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Who are you engaging with? Which audiences are you hoping to engage? 

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Who are you engaging with? Which audiences are you hoping to engage? 

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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is a complex area that is always evolving, and we are all learning to develop ourselves and our engagement practice. 

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Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is a complex area that is always evolving, and we are all learning to develop ourselves and our engagement practice. 

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This padlet provides both principles to consider in your work and provocations to ask yourself throughout your career including when developing projects.

The list below is neither exhaustive nor complete, but we hope it will provide a helpful starting point in your efforts to create a more inclusive engagement practice.

It has been developed in consultation with a working group of engagement professionals who have experience in EDI (Carinne Piekema, Cassie Hugill, Charlotte Thorley, Emma Griffin, Helene Doerflinger, Jack Kerrigan, Lewis Hou, Sophie Duncan) with further input from delegates at the 2021 Engage Conference.  Further suggestions and feedback are welcome as part of our ongoing work - please add your ideas to the padlet.

Please note, the padlet is moderated, so your comments and posts will not appear immediately. We will review the padlet regularly and post comments as they arise.

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Funding distribution is often a trigger for imbalances of power dynamics. Is there a way to distribute the funding to your charity/community partners? If so, make sure they have the capacity to manage the funding.

Alternatively, can you build in regular discussions around budget spend so that the partners have a voice in how the budget is distributed?

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Calling out, calling in, calling forward

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Calling out, calling in, calling forward

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We need to consider what it means to be active bystanders, and be prepared to call out practices that are exclusionary. We can do this by recognising we are all in different places, and are all learning. Therefore we should attempt to call in, supporting people to adapt their language and approach as necessary. And we need to ensure that there is clear accountability, that ensures that poor practice isn’t perpetuated, but changed.

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Are you running this in accessible space? 

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Are you running this in accessible space? 

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While this is the most considered of most ‘inclusion criteria’ it is still poorly considered. Many event spaces are ‘wheelchair accessible’ but have a cap on the number of wheelchairs for fire safety regulations and this can create issues for patient focused events. Not all wheelchair access is accessible to all types and sizes of wheelchair.

Accessibility also goes beyond the physical space. Have you considered the time an event is run, the cost of traveling to the event, language or hearing barriers, or the space in regards to people’s beliefs (e.g. hosting an event in a church, even if it is no longer in use as a religious space)

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Have you budgeted for accessibility? People’s time? Can you do less, but better/more accessible?

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Have you budgeted for accessibility? People’s time? Can you do less, but better/more accessible?

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Accessibility takes time and consideration! Think about it at the beginning of your project, and come back to it in all your project check ins. Ensure the budget is accounted for and consider the time input needed to ensure it is truly accessible to all.
Have you considered working with accessibility experts? It is important to recognise your own limitations, and bring in relevant expertise to help you.

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Is this through payment? Acknowledgement? Other means? How do those you are working with want to be recognised?

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How are you evaluating your work and for what purposes?

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How are you evaluating your work and for what purposes?

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How might your evaluation process leave room for/ encourage feedback on the inclusivity of an event/ project? How will you ensure you learn from the evaluation to improve your practice? What demographics are we measuring, and why? How are we collecting and using this information? Whose voices are being heard through the evaluation? Is our evaluation practice inclusive?

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How do you build in reflective time and checks for other perspectives?

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How do you build in reflective time and checks for other perspectives?

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This takes time! So make sure you build this in and commit to taking the time. How do you build in space accountability and learning - finding ways to “call in’ when mistakes are made? Can the use of critical friends help? And likewise being active bystanders and allies for others that you work with? What’s your long term plan for developing reflective practices and relationships?

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A commitment to inclusive practice is an invitation to change. Take time to consider what you are learning - about yourself, about others, about the systemic issues that lead to exclusion. How is this changing what you do, and how you act? What have you stopped doing?

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That’s brilliant! But do consider accessibility of this such as the forms they need to complete and the processing time. Can you help them complete the form or simplify the form in some way?

Additionally, people who receive benefits may not be allowed to claim payment as this will affect their payments. Can you offer support in another way? Perhaps you can provide a food box or useful gift instead?

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Be clear about if and how you charge for events, and what this will mean for who is able to participate. Be clear and transparent about charges from the start, and where possible offer options for those for whom the cost would be a barrier to participation.

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Each will have different issues around accessibility - are you certain that the online space/ resources you are using are accessible i.e. issues around audio/visual factors, or around digital poverty/literacy?

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How is best practice being shared across your org?

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How is best practice being shared across your org?

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Are the lessons being learnt affecting how your organisation works? How are you seeking to share your experiences to develop collective practice?

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Does this space have any deterrents to certain groups?

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Does this space have any deterrents to certain groups?

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Try to think beyond physical deterrents such as stairs or ramps, but also consider aspects such as the geographical location - are there good transport links and parking? Is this area a regular space for the group you are trying to engage? Try to move in their spaces rather than expecting them to move into your space.

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Whose space are you taking in doing this work? 

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Whose space are you taking in doing this work? 

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Are you the right person and voice? Are there other diverse voices missing from the room? Are there others who have been doing this type of work who you can support rather than reinventing the wheel? Are you trying to speak for the group, rather than include them? Could you collaborate and build on existing work rather than starting again?

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Are you using the term ‘safe space’ when talking about the space you’re curating? If so, have you reflected on what is meant by this, or what attendees might interpret from this?

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Are you using the term ‘safe space’ when talking about the space you’re curating? If so, have you reflected on what is meant by this, or what attendees might interpret from this?

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Safe space is often used as a catch-all term, but might not mean the same thing to everyone i.e. is it a space in which people can articulate views being challenged, or a space in which certain topics or opinions can’t be discussed for the benefit of certain attendees? Or something else entirely? Try to outline what you mean by this instead of using the term ‘safe space’ . Who is involved in implementing the safe space? What protocols and rules do you have in place, and have these been shared and agreed?

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Who could you partner with who has this type of expertise? 

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Who could you partner with who has this type of expertise? 

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Work alongside existing organisations and individuals! Take the time to work out who the best person/contact is to work with and your project or event will be the better for it.

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Have you considered the language you’ll be using in the space (terminology etc), and is it congruent with the way you have promoted the event beforehand? 

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Have you considered the language you’ll be using in the space (terminology etc), and is it congruent with the way you have promoted the event beforehand? 

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Who might be excluded by the way you are talking? (This also quite literally applies to other forms of language comprehension i.e. whether delegates might need sign language, whether you are engaging with a community with varying degrees of fluency etc.) On the inverse - do you have a space in which the voices of people with different relationships to language can be heard?

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Whose voice is not in the room? Why not?

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Whose voice is not in the room? Why not?

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Continuously ask yourself this question. Not just at the beginning as the project will evolve and you need to ensure you have the right people in the room at the right time throughout.

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Are you making assumptions about what is 'good' engagement?

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Are you making assumptions about what is 'good' engagement?

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We often apply our own assumptions to what we interpret as signs of engagement and build these into our evaluation and expectations! Different cultures and people who are neurodiverse are just two examples of where your expectations for good engagement may not match theirs. Know your audience and try to build in more robust methods for measuring level of engagement.

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How will you balance competing needs of different groups e.g. if some groups appreciate music and interactivity, that other groups find overwhelming? How will you consider the purposes of the activities, and consider who you are including and why?

How will you manage conflict if groups engaged have different values from one another?

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Equality is providing the same for all, however equity is providing everyone what they need to succeed. As PEPs, we strive to provide everyone with what they need to succeed.

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What happens after the project ends? What does a good end of partnership look like?

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What happens after the project ends? What does a good end of partnership look like?

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Ensure you have a legacy plan and you have thought about the impact such a project will have on a community or project partner. Can you make this work sustainable beyond the life of the project and without your involvement? If not, have you established a plan to withdraw carefully, and manage expectations?

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What ethical principles are you working to, and are they appropriate?

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What ethical principles are you working to, and are they appropriate?

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How are you exploring ideas about ethical practice? Whose ideas are you drawing on? Are you working together with your partners to consider what ethical practice means in this context?

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Are you the right person to be doing this? Should you consider a gatekeeper?

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Are you the right person to be doing this? Should you consider a gatekeeper?

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Know your boundaries and what you can do as an outsider to community groups. Work with gatekeepers who already have built those relationships and can provide the knowledge and access to the people you are trying to engage. However, acknowledge their importance and contribution including paying them wherever possible!

Also you need to consider is the gatekeeper amplifying voices or representing different voices? Who are they not representing as well? (Communities are not homogenous in opinion.) Is the gatekeeper trusted, and by who?

Ask again – should you be leading this work – or would your role be better as a supporter for others to lead?

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Do you and your partners have the same principles relating to inclusivity? What can you learn from one another? Have you checked in on what each of you actually mean by inclusivity?

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Everyone has a role to play in creating a more diverse and inclusive society and workplace. We need to educate ourselves, to understand better the contexts we are working in. We need to be open to challenge, and to change our approach to develop more inclusive practices.

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We also need to recognise that systems of oppression such as racism, ableism and patriarchy are by definition structural in nature and require systematic and institutional change. Public engagement professionals are often asked to put a sticking plaster over the systemic issues in the system, by adopting inclusive engagement practice. Develop your allyship, and work with others to challenge systemic issues.

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and specifically the equity of voices is an important principle of public engagement, but so is not doing harm to individuals or their rights.

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Higher Education Institutions are Privileged Spaces in terms of power and their historical roots in white colonial, patriarchal, heterosexual, cisgender and ableist structures.

It’s important to recognise these power dynamics in public engagement work and the relative privilege afforded you by working within these spaces. It is important to ensure you don’t replicate these inequities (even if you are from a marginalised group). You can acknowledge and use this privilege to platform others, and also to enable change from within

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There is no neutral position in public engagement or higher education if we acknowledge that structural inequalities exist. Therefore “Not being political” is a political and privileged position and research (and public engagement) does not operate in a vacuum. We need to ensure that our work is designed in a way that is sensitive to these contexts.

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Equality is providing the same opportunities or outcomes for all regardless of barriers or different starting points. Equity is providing everyone what they need to succeed. As PEPs, we strive to provide equity rather than equality in our work with communities, stakeholders and researchers.

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Inclusion isn't about creating individual experiences that suit everyone.

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Inclusion isn't about creating individual experiences that suit everyone.

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Inclusion is about thoughtful work that seeks to expand who is included, is open to change and being critiqued, being honest and open about when there are limitations, and reflecting on how those limitations might be addressed in future.

It is important to note that exclusion can occur both intentionally and unintentionally. Intentional exclusion may be necessary in certain circumstances i.e. the engagement of specific, targeted groups. Unintentional exclusion occurs when not enough attention has been given to the limits of the space, creating blind-spots that may negatively impact the ability of certain participants to access it. It is crucial therefore to carefully define the borders of this space, and to pay close attention to who might potentially be left on the other side. It is also worth considering whether there are intentional exclusions in your organisation that are not acknowledged.  Questioning why these exist might lead to a more critical investigation of such exclusions and how they might be appropriately addressed.

Inequity is the exclusion of access for some to opportunities, because of the systems we uphold and that we contribute to either consciously or unconsciously.

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We need to recognise that inequality based on different characteristics intersect with one another, and to consider this intersectionality when designing our engagement work.

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Whilst it is ok to ask, be aware of who is doing the heavy lifting to help you develop your practice. Where possible, educate yourself using the resources already available to you, seek training opportunities and where needed, pay people to support you in developing these aspects of your project/approach. And as you develop your work - be prepared to reflect on your learning, and to use this to inform your practice.

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Build long term relationships with organisations you are working with, supporting long term engagement between the partners and across your institution. Consider an exit strategy for when the project ends and how you might maintain/dissolve that relationship in a positive and considered way. Make sure everyone has access to any outputs from the work you have done together.

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The groups we engage with are all made up of individuals who have a range of different perspectives and experiences. Try to avoid broad generalisations about specific communities. This includes in the language you use. If you are unsure of a particular term, ask the group how they would prefer to be referred to.

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The below provocations are to help guide you as you develop your project, event or even just start a collaboration with a community partner. It can be useful to have this conversation as a team to get different opinions and to look at things from different viewpoints. If you are not sure about the answer to a question, there is a strong community of PEPs who can support you, so don’t be afraid to reach out and ask!

The provocations are formed around four areas:
- who you are working with
- who you are engaging with
- how you are working
- how you are learning

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In developing your practice how might you work with an advisory board or working group to help to ensure that the work you support starts from the interests and needs of potential participants.

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We are growing a padlet of resources to support public engagement professionals to develop inclusive engagement practice. You can access this on the link below.