Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
Diversity and Inclusion Statement
To feel like you truly belong, you must be heard, valued, and included. This is why Inspire North is committed to being a diverse and inclusive organisation. We want all colleagues, clients, tenants and volunteers, from any ethnicity, sexuality, ability, gender, age, or experience to feel like they can bring their whole self when engaging with our organisation. We wish to establish an ethos and culture that promotes inclusion, respect and dignity and has a zero-tolerance approach to any form of discrimination.
We strive to create an environment where inclusion is a reflex that runs through all aspects of Inspire North, from recruitment and retention to team meetings and client events. We know that different ideas, perspectives, and backgrounds create a stronger and more creative working environment, which in turns makes for the best experience possible for our clients/tenants.
Diversity and Inclusion needs to be something that everyone has a stake in, and we continue to inspire people to work with us through allyship, network membership, strategy, training and understanding. Inclusion isn’t just about being ‘right’ but is our individual and organisational key to growth.
Everyone is welcome at Inspire North and you can learn more about our commitment to being an Inclusive Employer and supporting all of our colleagues by clicking here.
PRIDE at Inspire North!
Inspire North wants to make sure we celebrate the LGBTQIA+ colleagues and clients we work with. Pride is about acceptance, equality, celebrating the work of LGBTQIA+ people, education in queer history and raising awareness of issues affecting the LGBTQIA+ community.
We will be celebrating Pride across our various service areas and will update this page with local events and activities throughout the summer.
We spoke to members of the LGBTQ+ Network to hear why being a part of this space is so important to them:
”Having a network of peers is so important. No matter what happens, I have a group of people whom I can always rely on for support.”
”The LGBTQ+ network provides a safe space where I feel comfortable discussing things with people who have similar life experiences to myself.”
”Being a part of this network has been one of the best things about working here. I have never felt so valued, understood and loved just for who I am. It is a safe and supportive space full of lovely people.”
Our LGBTQ+ Network hosted some interesting and exciting sessions in July. We learnt about the Plus+ in LGBTQ+, Trans awareness and Trans Rights and looked LGBTQ+ Youth. Lots of insightful discussions and learning happened and it was great to connect together. Looking forward to more Lunch and Learns in the future.
This year the Network purchased a stock of LGBTQ+ Pride supplies that can be used year round. Services can now request to have these items loaned to them for use and display at their sites. We are keen for all of our services to be welcoming and inclusive to everyone, including LGBTQ+ people. When services display pride items it can make service users and staff feel more welcomed and safe in that space. Our Way Leeds is showing us how it is done!
July is Disability Pride Month. A month to focus on and celebrate the disabled community and their pride. It is an opportunity to kickstart conversations about disability experiences and issues. Our Accessibility Network is a network of understanding and compassion. You can learn more about the network here.
Click here to donate to Inspire North and support our work
PRIDE 2024
We are looking forward to celebrating Pride this year. Our LGBTQ+ Network has been busy working on a few colourful and fun ideas to help us celebrate. We are looking forward to learning, cheering and being together during this time. We know Pride is not just for June but something we can discuss and learn about all year round.
Central Services decorated the office and created a wonderfully colourful Pride Wall again this year. Check out the collage below:
Rainbow Day at Central Services, look at these lovely lot!
Check below for Pride events taking place near you:
Durham Pride- Sunday 26th May 2024
Foundation Durham had a great time at Pride this year!!
Leeds Pride- Sunday 21st July 2024
We will making an appearance at Leeds Pride again this year. It was great to celebrate Pride with Leeds Mind, Carers Leeds, Adovent Group, GIPSIL, BARCA Leeds and Leeds Survivor Led Crisis Service!
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Happy Valley – Hebden Bridge Pride- Saturday 27th July 2024
Calderdale Dementia Hub celebrated Pride in style this year!!
Calderdale Pride- Saturday 17th August 2024
Calderdale Dementia Hub had a fantastic time at Calderdale Pride this year. Meeting old and new friends, and of course there was Spin the Wheel!
Check out Scout and Jaffa from Calderdale Dementia Hub, getting ready for Pride!
Scarborough Pride- Saturday 21st September 2024
Local and National Support Services:
Linking Leeds
Linking Leeds is an integrated, free city-wide Social Prescribing service for people in Leeds. Linking Leeds focuses on connecting people, so that you can share your experiences and develop new support networks.
These links can range from support with Angels of Freedom or Friends of Dorothy, a befriending service connects you with an LGBTQ+ person who will call once a week. The service can also support you to attend social events or make you aware of local gems like the LGBTIQA+ book shop; The Bookish Type.
What matters to you, matters to us. To learn about how they can link you to various groups, visit the Linking Leeds website: linkingleeds.com
Foundation Durham
At Foundation Durham there is a weekly LGBTQ+ 1-2-1 drop in session to support those in the local community.
To learn more about what Foundation Durham are up to, click here.
To learn about what our services offer, visit the Foundation or Community Links websites.
Yorkshire MESMAC
Based in Leeds, Bradford, Rotherham and Hull. Yorkshire MESMAC supports people living with HIV, their families, friends and carers. They have several LGBT+ Youth Groups too. https://www.mesmac.co.uk/
York LGBT Forum
Improving LGBT rights in York, North Yorkshire and UK. They support older people, bisexual and trans people and young people. To get involved with their activities you can join through their website- https://www.yorklgbtforum.org.uk/
LGBT Foundation – a charity providing a wide range of services to support lesbian, gay, bisexual and trans people such as:
Galop – is the national LGBTQ+ anti-violence charity, offering advice, support and advocacy.
Stonewall – Information and support for LGBT communities and their allies. Information Service and Freephone 0800 0502020. Lines open 09:30-4:30 Monday to Friday. For more information you can visit https://www.stonewall.org.uk/help-advice
