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Re-Imagining Inclusivity: Annual Inclusivity Conference 10th & 11th June

• Adam • Season 2 • Episode 7

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Embrace a future where inclusivity isn't just a concept, but the cornerstone of our university's ethos. Join our host Julian Gwinnett, alongside guests Dr. Ada Adeghe and Sukhvinder Singh, as we navigate the integration of diversity and inclusivity into our forward-thinking 2035 strategy. We're not just talking about change; we're actively championing it with our newly appointed OVC leaders, who are working to ensure that every voice within our academic family is not only heard but valued. This episode promises to transform your understanding of active support and the power of collective action in creating a university culture where everyone thrives.

Join us at the university's annual Inclusivity Conference, where influential thinkers like Dr. Shani Dhanda, Dr. MashuqlyAli, and Av Gill converge to ignite conversations that challenge and inspire. They're not just speakers; they're catalysts for change, bringing a wealth of knowledge on disability inclusion, the ethnicity award gap, and more. Discover how these insights can be a beacon for your involvement in inclusivity initiatives and learn how individual actions can contribute to a robust and strengthened community. This is your invitation to be part of the pivotal shift towards a more inclusive academic sphere.

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Speaker 1:

We are recording this podcast at the home of Wolverhampton University's Multimedia Journalism degree in the Alan Turing building on City Campus. The radio studio we are sitting in is kitted out to the same standards as places like BBC Radio 4 and 5 Live. It was installed alongside two studios as part of the new Wolverhampton Screen School. If you want to pop in for a guided tour, to discuss booking the studios or to chat about the journalism undergraduate degree, just email the course leader, gareth Owen. His address is gowen3 at wlvacuk.

Speaker 2:

Welcome everybody to this special edition of our Diverse podcast. My name's Adam Vasco, the Director of Diversity and Inclusion in Professional Practice. I'll soon be handing over to Julian, who's joined in the studio by Ada and Sukhvinder. Before I do that, if you haven't already, please book your tickets to our annual Inclusivity Conference, whether in person or via Teams. You really do need to join in with us. The link is in the description. Over to Julian in the studio.

Speaker 3:

So welcome everyone to a special edition of the Diverse Hub where today, we're going to be reimagining inclusivity, more specifically, how inclusivity is embedded into our new 2035 strategy as one of our core values and behaviours. We're also going to be talking about our new ovc champions who they are, what their role is and what we anticipate their impact their impact may be. We're going to be talking about our upcoming inclusivity conference on the 10th and 11th of june this year, where this year's theme is reimagining inclusivity again. So it's fair to say these are exciting times for our institution and there's a lot for us to look forward to. So, just to discuss all of this, I'm joined in the studio by my guests, dr Ada Adegi, associate Dean for Inclusivity and Directorate of Students and Education, and Sukhvinder Singh, associate Director for Equality, diversity and Inclusion. So thank you both for joining me today to talk about these issues, and I'll start off by asking my first guest Ada, can you share your vision for what reimagining inclusivity looks like in practical terms?

Speaker 4:

Thanks, Gillian, in terms of reimagining inclusivity and what that really means in practical terms. Thanks, julian, in terms of reimagining inclusivity and what that really means in practical terms. To me it's about moving beyond words. That was the theme we had for our conference last year and it's about action rather than intention. There's a lot of intention in the sector, good intentions, but it's about action and also moving beyond tokenism. There is a lot of talk about diversity, which is great. Representation is good, but it's more about inclusion, more about celebrating the diverse group of staff and students that we have, and it's also about moving from passive allyship to active allyship as well, so getting to understand the lived and living experiences of different communities and thinking about how we actively support them, to feel part of the University of Wolverhampton family. So taking that nuanced approach to the different interventions that we have or initiatives that we have, that intersectional approach, so everybody feels that they are included in all that we do as a university. So, in a nutshell, it's about moving from intention to real action.

Speaker 3:

I mentioned earlier about. We have some new OVC champions. So I'm going to turn to you now, Sir Brenda, and ask you could you introduce our new OVC champions and maybe talk a little bit about what specific roles they play in advancing our inclusivity goals, what specific roles they play in advancing our inclusivity?

Speaker 5:

goals. No, certainly, and I think just to give some context, really, I think there's a number of universities that already have this in terms of champions or leads at a very senior level, especially focused around protective characteristics. So for us, it was very much around as a university to say if we are going to embed EDI, you know we need to lead from right, from the top, and that was one of the reasons why the Vice-Chancellor introduced OVC champions. So, which is saying that at the decision-making, right to the top, where the decisions that impact all the staff and students at the university, we have the OVC. Each one of them have been allocated a protected characteristic or a strand of diversity which they'll be taking the lead on. So you know, obviously, in terms of the VC, we've got him looking at religion or belief, we've got Samantha Waters, who's going to be focusing on disability, david Grady looking at social class, rachel Adams who will be looking at LGBTQ+, jill Knight who will be focusing on gender, and Prashant Pillai, who will be looking at race and ethnicity. So, in essence, what this means is that they're champions in terms of leading, showing that leadership role for these protected characteristics. A bit of caveat there obviously at the university we really focus on intersectionality as well. So you can see the balance and the discussions that will happen and the overlaps that will happen.

Speaker 5:

So, in terms of what roles they'll play, it's very much around, I suppose, a number of things we looked at. So, for example, we know we've got staff networks being champions for the staff networks If there's issues that come out to the staff networks. You know, if there's issues that come out to the staff networks that maybe there's a blockage somewhere, actually you can go to the champion and say, well, look, you know, this is an issue we've identified, we're looking at addressing it. But these are some of the barriers we're coming across, so it's about supporting them. More importantly, it's also about, you know, we have a number of strands of work around protected characteristics in terms of diversity. So we have the Race Equality Charter and we have a Race Equality Charter Action Plan Delivery Group. So again, it's, for example, prashant, who's the champion for race and ethnicity, will be chairing that group and again, with all the others, for example Jill Knight, we've got a gender equality action plan delivery group that's linked to our Athena's One action plan and again, jill will be supporting us with that group itself.

Speaker 5:

In terms of Rachel Adams, we've got an LGBTQ plus working group. It's actually working with that group and providing that support right from the top in terms of if there are issues that need to be addressed at the top, that can be addressed at the top. And likewise in terms of religion or belief, one of the things we've also done at the university is we've set up a religion or belief working group composed of staff and students to talk about their lived experience and some of the issues there. Obviously, abraham would champion those. And again, in terms of disability, we've actually got a disability quality action plan. We've got a delivery group that's focusing on that and Samantha Waters would play a vital role in that. Really, and again, looking at social class. So I think that's probably where the roles are to be the forefront and show that leadership and commitment whenever either the staff networks or whenever we're doing any events, such as disability month or black history month so just to go a little bit further, um, can I just ask you what?

Speaker 3:

what impact do you anticipate that our ovc champions will have within our community and and our approach to diversity and inclusion in the near future?

Speaker 5:

I think it'll be a very positive one, especially in the sense that this is showing commitment right from the top, that we're not looking at inclusivity or EDI as a tick box exercise, but there is that commitment right from the top and hopefully that will then permeate throughout the university. So I think that's one very much around showing it's high on the agenda. The university so I think that's one very much around showing it's high on the agenda. Secondly, I think when obviously the champions, the OBC leads, actually interact with people from different protected characteristics, it's learning about their lived experience at the university in terms of what are the key issues they're facing. You know, how do they think the university is interacting with them? Are their voices being heard?

Speaker 5:

And once they hear all these issues and obviously when they're making decisions at a high level in terms of OVC, then actually when making those decisions, there's that consideration. Actually, we heard about the lived experience X or we heard about there's a barrier to do with a person with disability, or these are some of the issues that affected our global majority staff and those will come into play when they're hopefully making those decisions and ultimately, it's very much around ensuring that all decisions are inclusive. So it's about inclusive decision making and I think, like I said earlier on repeating myself, but very much around the lived experience from their interactions, one with staff and secondly with some of the actions we're doing to address some of those barriers will give them that experience and depth of knowledge to be able to make those inclusive decisions and depth of knowledge to be able to make those inclusive decisions. Don't get me wrong. I'm not saying they don't make inclusive decisions, I'm sure they do, but this will add to their decision-making process.

Speaker 3:

Moving on slightly, I mentioned obviously in the beginning, we have a new strategy for 2035. And inclusivity is embedded really throughout that strategy. So if I could ask you both, how does Strategy 25 integrate with our existing initiatives and how will it shape the future of inclusivity at our institution?

Speaker 4:

Right. The Strategy 2035 is around creating opportunities and transforming futures and also we've got a couple of values and behaviors embedded in that strategy around us being inclusive, different operations of the university creating those opportunities for all staff and students to flourish and be celebrated within the organization. So if we look at students, for example, we've got an inclusive framework with four overarching principles around students being able to see themselves in our curriculum design and delivery. So it's about that relatability, therefore nurturing that sense of belonging. It's about us making sure we are removing all obstacles to their success and progression. It's about co -production, recognizing that our students have valuable contributions that they can give us. It's about co-production, recognizing that our students have valuable of that whole social justice agenda.

Speaker 4:

So the second day of the inclusivity conference does recognise the fact that we need to focus on student outcomes.

Speaker 4:

So it's not just about academic staff, it's also professional services staff getting together that afternoon to look at their own areas of work and what inclusive practice means for them. So, for example, if we look at the academic disciplines, we could ask ourselves questions like what does an inclusive philosophy school look like? What does an inclusive school of education look like? What does an inclusive finance department look like in terms of professional services? How are we supporting our students with their mental health, for instance? How are we taking consideration of the different groups of students that we have and making sure that our support is more nuanced and not a one size fits all? So it's all of that. It's making sure that we are conscious that inclusivity is embedded in the different aspects of that strategy and making sure we involve our students, as well as co-producers, with us. So to me, that's how we need to work going forward, and not make inclusivity an added on, but something that is deeply integrated into what we do.

Speaker 5:

So I think, adding on to that, really, I think, you know, obviously I just really focused on the student aspect and we said one of the values is very much around inclusive, being welcoming, respectable, collegiate and supportive. So I think that will really help in terms of promoting and embedding equality, diversity and inclusion, because ultimately, it comes to what are we trying to do at the university. You know, when we want to embed something, it's how does whatever we're trying to promote, how does it link to the overall strategy of the university? Now, if it's not in the university strategy, you know, it's one of those things where you say if it's not in there it doesn't count, but it does count. But if it's in there, it's got that importance, but it does count. But if it's in there, it's got that importance. So, when talking about equality, diversity and inclusion or just about inclusivity, one can always refer back to the fact that this is one of the core values for the university. And in terms of priorities, obviously there's five pillars and one of the pillars is about people and culture and we're in the process of developing a people and cultural strategy and that's very much around a priority to attract, develop and retain talented people by embedding an inclusive, empowering and supportive culture. So I think having those things there in the strategy gives us a sense of direction in terms of what we want to go towards. And I think you know one thing maybe colleagues listening to the podcast might be thinking well, actually, when we talk about inclusion, inclusivity, what are we talking about? And when we talk about equality and diversity, how does that link into inclusivity? And I think, just very briefly, the three are totally interrelated.

Speaker 5:

So equality is about removing the barriers that prevent individuals from achieving or working to their full potential. So it's about identifying issues, identifying, you know, if there's staff that need that extra support, how do we give them that extra support? Diversity is very much around to ensure that you've got a diverse workforce, diverse opinions, diverse backgrounds within the workplace. So in our case, one of the benchmarks for us is do we actually does our staff mirror our student population? So for us, that would be a benchmark.

Speaker 5:

But a lot of people would say, yeah, you remove barriers, you've got a diverse workforce. So you know, you've got 28% global majority, for example, so you're doing well. But it's not about numbers. It's about ensuring that those diverse voices are heard at the university, and that's what inclusion comes into. So it's not say it's moving beyond the numbers game and the percentages game to say, okay, if you've got a diverse workforce, are we using their full skills? Are we using the diverse knowledge and experience our staff are bringing? Are we using that? And if we're using that, that means we're being totally inclusive. So, if you think about it, you it. If you haven't got equality and people who've got barriers to achieving a work itself or potential, they're not going to be inclusive. And if you haven't got a diverse workforce that's got diverse opinions and viewpoints, then you're not really being inclusive. So I think that's what the interrelationship between, or the interaction between, equality, diversity and inclusion is.

Speaker 5:

And going back to strategy, like I said, for us, in terms of embedding EDI, the strategy, I suppose, is a key point for us, the key lever for any work we do at the university of. Well, you know we've got priorities, we've got left, right and centre to do. You know EDI is a fluffy thing to do. Well, actually, no, it's in the strategy, it's one of our priorities and I think that's why it's essential that we use the strategy, we highlight the strategy to say EDI is part and parcel of our strategy.

Speaker 3:

Now I know we're all really excited looking forward to our inclusivity conference in June on the 10th and 11th and we've got some exciting news about keynote speakers. So can I ask you, ada, can you tell us a little bit more about our keynote speakers for this year's conference and what perspectives and insights they might be bringing that are unique and pivotal even to our theme?

Speaker 4:

Yeah, thanks, julian. As always, we've got some really exciting speakers on the day. We've actually got three keynote speakers in addition to our new vice chancellor our new Vice-Chancellor, who's going to be talking to us about how he reimagines inclusivity to be within the university, and also the Chair of our Board of Governors, angela Spence, who's going to be giving us her perspective from the angle of being the Chair of the Board of Governors. But, in terms of our external speakers, we've got three, and the first one is Dr Shani Dander, who is a prominent disability inclusion and accessibility activist and broadcaster. Shani is one of the most influential disabled individuals and a recognised disability inclusion thought leader disability inclusion thought leader. She's also an alumnus of the university of the business school and was awarded an honorary doctorate by us in September 2023. So it's really great to have Shani do this keynote for us on the day, and she's a real example of what we mean when we talk about that affirmative and strengths-based approach to disability, because that's the core of our Disability Equality Charter influential individuals as recognized by the BBC. So having her doing the keynote is going to be really uplifting, not just for staff and students with disabilities, but for the wider university as well, so we're really looking forward to having Shani on the day.

Speaker 4:

We've also got Dr Mashok Ali, who is an appointed independent governor for our university this year. He started with us this year and he's the chair of our Equality, diversity and Inclusion Committee. Dr Ali comes with a wealth of experience in this area of work and we're really looking forward to his supporting, holding us as a university accountable for EDI practices, and also looking at him sharing his experiences with us, because prior to retiring, he was the Corporate Assistant Director for Equalities, cohesion and Community Safety at Birmingham City Council. So he does come with a wealth of experience which hopefully we can draw on. So he'll be speaking to us on that day as well.

Speaker 4:

The 11th of June and the third external keynote speaker is Av Gil. Av is the principal of Thomas Telford UTC and as principal he has spearheaded transformative changes which have yielded really positive outcomes for his school and they've got outstanding GCSE results. And Arv is also committed to helping young people become the best version of themselves. We know we do have an ethnicity award gap in the university and we know those gaps don't start here, they start in schools. So having Av come on to share how he's turned things around in. Thomas Telford will be very useful for us and we can see what lessons we can learn from his work at the UTC. So those are three external keynote speakers and we're really excited to have them and can't wait to hear what they'll say to us on the 11th of June.

Speaker 3:

Thank you. And now just to end our podcast here by way of summary, thinking more broadly about how we engage with the inclusivity, can I ask you both how can individuals at all levels of our institution engage with and contribute to these inclusivity efforts, and what actions can they take immediately?

Speaker 5:

I think for me, the immediate action they can take is book onto the conference. You know, I think it's it's really important because, apart from hearing from the keynote speakers, we'll also be hearing about some of the initiatives that are happening at the university in terms of looking at inclusivity and inclusivity leads, about the work they're doing. So it gives you a bit more information about what's actually happening there and what activities are being undertaken at the university. So then you can sort of say, well, actually, I can get involved in this, or I've got a skill that I can contribute to this project, et cetera, et cetera. So I think that's one of the most important things. But I think, in terms of longer term, it's very much around. Look, if one of our core values is about being inclusive and one of our key priorities in the strategy is about looking at ensuring that all our voices are heard, then it's important that we start within ourselves. So I think you know, whenever we talk about anything, it's always about well, how does it impact me? You know, even in terms of strategy, we can look at the strategy brilliant, but in terms of putting it into practice, it's ultimately going to be on individual staff members saying well. How does that impact on me? What you know in terms of, for example, edi, how does EDI have an impact on me as an individual? How can EDI help my performance in terms of productivity, et cetera? So I think the important thing is to always reflect on yourself first and see where you are in terms of, for example, how inclusive are you? Just look at your networks, how diverse are your networks? And that's just one example in terms of trying to get yourself to change.

Speaker 5:

One of the things we are doing at the university, very much linked to the strategy, is we're having mandatory training for all line managers around inclusive leadership. So again, it's saying we can have these things, but we need to be able to equip our managers to understand what is inclusive leadership. So again, it's saying you know we can have these things, but we need to be able to equip our managers to understand. You know what is inclusive leadership. You know what are inclusive teams, what are the key components or the key skills or the key strategies that are required to be a successful inclusive leader. So I think you know, for line managers it's very much going on to that training but, like I said, generally it's very much around you know what are you doing.

Speaker 5:

Where are your networks? How are you promoting diversity? Are there any barriers that you, your staff members or your colleagues are facing that you can help and support? Being allies is another important one, but ultimately, I think you know, when we talk about inclusivity, we talk about equality and diversity. You know we can talk about values and behaviors. It's ultimately about respect and dignity for each other, and I think that's the core of where we want to be as an organization, where we show that respect and dignity, where we got a culture where, if there are any questions, one can ask a question about someone's background without them being offended, because there's trust between each other. And I think that's ultimately where we want to be as a university.

Speaker 4:

Totally agree. I think the first thing, like Sugrinda has said, is book on the conference. I don't see how we can say we are serious about equality, diversity and inclusion and be apathetic to events like this. So I think it's that personal responsibility. You need to book on the conference and one of our values and behaviors is around being accountable, and I think that's about personal responsibility. It's about also allyship, as Sukvinder has said, moving from being passive to being active, being active and looking at my own responsibility to advance this area of work.

Speaker 4:

It's that famous saying, isn't it?

Speaker 4:

Don't always look at what the organization can do for you, but also consider what you can do for the organization, because we are all part of that culture. So it's taking that personal responsibility for our own personal and professional learning, recognizing that as we go on this journey to become a more inclusive university, we will make mistakes, but we pick ourselves up again and get back in there, not being afraid to do or say the wrong thing, because we are learning and being kind and respectful to one another. So it's about that personal responsibility, it's about accountability, it's about being active and proactively engaged in the initiatives that can develop an inclusive lens in this area and not be apathetic. Usually, when you put up these conferences or put up these activities, it's the same faces all the time. I think we need to move away from that to make sure that we are all actively engaged. Away from that to make sure that we are all actively engaged academic staff, professional services staff, students everybody getting on board and making sure that we work hard to make us a truly inclusive university.

Speaker 5:

It is a corporate and individual responsibility. I think, just to add on, you know, when you talk about equality and diversity and inclusion, you sometimes talk about the business benefits or what's the impact, and I think ultimately, what we're looking at is who's our customer base? Our customer base are our students. Now, if our students are from diverse backgrounds, then surely to better serve them, we need to have an understanding of how we can teach to a diverse range of students. How can we equip our managers, how can we equip our lecturers and how can we equip those staff members that interact with students and also support students? How can we help develop their understanding of how they can better serve our students from an educational perspective?

Speaker 5:

So I think all these things ultimately lead up to from a business case perspective, ultimately lead up to the fact that if we can be a really inclusive university, not only are we good in terms of retaining the best staff members, the best skills with our staffs, but we're also better equipped to serve our student base and you know we're there talking about, you know we need to increase for example, can understand that there's other viewpoints which might be different to their own, then surely we'll be creating that environment where international students will look and say, actually I want to go to the University of Wolverhampton, because I think their staff members understand this and, in terms of other and inclusivity framework, it's them saying well, actually you know the material they've got when they're teachers.

Speaker 5:

I can see myself within those or we can see ourselves within that teaching material and I think that's where you know I hate to use the word the business case, but that's where one of the benefits of looking and embedding equality and diversity and inclusion will come into play yeah, thank you both for being such delightful guests in my studio today and for your insight and your enthusiasm around this theme.

Speaker 3:

One last thing to everybody who's listening. You've probably heard us say this many times already, but please book your place on the Inclusivity Conference for the 10th and 11th of June this year, so where you can come and sort of like literally help us to promote inclusivity more widely within our institution and add your very important voice and input into the conversation, and also look out for our next episode, of course, on the Diverse Hub. Thank you everyone and goodbye. Thank you. Thank you everyone and goodbye. Thank you, Thank you, Bye.