As part of Celebrate Difference and Diversity Week, we were delighted to welcome Charlie Wheeler-Quinnell from Stonewall,  the lesbian, gay and bisexual charity

Charlie gave an interesting lecture, highlighting amongst many other things that it is only since 2003 that the law changed making it unlawful to discriminate on the basis of sexual orientation in the workplace. She told us about some of the great work Stonewall are doing in campaigning at ‘home, school and work’ for lesbian, gay and bisexual people, and some of the reports they have commissioned. 

The university is signed up to the Stonewall Diversity Champions programme to support LGB staff, and Charlie was explaining why how important this ongoing committment is and how Stonewall is helping us become an employer of choice.

We are hoping to engage with the staff and student LGB groups to consult on what is needed – work will be commencing on this soon. For more information or to input into this area of work, please feel free to email Karen Weaver, Equality and Diversity Champion via k.weaver@gre.ac.uk.

Find out more about Stonewall http://www.stonewall.org.uk/

The first Staff and Student Wellbeing event of 2012 happened yesterday in the Dome at Avery Hill to great success. Well done to Helga Brandao, Healthy Living and Wellbeing Co-Ordinator, for organising so many varied exhibitors and a great event! Let Helga know your feedback via h.s.brandao@gre.ac.uk.

As part of the event the children of Avery Hill Nursery http://wwww.gre.ac.uk/students/wss/nursery came over to put on a performance of ‘Handa’s Surprise’ – a story about an African lady handing out different fruits. The children were fantastic, dressed in national clothing with homemade animal headress. Thanks so much to Paulina Bush, Nursery Manager, her team and, of course, the children, for putting on a lovely show. Photographs to follow!

Cherry Smyth, Senior Lecturer in Poetry has set up The Stephen Lawrence Poetry Prize to honour Stephen Lawrence, and his mother, Doreen’s fight for justice. 

In honour of Stephen, and his mother Doreen Lawrence’s 18 year fight for justice, we invite you to submit a poem of no more than 30 lines to mail@cherrysmyth.com by March 23^rd at 6pm.

The judges are Sophie Mayer, author of Her Various Scalpels and The Private Parts of Girls (Salt) and Andra Simons, author of The Joshua Tales (The Treehouse Press).

The winner will be announced at the end of term Poetry Reading on March 30^th in KW 002 5.30-7.30pm where there will be readings by Sophie and Andra and creative writing students.

To acknowledge Celebrate Diversity and Difference Week at the university, the *AccessAbility Project has devised a prize quiz.

There are twenty multiple choice questions and a first prize of £20 Amazon vouchers and two runner-up prizes of £10 Amazon vouchers. The quiz is available from www.gre.ac.uk/aap and runs until 30th April 2012. The purpose of the quiz is to raise awareness and celebrate achievement – absolutely anybody can take part.

The quiz has been devised by Melanie Thorley, *AccessAbility Project Co-ordinator. Contact Melanie with any queries m.thorley@gre.ac.uk

Good Luck!

BBC Head of Diversity guest lecture, today at 12.00 

Today’s headline event for Celebrate Difference and Diversity is a guest lecture from Amanda Rice, Head of Diversity at the BBC and Chair of the Creative Diversity Network Steering Committee.

Where and when: 12pm – 1pm, Norbert Singer Lecture Hall, 055 Mansion Site, Avery Hill.

Find out about Amanda’s role at the BBC, how the BBC deals with equality and diversity in its programming, and take the opportunity to ask questions. Find out more about our guest speaker: Amanda’s BBC blog Creative Diversity Network