Equity , diversity and belonging
Equity , diversity and belonging
Feature
Speaking up on EDB
Students at Northumbria University have their say on equity , diversity and belonging .
© Hispanolistic via Getty Images
Q Carrie , have you had a longstanding interest in equity , diversity and belonging issues ?
A
Before applying to the internship , I had an interest in equality and diversity issues , but mainly as an ally and a witness . I found it important to keep myself educated and to speak up if I ever saw a problem .
I felt comfortable with my input ; I volunteered at pride , went to a couple of marches during the Black Lives Matter movement , and spoke up for the people that I support in my part-time role as a support worker .
However , in the last few years I have been educated further by those who have been brave enough to speak up about diversity issues in the media . I came to realise that what I was doing wasn ’ t really enough for me . I didn ’ t feel like I was
T he founders of the AffinOT groups BAMEOTUK , LGBTQIA + OTUK and AbleOTUK have made significant headway in improving the professional opportunities and experiences for minority groups .
By spearheading various campaigns and implementing carefully considered strategies , these founders paved the way for others to follow suit and work towards making occupational therapy a more inclusive and socially conscious profession .
Motivated by this success , a group of Northumbria University lecturers launched the Affinity Project Internship in early 2023 .
Dr Claire Hart , Dr Helen Atkin and Stephanie Whittington , in discussion with the Northumbria University teaching team , created this internship to give students a chance to speak up on issues they were facing in relation to equality and diversity throughout their student journey .
An opportunity to go further than being an ally
doing anything proactive , I was more of a passive participant when it came to equality and diversity .
Q What was the driving force behind your application to the intern project ?
A
I saw this internship as an opportunity to take my interest a step further and be someone who could actually make a change to my surroundings , rather than just educating myself and trying to be a good ally .
I feel like many organisations are stuck in a similar place as I was ; there is interest in equality and diversity and lots of lip-service is paid to try to prove this . But in many places , there is not a drive to go further and appoint people to see where there are issues and drive change .
Northumbria University showed to me , by creating this project , that they are making steps to
48 OTnews September 2023