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Equality & Diversity Policy
Policy Statement
Claygate Youth & Community Hub - ‘The Hub’ is committed to promoting equality of opportunity for all and actively strive towards inclusivity and diversity. We are committed to challenging inequality, discrimination and stigma particularly in relation to minority and socially excluded groups.
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Our community provision and youth services are open to all. The Hub works to improve opportunities for young people and to provide a service to the community. We are open to all young people who deserve to feel safe and thrive. Within these parameters, no service user, employee, volunteer or job applicant should receive less favourable treatment because of their gender, race, ethnicity, age, disability, religion, cultural background, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or any other criteria. We will not tolerate attitudes and behaviour that amount to discrimination on these grounds.
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“Inclusion and participation are essential to human dignity and to the enjoyment and exercise of human rights. Within the field of education formal or non-formal this is reflected in the development of strategies that seek to bring about a genuine equalisation of opportunity.” - The Salamanca World Statement (UNESCO 1994:11) – signed by 92 governments (Special Educational Needs, Inclusion and Diversity by N Frederickson and T Cline 2002, p. 64).
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Equality and diversity is about accepting people’s differences and creating an inclusive environment in which all can thrive and contribute. The Hub is committed to ensuring that all feel valued, that the skills and talents of individuals are recognised and fully utilised and that the environment in The Hub is productive and rewarding. The Hub is a place where there is respect for difference in culture and experience.
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The Hub will be active in making sure all its policies and procedures are fair and no member is disadvantaged when participating in the club activities it provides.
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The Hub is also aware of how people can be subject to harassment on a wide variety of grounds and take many forms. Harassment is a physical, verbal or non-verbal action which is unwelcome, unwanted and offensive to the recipient and has the effect of violating their dignity and creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive atmosphere for that person. This can include embarrassing or offensive jokes, unwelcome physical contact or sexual advances, the expression of racist, homophobic, etc views, lewd comments and innuendo, sending offensive text messages.
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All leaders and volunteers will be made aware of the contents of this policy as part of the induction process. The trustees of Claygate Youth & Community Hub are responsible for implementing this policy and upholding its principles in everything it does.
Procedures
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We will make sure that:
• We promote respect for other people and treat everyone fairly
• Young people and adults are able to meet together in a positive and accepting environment where they are safe from harm, abuse, harassment and intimidation
• Young people and adults recognise and challenge prejudice and discrimination
• Everyone has an equal opportunity to be considered as a volunteer leader
• All leaders and employees will have equal access to training opportunities
• All young people will have equal access to club activities and training opportunities
• The policy is applied when recruiting employees and volunteers
• We monitor what we do to meet any legal requirements and so that this policy is implemented properly and understood by all
• We take incidents, including those of harassment and bullying, seriously
• Any issues of inequality, harassment or discrimination should be reported to the Centre Manager or member of the Board of Trustees, who will enable the parties involved to give their version of events before considering further action.
• The Centre Manager or trustee will respond quickly and impartially to such issues.
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This policy does not form part of any employee's contract of employment and we may review it and amend it without notice at any time. The Hub will challenge discrimination in its own policies and ensure that all policies comply with equalities legislation.
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Reviewed: January 2023
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Susannah Moffat - Chair
Claygate Youth and Community Hub