06 Mar 2020

Diversity Lens - Issue 16

Diversity Lens - Issue 133 Diversity Lens - Issue 132 Diversity Lens - Issue 131

Mar 6

Diversity Lens - Issue 16

Diversity Lens

Welcome to Diversity Lens, the newsletter from BAME Recruitment and Diversifying.io! We’re excited to be bringing you all the latest news and opinions about recruitment and the world of diversity and inclusion.

Latest News

BAME Recruitment Better Allies event
For LGBTQ+ History month BAME Recruitment hosted an event Better Allies: Supporting LGBTQ+ Colleagues at Work. It was an inspiring evening full of open and honest discussion from a diverse and eclectic mix of panellists. We hope to see you at the next one! Check out some of the highlights in the video below.

Highlights from our Better Allies: Supporting LGBTQ+ Colleagues at Work event.

App lets you give to charity whilst using other apps such as Uber and Spotify
US-based Momentum is one of many companies looking to change the way people donate. The app works by partnering with other apps and then donates some of the money given through ApplePay to your chosen charity. You can also track important events or campaigns and donate to your chosen charities such as the #MeToo movement. The app has partnerships with Spotify for example, so sports teams can set up a pre-match changing room playlist to which fans can add songs - in return for a donation to the team's chosen charity. Even with all these new ways to support good causes via the internet, online giving currently accounts for just 10% of all charitable donations. This app hopes to bring charitable giving into the modern era. Read more about this innovative app by clicking the photo below.

Mum's Instagram account documents life with disabled son
A mum who used social media to avoid having to repeatedly explain her disabled son's conditions said his story has supported other families. Four-year-old Lincoln has multiple rare conditions, including one meaning the two sides of his brain are unconnected. Lincoln's mother, Paige Norman from Norfolk, said the candid account on Instagram had reached out to parents to let them know "they're not alone". Click on the photo below to read more about Paige and Lincoln's story.

Britain’s first and only openly gay professional footballer to be inducted into Hall of Fame
Justin Fashanu, Britain’s first and only openly gay professional footballer, is to be posthumously inducted into the Hall of Fame at the National Football Museum in Manchester. He is succeeded by his niece, Amal who founded The Justin Fashanu Foundation. She went on to produce the BBC Three documentary Britain's Gay Footballers in 2012. She says "I guess that world doesn't want to accept a footballer being gay because of the image. I think as soon as one player comes out - and we support him the way we should support him - I think he'll be the one that people follow in the footsteps of." To read more about Justin's induction Click Here

British Army officer becomes first woman to pass brutal Para course
Capt Rosie Wild, 28 has made history as the first woman to pass the gruelling All Arms Pre-Parachute Selection (AAPPS). The physical challenge lasts five days and includes a 20-mile endurance march and an aerial assault course. Wild was a competitive triathlete before she joined the army, and she was presented with the Sword of Honour at the Royal Military Academy in Sandhurst, given to the best cadet of the intake. Brig John Clark, Commander of 16 Air Assault Brigade, said he hoped Capt Wild's achievement "will encourage other women to have a go. A more representative force will only make us stronger". To read more about Wild's achievement Click Here

What is "White Feminism"?
The BBC series "Girls on Girls" documents different women from different backgrounds and invites them to go to each other's houses and see the world through their lives, discussing everything from headscarves to being a housewife. This episode, feminist Jo speaks about her decision to shave off her hair, how she sees her role as a white female and uses her privilege to shine light on other women of colour's voices.

"Feminism isn't feminism unless it's inter-sectional." Feminist, Jo speaks to other women about her outlook on feminism in this BBC series.

Diversity and Inclusion Insights

Female actors fired or asked to leave auditions once pregnancy is revealed
When actor Olivia Colman (pictured below) became pregnant, her pregnancy was hidden in big sweaters during filming of The Night Manager. When her pregnancy could no longer be hidden, her pregnancy was written into the show, however not all actors are so lucky. In an anonymous interview with the BBC, actors came forward to speak about pregnancy discrimination. All say they lost jobs or auditions when it was found they were pregnant. Either they were asked to disclose their pregnancy on a form before their audition, or they were asked in person during their audition and asked to leave. Click Here to read more about this concerning story.

"People assume that autistic girls like me lack empathy, however neurotypical people lack empathy towards people with autism."
Increasingly more and more adults are getting diagnosed with autism, in particular girls are often not diagnosed since autism in girls has different symptoms. Eloise Stark (pictured below) speaks out about her diagnosis and how autism can be an isolating experience. "Before I got diagnosed, I did not understand why I felt different. It was lonely. Just as I didn't understand neurotypical people, they did not understand me. There is an assumption sometimes that people with autism lack empathy, but when a neurotypical person talks to an autistic person it can actually be the neurotypical person who is lacking empathy." To read more about Eloise's diagnosis and some autistic coping behaviours at work, click on her photo below.

Story of the Week

New mental health fitness scheme aims to prevent male suicide
Now a new mental fitness scheme, using lessons from the rough and tumble of the pitch, is helping boys open up and talk about their feelings. Funded by men's health charity Movember, the programme teaches boys about mental health in the familiar surroundings of their local rugby club changing rooms. The aim is to stop unhappy adolescents becoming the suicide cases of tomorrow. Suicide is the leading cause of death of men aged 15 to 49, and there is a growing awareness of the risks young men can face, if they do not learn to be open about their mental health. The mental health programme, Ahead of the Game, uses trained ex-players from rugby union and league to work with teenage members in community rugby clubs. Read more about this fantastic scheme by clicking on the photo below.

Featured Video

Blind man teaches other blind people to ride bikes with sound and other stories
As featured by Great Big Story, four stories of incredible championship over disability. The first story shows how a blind man taught himself to ride a bike using a technique similar to sonar. The second story details a Chinese disabled dance group featuring deaf dancers and visually impaired musicians. Next a blind birdwatcher from Uruguay shows how he listens to the bird sounds to identify them, finally a disabled youth football group showcase how there is power in unity.

"Now that I'm able to do it [ ride a bike] , it serves as a great example to challenge preconceived ideas." Brian on becoming the world's best blind mountain biker.

Inspirational Person of the Week

Sara Guerts
Sara is an international model who gained fame on Instagram for her body positivity message and has amassed more than 76K followers. The 28 year old model has Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (EDS), a connective tissue disorder that means her body lacks collagen. Sara was diagnosed at the age of 10, when very little information was available on EDS. Unable to get the answers she needed about the disorder, Sara pushed it to the back of her mind, spending years hiding her skin and avoiding all talk about the condition that caused it. However after a heartbreak she decided to put herself out there and start loving herself. Since then she has become an advocate for the EDS and the LGBTQ+ community using her photography to showcase the effects of the disorder. "We chose to use my symptoms of my disorder through photography as a way to help others or try to, because [EDS] is known as the invisible illness, I'm kind of the rare case where I am visible." Since going viral on a documentary back in 2017, Sara has been featured in Volition Magazine's 2017 body positivity issue, People magazine, Allure and a Barcroft Documentary - all raising awareness of the disease. In addition she has started a skincare campaign which campaigns for models with more diversity to be featured.