Community Gateway – EDI Training for almost 300 colleagues!

Picture of a gameboard used in the delivery of EDI training

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"I came to listen but was made to think. Very interactive and current. A great session" All-colleague session participant

At a Glance

Positive About Inclusion was commissioned by Community Gateway to design and deliver equality, diversity and inclusion training for all of their colleagues across the whole business. The brief was to create three sessions; one for the senior leadership team with a focus on equality impact assessments, another for all of the organisation’s managers and supervisors and the third for approximately 200 front line colleagues. All were required to be delivered in person at the Community Gateway offices in Preston.

About the Client

Community Gateway is a not-for-profit, community-based, housing association set up to meet the housing needs of people in Preston and the surrounding areas. The largest social housing landlord in the city and the first housing association in England to be based on the Community Gateway Model which is built on the principles of mutuality, accountability and engagement.

Challenges and Objectives

The main challenge was to design sessions that would provide effective and engaging training for groups with mixed levels of skills and experience working in different roles across the business. The sessions needed to be provided in a social housing context including relevant examples and stories to resonate with participants. Furthermore all of the training sessions needed an element of consistency so that similar messages were being received across the organisation about the importance of EDI, the alignment to Community Gateway values and the role/responsibility everyone has to create and sustain an inclusive culture.

“I came to listen but was made to think. Very interactive and current. A great session”

All-colleague session participant

Solution

For the front line colleagues we designed and delivered 14 fast-paced and engaging 60 minute sessions, using a game to embed the learning. The game, a version of ‘Spin the Wheel’, saw participants split into two teams to answer EDI related questions based on the Community Gateway values.

For the managers and supervisors we delivered four 90 minute training sessions that focused on their role and responsibilities as people managers. Examining bias and how to interrupt it, the importance of language and behaviours and dealing with challenging situations. The sessions included relevant activities based on our social housing experience.

For the senior leadership team we delivered a half day training session focused on equality impact assessments and how to effectively consider the impact of decisions in relation to the protected characteristics in a social housing context.

“Very well delivered and informative, a good session with stories you can relate to.”

All-colleague session participant

Impact

The sessions were really positively received with lots of participants telling us how much they had enjoyed the training at the end of each session. Embedding the learning for the front line colleagues through playing the ‘Game of Homes’ created a buzz and got everyone engaged in the competitive element. Equally, for the managers and supervisors the activities undertaken during the sessions were positively received because of their relevance and social housing context. The senior leadership team appreciated the opportunity to update their understanding and to reflect on their role and responsibilities in relation to equality impact assessments in decision-making.

“It was very interesting and informative course and I learnt a few things I didn’t already know!”

Managers and Supervisor session participant

Ready to learn more?

With over 50 years of combined experience, we’re the right choice to start you on your inclusion journey.

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