What others are saying about A different perspective on EQUALITY
“Provides many valuable instruments for awareness raising, training and development towards a more civilised and civilising community. It is a highly significant and challenging contribution to thinking and practice towards a better society and stronger communities in the interests of all of us. This is a thought provoking book from which we can and should all learn. It oozes integrity, authenticity and humanity.”
Tony Gelsthorpe, Secondary Headteacher
“This is an excellent handbook. As a whole it deals with the global and institutional context of equality/inequality in an easy to understand and pro-active manner. I cannot recommend this resource highly enough and I hope that we will be using in our training events at Bradford University.”
Patrick Allen, Bradford Media School, University of Bradford
“The book’s got a lovely rhythm - Reflect, consider, get an idea … Reflect, consider, … I love the way the purple pages go to the heart of the reader, and the green pages to the head. I love the idea of all valuing human experience as learning”
Linda Keys, Development Worker, Edinburgh Development Group
“Written to encourage reflection, dialogue and change. A refreshing approach to equality with a strong focus on the individual, relationships and community. A practical Handbook that will prove useful to all those striving for cultural change to ensure fairness for all.”
Tess White, Adviser, Warwickshire, Educational Development Service
“What appealed to me most was the fact that you outline that if organisations and individuals take simple, common sense steps and adjust their way of thinking, it can make a huge difference for a large number of people. The examples you give underline how easy it can be to ensure that people are treated equally as well as feeling equal and that they are making a contribution.”
Victoria Jones, PR Manager, Equal Approach Limited
”I think your book provides a timely bridge between theory and practice, it outlines clear practical steps that illustrate that inclusion achievable, congratulations and well done!!”
Sam Smith, Executive Director, C-Change for Inclusion
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A different perspective on...
EQUALITY
a practical handbook
Published by Laura Chapman at Smashwords
Copyright Laura Chapman 2011
Discover other titles by Laura Chapman at Smashwords.com
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.
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09 Vision and ethical commitment
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This book is a tribute to the relationships that made it possible. Like the old email goes: “People come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime.” There are so many to thank for happy days, shared conversations and inspiring ideas. As I wrote I thought of people I have listened to, those whose stories made new perspectives possible. Other people’s contribution is clear in the reference section, this has become is a list of old friends! If you recognise your ideas in the meanderings that follow: I thank you!
Thank you to Helena Jones, Simon Green, Andrea Layzell, Stephen Bailey and Jackie Dearden for your unique contribution to this joint effort. Thank you to Jill Mundy, my friend, for your unflinching faith in my capabilities and constant opportunities for a pleasant life – my wellbeing would be at risk without the balance you bring. Thank you to Ian for living with ‘the writer’. Thank you to those of you who spent many hours reviewing our preview, you helped us enormously with your candid and generous feedback. Particular thanks go to the following people without whom there would be no book. Thank you Julia Hayes, to whom I am indebted for turning a senseless muddle of words into clear orchestrated phrases. Thank you to Mark Longbottom for your art and colour, you made plain words look attractive and beautiful. Finally, thank you to our clients who kept us busy, happy and fed. Thank you to all the participants without whom there would be no case studies or better practice. It’s all going on out there, go see for yourselves...
Mole – September 2010
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In writing this handbook Laura Chapman has developed a resource that is personally, professionally and organisationally challenging. Her approach is detailed, systematic and very clearly and helpfully structured - and at the same time remorseless in its focus on the fundamental issues of equality and fairness. Definitions are detailed and comprehensive and taken together they provide a rich and clear vocabulary to support meaningful dialogue on the central issue of making organisations work for all their members, not just the privileged few.
What this handbook offers is a means of translating principle into practice, of moving beyond the rhetoric into real and authentic strategies that have the potential to really influence the quality of life and wellbeing of all members of the community. Laura Chapman provides the clearest possible route map for leaders who believe that any type of organisation has to act as a model of best practice and be demonstrably committed to the highest ethical standards in every dimension of its operations.
This handbook is a resource that will help change culture, custom and practice and help to create a consistent approach to equality and equity.
Professor John West-Burnham
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To help you on your journey, each chapter has been divided into contrasting sections. Ideas and action have been distinguished to echo the cycle of reflective practice. In the first sections, ideas represent a synthesis of current thinking (a challenge to the head). These have been taken from many sources: academic texts, popular authors and current research. In the corresponding sections, questions and scenarios are put forward to challenge you and prompt your own enquiry into current practice. These sections may contain figures and tables to give you a sense of change - motion - or emotion (a challenge to the heart). The scenarios presented that have been inspired by our work with teams in many organisations. The scenarios are fictional, you would not expect to find any single organisation with such clearly defined problems (a challenge to the hand). They should give you an idea of how easily or poorly ideas are sometimes put into practice depending on organisational culture. It is hoped that ideas will stretch even the most knowledgeable reader, while it is written clearly and directly enough so that all feel welcome to join in.
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Everyone has something to give to his or her community. The ability to contribute is a fundamental part of what it means to be alive. Every individual has a right to be heard: their strength demands recognition, their experience must be valued, and their knowledge deserves public appreciation. Democratic ways of working are not a given, and it may take time and energy to encourage fairer participation. Recognising the significance of contribution is the first step to achieving greater equality. Sharing a sense of belonging, participating in joint activity and finding meaning in common purpose all adds up to a sense of community life that enhances our wellbeing. Through no fault of their own, many people in our communities live in less privileged circumstances than others. In addition, other people’s views on gender, ability, background, skin colour and sexual orientation can have an impact on their experience of community life. The negative treatment of certain groups imposes great pressure that can impair both participation and relationships. This does not mean that individuals from these groups do not lead successful lives: many do, but the effort required to achieve may be significantly higher. For many, this greater effort (along with the stress imposed on us all by escalating inequality) may not only affect life quality but will ultimately shorten lifespan1.The harsh truth is that our society tends to give certain groups a bad press, hindering opportunity and imposing negative expectations. While we cannot legislate for individual responses to people’s different circumstances, we all share the responsibility for the negative ideas that fuel the growing divides. Ultimately, as ethical professionals we each have a duty to address the culture of our organisations so that people from less privileged backgrounds have a fairer chance of success. This book presents a variety of ideas and activities that will help you develop a greater understanding of equality. Armed with that insight, we can work to develop the inclusive practice that secures greater fairness for all.
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02 Ideas - Welcome: first steps
It would be foolish to assume that it is easy to achieve a fairer society. If it were we would already have done so, and would now inhabit a blissfully equitable world.
• It is not.
• We have not.
• We do not.
While simplicity often helps to explain key ideas, it is important to appreciate that some issues are complex and their resolution will take much time and effort. Getting started has to begin with that first step – an acceptance that there is a problem which requires deliberate action to resolve. So participation begins with a welcome. The celebration of a birth, the warmth of a handshake and the hug of a friend are all ways in which people tell each other they are welcome and wanted. Getting it right can set the tone for a lifetime together; getting it wrong can end a relationship before it has begun.
May I extend a warm welcome and invite you on a journey with this book as your companion. Understanding equality and the implications for culture change demands great personal motivation and intentional action. This book offers an opportunity to consider ideas that will help you develop new ways of working. You will already know a great deal, and in some areas your wealth of experience is detailed. However in others, your understanding might be sketchy and you may need more information. It is when people accept the challenge of the unknown, and seek to understand more, that new insights emerge. This requires that we accept how much others have to offer – a surprising feeling, a new idea or a different perspective. To a certain extent, the journey will in itself alter the landscape, as we learn our understanding changes: new ideas emerge from different ways of working and considered reflection alters the language and behaviour that characterise our culture. As always there is always a personal choice on how we view our resources. Taking positive action may be costly, but it can benefit many people – whole groups and entire communities. Indeed its impact may extend to society at large. For those who have long endured disadvantage, action needs to be more than intentional; it must be healing. Effort is necessary to restore a sense of belonging (not solely presence) for those who have come to feel rejected by our organisations.