Diversity and Equality

“At YMCA Trinity Group we believe that Diversity & Equality is not something that can done passively, but something we must be active about. It’s not good enough to say we’re not racist or sexist, but we must work to demonstrate we are anti-racist or anti-sexist. This is in keeping with the values of the YMCA movement held over 175 years. We listen to others lived experiences, respecting their personal journey, empathising with their choices whilst believing in their potential.” – Jonathan Martin, CEO.

 

Our Commitment

 

For our teams we will ensure our policies and procedures are truly inclusive and work to ensure our environment is a place where everyone can thrive. We have improved data collation and reporting and are using this to inform our recruitment, development and celebration activities.

We will also:

  • be more vocal in our advocacy for marginalised communities, ensuring they are not just welcomed but invited, and that our public messaging reflects this.
  • foster a culture of accountability, calling out exclusion and discrimination, and ensure safety and protection for all those we work with and whom we serve.
  • continue to talk openly about issues of gender, sexuality, race, diversity with our young people. We will allow a safe space and promote a culture of acceptance and community, encouraging critical thinking and open conversations that young people may not feel able to have at home.

 

Black Lives Matter

 

The murder of George Floyd by a police officer in Minneapolis in June 2020 shocked the world. The images that streamed on every news channel and across the internet were horrifying and tragic. And what followed was outrage on an international scale. Protests across the word supported the Black Lives Matter movement, calling for acknowledgement and condemnation of systemic racism, and the liberation of all black people across the world.

In October 2020, YMCA England & Wales produced the Young and Black report, which revealed that 95% of young Black people have heard and witnessed racist language at school, and 78% have heard and witnessed racist language in the workplace. Worryingly, young Black people in the UK said that they now grow up expecting to experience racism because of the colour of their skin.

In our client groups, we discussed the issues raised with young people, and allowed them the opportunity to discuss their views and feelings. We discussed racism and xenophobia in our Youth groups and continue to discuss social issues.

Our young people responded with:

 

 

We have created an Anti-Racism Strategy which has Board and Executive representation but is led by a range of colleagues from across the organisation.

 

Diversity Day

 

In August 2021, our UASC residents enjoyed a Diversity Day thanks to ISCRE (the Ipswich and Suffolk Council for Racial Equality).

During the day, there was a BBQ for all of the young people on site and staff from Suffolk County Council as well as lots of games and fun activities, including face painting, henna, garden games, photo booth and canvas art painting.

Residents got to learn about other cultures and backgrounds as well as share their stories to others.

On 5 November, the UASC team won the Diversity Award at the annual YMCA Youth Matters Awards.

LGBTQ+

 

We celebrated Pride month in June, and discussed the symbolism of the new Progressive Pride flag in our teams, which includes representation for not only LGBTQ+ people, but trans individuals, people of colour and those whose lives have been lost to HIV / AIDS.

To find out more and see the different designs, visit Pride.com.

YMCA Trinity Group is proud to support diversity and inclusion, from the colleagues we work alongside to the young people we support in the communities we serve.

 

Gender Pay Gap

 

Last year was the first time we have had to submit a public gender pay report, although we have completed these internally since our merger. We do have a small pay gap, but are proud of the high number of female staff in all quartiles of our organisation. We continue to offer a range of contract types and discounted YMCA childcare to help our working parents to balance work and family life.