Policy on Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion & Belonging (DEIB)
Last updated: October 2021
| Download this policy here
Introduction
Action for Happiness (AfH) is a global
movement that celebrates diversity and is committed to fairness and
respect for everyone. Our mission is to create a happier, kinder
world. This includes a commitment to building a more inclusive
society where everyone feels that they belong and that they
matter.
Access to health and happiness is unequal across our
society. In particular, Black, Asian and ethnic minorities, people
in lower socioeconomic groups, disabled people, and the LGBTQ+
community are often more likely to face physical and mental health
inequalities.
As part of our ongoing journey of learning and
improvement around Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging
(DEIB), we acknowledge that the AfH response to events such as the
murder of George Floyd has often been inadequate. Recognising that
we have lots more work to do to be better has acted as a catalyst
for change, and we are open to on-going feedback from staff,
volunteers, supporters and the wider public on how to do this.
This focus on DEIB is vitally important within our
movement and the related 'sectors' which we are part of - including
wellbeing/wellness, mental health, positive psychology and
community-building. These sectors sometimes lack diverse voices and
perspectives and are often more biased towards a 'straight, white,
middle-class, able, western' framing. In addition, these sectors
have sometimes appropriated indigenous wisdom and practices without
giving due credit and acknowledgement.
We are committed to acting with compassion and
kindness and to creating a movement which provides psychological
safety and actively welcomes, connects and values everyone, free
from bullying, harassment, victimisation, prejudice or unlawful
discrimination. All AfH Trustees, staff and volunteers must behave
in accordance with this Policy.
Together, we aim to create an environment where our
work and activities can always take place safely, according to the
law and in line with our mission and values. Our aim is for our
movement to be truly representative and inclusive of all sections
of society, where everyone's differences and contributions are
recognised and valued.
Action for Happiness is for everybody.
This section explains what these terms mean to us and
what we are doing to change our workplace and our movement.
- Diversity is about welcoming all the
ways we are different (both visible and invisible) and promoting a
wide range of different people and perspectives.
- Equity is about recognising that each person
has different circumstances and may need different resources and
opportunities to reach an equal outcome.
- Inclusion is about valuing people's unique
ideas and lived experiences and ensuring they feel involved,
respected, connected, and have their voice heard.
- Belonging is about creating a culture where
people can be themselves, have psychological safety, appreciate
each other, and feel part of something bigger.
Diversity
Welcoming all the ways we are different (both visible
and invisible) and promoting a wide range of different people and
perspectives.
Current challenges
AfH currently lacks diversity in our team, board, and the
broader community of wellbeing experts and academics we work with.
A recent survey of our members (2020) found that we reach a higher
proportion of women than men, while on other demographics like
ethnicity and sexuality we broadly mirror the UK population;
however, we want to go further - and to reach, involve and support
people from a much more diverse range of backgrounds. We are
monitoring but not yet sufficiently tracking and reporting
diversity in our membership. We are not yet offering training on
DEIB issues for our Trustees, staff and volunteers.
Our response so far
AfH has put diversity at the heart of our recruitment approach
for new Trustees and staff and this will form part of related
policies and employment contracts. In our events/webinars we are
actively inviting and welcoming a more diverse range of experts and
voices. We are also incorporating diversity into the design and
content of our courses; and issues relating to DEIB are now
regularly discussed by our Trustee Board. Our Director has been
working with an expert coach on diversity issues and we are
planning training for staff and volunteers. We intend to track our
journey and to demonstrate that we are putting this policy into
practice.
Equity
Recognising that each person has different circumstances
and may need different resources and opportunities to reach an
equal outcome.
Current challenges
Our reliance on online systems means that some activities may
not be equally accessible, for example to people who lack access to
the technology or connectivity for signing up. Prior to Covid we
also struggled to ensure accessibility to some in-person events and
courses, for example in venues without suitable access
arrangements. Some of our online/visual resources are not fully
accessible, for example, for people with visual impairment. And our
online events and videos are not accessible to certain audiences,
e.g. people with hearing impairment. Although we pride ourselves on
being evidence-based, some of our resources and materials can
appear too 'academic' as a result and therefore not as engaging for
the wider public as they could be. And although we have built a
large AfH community, we are still failing to reach certain ethnic
and minority groups and struggling to engage people from lower
incomes or poorer socio-economic backgrounds.
Our response so far
All AfH courses, events, groups and community-facing activities
are provided either free at the point of access or via a 'donation
of your choice' approach which ensures that they are accessible to
everyone, regardless of their financial situation. Our community
groups and courses use a peer-to-peer (rather than expert-led)
model which ensures they stay relevant to local stakeholders and
needs. We also adopt a 'trust-based' approach to volunteer
recruitment, placing more emphasis on ethos and values than on
academic expertise or qualifications. We have recently introduced
accessible versions of our monthly action calendars and captioning
for our live events. We have also refreshed our brand to be more
accessible to the general public and worked with a wider range of
influencers and thought leaders to ensure that our activities have
greater appeal and reach for marginalised groups.
Inclusion
Valuing people's unique ideas and lived experiences and
ensuring they feel involved, respected, connected, and have their
voice heard.
Current challenges
The AfH focus on building a 'secular' movement may potentially
alienate people from faith groups. We have also found that AfH can
often struggle to engage younger people, in part due to not being
available on all the latest social platforms - but also due to
potential bias due to the age of our team members, volunteers and
expert contributors. We also struggle to reach men as effectively
as women. Our focus on scientific evidence may mean that we are
less open to certain others forms of wisdom and knowledge. And as
yet we don't have a regular/effective forum for seeking out ideas
from marginalised people within our movement.
Our response so far
We continue to promote AfH as welcoming people from "all faiths
and none" and actively seeking to include people with a wider range
of viewpoints and backgrounds, including marginalised and
disadvantaged groups. Our volunteer led groups are now available
online in addition to in-person, ensuring they are more inclusive
for people who live remotely or may be socially isolated or unable
to attend in-person. Our range of speakers and contributors
continues to expand to take a much broader idea of what it means to
be an 'expert', valuing life experiences as well as academic
credentials. We are also planning to create a new forum for
including and listening to members of our community from more
marginalised groups.
Belonging
Creating a culture where people can be themselves, have
psychological safety, appreciate each other, and feel part of
something bigger.
Current challenges
The previous lack of diversity in AfH activities has undermined
our ability create a sense of belonging for certain groups. We
recognise that we have various unconscious biases in the way that
we deliver our activities and communicate. As a result some may
feel that "this isn't for people like me" and as a result do not
participate. We have also failed to provide sufficient
opportunities for our members to connect and experience a sense of
mutual support and psychological safety from belonging to this
community.
Our response so far
AfH is working to create a culture where everyone can be their
authentic self, experience psychological safety, and feel they
belong as they are. We are planning training around good DEIB
practices and unconscious bias. We also aim to provide more
opportunities for our members to connect and experience that sense
of belonging (e.g. via the community chat in our live events or via
the AfH app where many thousands of people support each other
daily).
Promoting equality and
avoiding discrimination
AfH aims to promote equality, fairness and respect for
everyone.
Trustees, staff members and volunteers must all commit to
ensuring that no-one involved in AfH activities is disadvantaged,
discriminated against or receives less-favourable treatment because
of any of the protected characteristics of the Equality Act
2010:
- Ethnic origin, nationality (or statelessness) or race
- Age
- Disability, including mental health
- Religion or belief, including the absence of belief
- Marital or civil partnership status
- Sexual orientation
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Gender reassignment
- Sex
And/or:-
- Class or socioeconomic status
- Political belief
- Being a carer
Unconscious Bias and
Micro-Aggressions
Unconscious bias is when social stereotypes
about certain groups of people unconsciously affect how we
interact, make decisions and behave towards others. These biases
may relate to the protected characteristics above and can
negatively impact people's experience.
Microaggressions are everyday verbal,
nonverbal, and environmental slights, snubs, or insults, whether
intentional or unintentional, which communicate hostile,
derogatory, or negative messages to target people based solely upon
their marginalised group membership.
We ask all Trustees, staff members and volunteers to recognise
and challenge unconscious biases and create a culture free from
microagressions. Through honest and open discussions, ongoing
education and making DEIB a priority, we seek to reduce unconscious
bias and ensure the AfH community is a welcoming place for
everybody.
Becoming an anti-racist
organisation
AfH is using the Mental Health First Aid
advice on becoming an anti-racist organisation and using this
as a template for creating a safer and more welcoming environment
for everyone.
How we uphold this
policy
Everyone who joins Action for Happiness and participates in our
activities is asked to commit to a personal pledge: to create more
happiness and less unhappiness in the world around me.
Our members and volunteers have an individual responsibility to
uphold both the pledge and our commitment to Diversity, Equity,
Inclusion and Belonging. We share our DEIB policy directly with all
staff and volunteers, and we host it publicly on our website.
We provide 'Three Golden Rules' to all our members for how we
behave together, as follows:
- We listen to what everyone has to offer.
Everyone has something valuable to offer and we give them our full
attention without judgment.
- We speak from the heart, not just the head.
When we share our lived-experiences and feelings, not just opinions
or advice, we offer something really meaningful.
- We are kind to ourselves and each other. We
take care of own needs as well as the needs of others and commit to
creating an inclusive, kind, and safe space for everyone.
We ask our members to act with kindness and respect at all times
and create a culture which supports psychological safety for
everyone. No one should behave towards anyone else in a hostile,
intimidating way or makes them feel unwelcome. Anyone who raises a
concern or challenges discrimination will be supported. No one will
be treated differently because they have sought to promote equality
or challenge discrimination.
Our Trustees, staff members and volunteers will be provided with
guidance that sets out expectations and boundaries around how they
should carry out AfH activity in accordance with our DEIB policy.
This helps us fulfil our legal obligations to ensure
non-discrimination, foster good relations between people, and
uphold the AfH pledge.
We will gather and hold information on the demographics of our
Trustees, staff members, and volunteers to support our DEIB
commitments, understand needs, and monitor progress. This policy is
supported by our Trustees and management, including our Director,
who has also undertaken an extensive period of one-to-one coaching
with a DEIB professional.
How to Make a
Complaint
We have a separate Safeguarding
Policy that provides further detail about managing conflict or
hostility in our activities and events. This process should be the
first port of call for conflict resolution.
If you have a specific complaint about an Action for Happiness
staff member or volunteer, please write to us at info@actionforhappiness.org.
Ask for the contact details of one of our senior staff members then
email details of your complaint directly to them.
If you have a complaint about a community member or volunteer
that you think cannot be managed through the Safeguarding Policy,
please contact info@actionforhappiness.org
If you see
something on our website or in our materials that you think we have
got wrong or could be improved, please let us know by emailing info@actionforhappiness.org