Equality, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion

Tackling inequalities in the provision, take up and access to physical activity is a golden thread within our work, both internally with GBA employees and the Board and externally through our stakeholders. We recognise the value of physical activity and the important role it plays in enhancing health and the quality of life. To that end, we are working hard to make it easier for everyone to move more. Our vision is to inspire people and communities to create a happier, healthier, and more resilient Berkshire.

Policy Statement

GBA will ensure that EEDI is given full regard in its policies, programmes and services for the provision of physical activity across Berkshire.

Addressing both equality and equity within our policy is of paramount importance for building a just and inclusive society. While equality aims to ensure that everyone is treated the same, equity recognises that individuals have varying needs and circumstances, and GBA strives to provide resources and opportunities proportionate to those needs. By incorporating both principles into our policies, we acknowledge the unique challenges and barriers that different communities and individuals may face. This approach not only promotes fairness but also fosters a more comprehensive and sustainable solution to societal issues.

GBA is committed to advancing equality of opportunity between people; fostering relations between different communities; eliminating discrimination, harassment and victimisation. Everyone is expected to share our commitment including people, organisations, and companies we work in partnership with and those who provide services on our behalf. We recognise and embrace the concept of "equity". Equity acknowledges the disadvantages, for example, historical and systemic, that different people and groups may have been subjected to. While "equality" achieves objectives related to fairness by treating everyone the same, "equity" does so by treating people differently depending on their individual circumstances and needs. Thus, "equity" improves inclusion. GBA understands the concept of equity deeply - not just as a policy statement, but also fundamentally, through the work that we do with people of all backgrounds and abilities.

GBA is fully committed to the principles of EEDI and is responsible for ensuring that no job applicant, employee, commissioned partner or volunteer receives less favourable treatment or is discriminated on the grounds of the nine protected characteristics within the Equality Act 2010: -

• Age
• Gender reassignment
• Being married or in a civil partnership
• Being pregnant or on maternity leave
• Disability
• Race including colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin
• Religion or belief
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

GBA will deliver this policy by building EEDI into all aspects of its work. All reasonable steps will be taken to ensure that members, employees, volunteers and partners are committed to this policy. GBA will address any form of discrimination that occurs within the organisation.

Diversity Inclusion Action Plan

Get Berkshire Active have a Diversity Inclusion Action Plan (August 2023-August 2024) which will be the responsibility of all staff at GBA and reviewed by the EEDI Board Champion and will be discussed within the bi-monthly team meetings. This action plan is not an exhaustive list of all our EEDI activities across the organisation but highlights, as a small charity our key areas of focus across the next 12 months.

"GBA has two central aims. To counter the systemic inequalities in the provision and take up of Physical Activity and to use the power of Physical Activity to positively affect wider societal inequalities. In other words, we are focused on supporting those most normally excluded from taking part to become more active. Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is absolutely fundamental to this and central to our purpose. EEDI is core to our ethos and therefore our Board, Executive team and staff pledge to deliver on the promises made in our EEDI Policy and DIAP". - GBA Chair

Women and Girls

GBA is an organisation passionate about the amazing benefits of sport and physical activity and we believe it is good for us as individuals and as a society for everyone to be involved. We want to support and promote sport and physical activity to all and this is central to our values. As an organisation that strives towards Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion we also need to consider safety and fairness as a priority. The term inclusion is complex as, unfortunately, what allows for inclusion for some may unintentionally lead to exclusion for others. GBA's Strategic Intent places the promotion of physical activity and sport to women and girls as one of its highest priorities and we know that their participation can be fragile. We are therefore determined to do whatever we can to ensure that women and girls have fair and safe access to physical activities and, conversely, avoid doing things that demotivates their participation. Therefore, on the issue of Trans Inclusion and Women and Girls rights we will follow the principles outlined in the Women in Sport position statement on this issue.

Introduction from GBA Chair; Richard Parker:

"GBA has two central aims. To counter the systemic inequalities in the provision and take up of Physical Activity and to use the power of Physical Activity to positively affect wider societal inequalities. In other words, we are focused on supporting those most normally excluded from taking part to become more active. To do this, GBA will ensure that a positive and proactive approach to Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion is threaded through everything we do. EEDI must become core to our ethos and therefore our Board, Executive team and staff pledge to deliver on the promises made in our EEDI Policy and Diversity Inclusion Action Plan".

As part of our Sport England compliance, Get Berkshire Active are responsible for developing Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (DIAP) as a meaningful step towards helping Active Partnerships across the country and the sector be more inclusive and representative of our society.

GBA's DIAP aims to provide guidance and clarity to how we will ensure Equality, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EEDI) is central to our culture.

To ensure GBA commits to our commitments to EEDI, we have principle areas of focus which form the basis of our Diversity, Inclusion Action Plan.

- Strategy and Leadership, Governance, Representation and Recruitment, Stakeholder Participation, Data and Marketing and Communications.

For more information on our DIAP please contact: cathy.carr@getberkshireactive.org

Public Sector Equality Register

As part of our commitment to Equality and working with our public sector partners we have registered with the PS Equality Register and have a certificate of compliance.

Key Legislation

Click here for information on the key pieces of legislation related to promoting equality and tackling unfair discrimination, that have been passed in the UK and EU.

Our Commitment to Diversity on the GBA Board

We do not pursue diversity for the sake of it or to achieve a 'tick-box' result; we do it because diversity brings new thinking and challenge to old ideas. Not only do we want our board and staff to reflect the population they serve we want them to ensure we consider and cater for all aspects of Berkshire society when we make decisions about where we use our resources. We are committed to having no less than 1/3rd of our board from either gender (we currently have 7 women and 5 men) and we welcome and encourage applications from all members of society without prejudice to age, sexual orientation, disability, gender, religion or race. We will ensure any board vacancies receive the widest possible coverage to guarantee that opportunities are seen and available to all.

Some examples of our commitment to Diversity in GBA programmes include:

STARTING LIFE WELL

Make Sense Dance Theatre

Make Sense Dance Theatre were successful in securing Starting Life Well funding for a 12 week programme targeting neurodiverse children aged 9-18, supporting them to explore their creativity through dance. Amongst other transferable skills these sessions provide a key opportunity for this target group to grow in confidence in an environment they would not ordinarily be able to access. The company utilises their links with the community to recruit participants. This targeted programme concludes with a summer festival. Find out more about our Starting Life Well Fund here.

Reading Abbey Rugby Club

Reading Abbey Rugby Club have started to redevelop their women's section. This is focusing on recruiting female players from any background aged 8-18 as well as females interested in coaching and managing. To help achieve this they have connected with the local community and schools. Find out more about our Starting Life Well Fund here.

LIVING WELL

Mums' Zone

As part of our Mums' Zone programme we carried out focus groups at the start of this programme with women from ethnically diverse communities so we could understand their needs and ideas for the programme. These women helped to shape what was delivered, where it was delivered as well as the branding and messaging. We aim to take the programme into the heart of communities. One of the settings we deliver in is a mosque as this is where some women told us they felt most comfortable. Find out more about our Mums' Zone programme here.

AGEING WELL

Ever Active Programme

When planning our Ever-Active programme, GBA's Ageing Well team work closely with our insight officer to prioritise under-represented communities and disengaged groups. We collect data on all regions and wards in West Berkshire and Reading to establish exactly where we should deliver our sessions helping to ensure inclusion, diversity and equality is firmly embedded at the heart of our Ageing Well Programme . This data can contain information on the highest number of older adults who live alone, areas of high ethnic diverse communities and areas of low-income. In West Berkshire we work in collaboration with our partners West Berkshire Council, Berkshire Vision, Mencap and Age UK to deliver an inclusive wellness programme that contains a mix of activities such as seated exercise, walking groups, singing groups, cookery and more for all older adults to enjoy including people living with dementia, other long term conditions, sight loss and learning disabilities. Find out more about our Ever Active programme here.