race Equality & Human Rights Network, am a trustee with the Norwich Theatre Royal, a multi-academy trust, New Routes and Diverse City. I also coach senior leadership teams through courageous conversations to achieve their personal and business aspirations.

The approach is as per my philosophy:

“Accentuating the Positive, Releasing the Potential!”

You can read more about Judeline's work here.

Other things to note:

The workshop venue is fully accessible on the ground floor of the building. Accessible parking is also available on request.

If you require any adjustments to help you take part in the session, please get in touch at [email protected]

This training workshop, unlike many of our other events, incurs a charge of £15 +VAT per participant. This is to ensure attendance and to reflect the expertise of the facilitator, as well as to contribute to our costs, which are subsidised by the Empowering Communities partnership. We kindly ask that you pay via credit/debit card when booking or request an invoice.

Tickets are limited to a maximum of 2 per organisation, to ensure the training is accessed by as many VCSEs as possible.

The Matthew Project is located approx. 10 mins walk from Norwich city centre. There are public carparks nearby - for more info, click here. We encourage you to lift-share or use public transport where possible.

If you have any questions about the above, please do get in touch at [email protected]

This free event is brought to you by Voluntary Norfolk Communities Team as part of the Empowering Communities Partnership.

We hope you can make it!

Host or Publisher Voluntary Norfolk Communities Team