Category Archives: Inclusion

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – December 2017

On 3 December it is International Day of Disabled Persons and with that in mind we have chosen Jonnie Peacock as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month.

At the age of 5, Jonnie contracted meningitis, resulting in the amputation of his right leg, just below the knee.  He had always been a very positive young boy and despite initial difficulties soon got used to his new leg.

Jonnie had always loved sport particularly football but that was not an option with his prosthetic but at the age of 15 whilst waiting for an appointment at his prosthetic centre he saw a poster inviting anyone interested in sport to attend a talent identification day.  Jonnie was allowed to go and tried his hand at a number of different sports, however it was athletics that suited him best and his attendance at the event started his journey to becoming an international athlete.

He ran his first international race at the Paralympic World Cup in Manchester in May 2012 and at the 2012 Paralympics, just four years after seeing the poster, Jonnie won the 100m T44 final with a time of 10.90 seconds, claiming the gold and the Paralympic record in the process. In 2016 at the Rio Paralympics Jonnie defended his title and in 2017 he won the World Championships in London.

In September this year Jonnie joined Strictly Come Dancing becoming the first disabled person to compete on the show with the idea that he could show everyone what an amputee could do rather than not do. Jonnie was partnered with Oti Mabuse and despite not having danced before made it all the way to week 9.  Despite his disappointment Jonnie was honoured to be the first disabled person on the show and thanked the panel for judging him as an equal.

Jonnie was awarded an MBE in 2013 for services to athletics.

Christian Cole: Oxford University’s first black student

In a salute to a “remarkable” man, the University of Oxford has paid tribute to its first black student. But who was Christian Cole and what was life like for him at a time when being black at the university wasn’t merely unusual, but remarkable?

Cole was always likely to turn heads when he arrived in Oxford to read classics.

It was 1873 and he was a 21-year-old black man from Waterloo, Sierra Leone, studying alongside young men from the elite families of Victorian England (His arrival pre-dated the institution of the university’s first women’s college by six years.).  More

‘Most diverse Turner Prize to date’

It was once the domain of outrageous young artists.

But this year the Turner Prize has grown up, shining a light on overlooked older artists, unsensational subject matter and traditional methods.

The exhibition of the four shortlisted artists opens in Hull on Tuesday.

After a rule change, Hurvin Anderson and Lubaina Himid are the first over-50s to be nominated since 1991, while Andrea Buttner and Rosalind Nashashibi are both in their 40s.  More

This is Phoebe Schecter, Britain’s first female NFL coach

 

When you meet Phoebe Schecter, the thought “bone-crunching American Football linebacker” may not enter your mind.

She’s 1.62m (5ft 4in) and weighs around 63kg (10 st) but appearances can be deceptive.

She captains Great Britain’s women’s American Football team, leading them to the final of the 2015 European Championships.

Now she’s achieved something few women have – she’s coached in the NFL.  More

Inspirational Diversity Champion of the Month – August 2017

International Youth Day is on 12 August and as 2017 marks the 25th anniversary of the Charlton Athletic Community Trust (CACT) we have chosen them as our Inspirational Diversity Champion of the month for their with the local community and programmes for young people.

The community programme was established in 1992 and became Charlton Athletic Community Trust in 2003. Known as CACT, it is famed for its work in its local communities and has scooped numerous prestigious industry awards over recent years.

The community initiative began when the football club returned to The Valley in 1992. It started with just one member of staff, a bag of footballs and a telephone and has now grown into an organisation that employs 100 permanent staff, has a pool of over 100 casual coaches and engages with thousands of people on a weekly basis.

CACT uses the power of football and sport to engage, empower and provide positive opportunities and activities for young people.

The trust delivers successful community programmes is the following areas:

  • Education
  • Social Action and Enterprise
  • Early Help And Prevention
  • Equality, Diversity And Inclusion
  • Football And Sports Development
  • Youth Services
  • Health Improvement

 As well as young people the trust has many other initiatives in the community, with their work on mental health in the over 65 age group, recently being nominated for a national award.

The university has strong connections with the football club and continue to be a patron following a three year period as the shirt sponsor.  Our LGBT+ staff network have continued links with Proud Valiants, Charlton’s LGBT+ fans’ group and the trust have often attended university events, particularly in relation to their stop smoking campaign.

To find out more about CACT and the excellent work that they do go to their website at http://www.cact.org.uk/

Follow them on twitter at https://twitter.com/CAFCTrust

Tube to change ‘ladies and gentlemen’ announcements

The “ladies and gentlemen” greeting on Tube announcements is to be scrapped, Transport for London (TfL) has announced.

London Underground staff have been told to say “hello everyone” in an effort to become more gender-neutral.

TfL said the move was to ensure all passengers felt “welcome”.

LGBT campaign group Stonewall welcomed the decision, which was supported by London mayor Sadiq Khan at a session of Mayor’s Question Time last month.

The revised phrasing will be applied to all new pre-recorded announcements made across the capital’s transport network.  More

Meet the Guides encouraging girls into science and tech

The World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts is updating its image with a number of new achievement badges aimed at encouraging young women into science and technology.

My memories of the Girl Guides involve marshmallow toasting, tying knots and being assessed on my table-laying skills for a badge no doubt long-consigned to the archives.

Fast forward some 25 years and it’s clear much has changed.

In an international organisation that liaises with Google and Microsoft among others, today’s young guides are just as likely to be gathered round an engineering bench as a campfire.  More

England appoint first ever full-time disability coaches

The England and Wales Cricket Board has named Ross Hunter and Ian Salisbury as England’s first ever full-time disability cricket coaches.

Ex-England international Salisbury has been appointed as new head coach of England’s physical disability team.

Hunter will continue his work as coach of England’s visually impaired side, now in a full-time capacity.

The ECB’s head of disability cricket Ian Martin said: “This is an important step change in disability cricket.”  More