At a Glance
Positive About Inclusion was commissioned by Equal Arts to design and deliver an EDI workshop for a group of their freelance creative artists. The brief was to create a safe space in which participants could not only learn more about the topic but also share their experiences and challenges.
About the Client
Equal Arts is a leading creative ageing charity supporting older people and those living with dementia in Gateshead, Newcastle and across the UK. They work to improve the lives of older people through creativity and arts activities around the country, providing creative opportunities to help improve wellbeing.
Challenges and Objectives
Equal Arts required a session that was aligned to the previous work Positive About Inclusion had completed with the Board and Senior Team, it needed to be suitably pitched for participants with a range of EDI knowledge and experience, and to be relevant to the roles carried out by the group of freelance artists. Due to the geographical spread of the artists the session needed to be delivered online.
Solution
We designed an interactive session and created the safe space for discussion which meant that everyone engaged in the conversation. We used a ‘Spin the Wheel’ tool to focus on language and phrases, and shared stories about how language is ever evolving. We discussed challenging situations and how to make an effective challenge alongside the (incorrect) assumptions we can sometimes make about different groups of people.
“I thought the content was high quality and the conversations were really helpful – being in a small group in a safe space is really important for that kind of thing.”
Session Participant
“The traffic light conversations tool was brilliant in really opening up our understanding and usage of words. Everyone really got stuck in and contributed to this conversation.”
Session Participant
Impact
The session went down really well, everyone engaged in the conversations and shared their stories and experiences which added to the learning for all. Participants particularly enjoyed the ‘Spin the Wheel’ language traffic lights activity and the ensuing discussion.
“That was fabulous. What a wonderful way to start the morning. Thank you for providing such fresh, accessible and approachable ways to communicate and learn.”
Session Participant
