An Update on our Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan

Our diversity and inclusion action plan update. We've been busy reviewing our activities over the past year and setting ourselves new goals.

In our last Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, we committed to ‘diversity in all aspects of our business and activities.’ Since then we have:

• Continued to provide opportunities for our staff to learn, and to develop the knowledge and confidence to speak out and influence our work.
• Identified new and diverse partnerships that we continue to nurture to reach underrepresented communities. For example, The Agency work in Southampton.
• Made changes to our recruitment processes and procedures to try to eliminate bias and ensure the process is fair.
• Continued to build new relationships through the start of our We Can Be Active Champion programme.
• Developed local relationships through our Opening School Facilities fund.
• Continued to learn from those with local insight and knowledge about their community.
• Continued to support more women to become coaches through our Project 500 Champions increasing female representation in the workforce.
• Promoted our Pride in Our Workforce resource both locally and nationally to increase understanding of the issues that affect LGBTQ+ people’s participation in physical activity and sport. We have promoted and advocated for the creation of more welcoming environments.

To update our Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan, we have reflected on these successes and what we have learnt along the way. We have also invested more time in training and learning to continue to educate ourselves and evolve our thoughts and actions. We have included a team objective in our yearly staff appraisal, we are working towards becoming a ‘Forces Friendly’ organisation and through the formation of our ‘Environment Sustainable Responsibility plan’ we are committing to learning more about climate change and the climate injustice people and communities are facing across Hampshire and Isle of Wight. This is just a snippet of what we have been and will be doing – so keep reading to find out more about our ambitions!

Energise Me is a team of passionate and hard-working employees and trustees who enjoy encouraging people to be active. So, who are Energise Me?

Results are a snapshot from our Staff Survey which took place in July & August 2023. Responses represent 22 out of 27 of our staff and trustees.

Physical activity and sport must be open and accessible for everyone. It is vital to our health and wellbeing. Yet people from underserved or displaced communities face significant inequalities, causing a decrease in physical activity levels.

Currently people who have a disability, who are from a Black, Asian or ethnic backgrounds, and women are less likely to be physically active than those who are not. People with caring responsibilities or long-term health conditions are less likely to be active than those without. And people who are on low wages or are long-term unemployed are the least likely to be active of all. This is not what equality looks like. Tackling these inequalities sits at the heart of everything we do.

We want to be open and transparent about our plans so that we can be held accountable. This is an open invitation to tell us what we do well, along with when we miss the mark and need to do better. By sharing our plans and what we learn along the way, we hope to help and influence others do the same.

Our plan focuses on 5 broad ambitions, each with its own set of actions to make sure they are met. We will:

1. Ensure that Energise Me is a safe, inclusive and supportive work environment for all.
2. Ensure our recruitment processes are fair, accessible and attractive to applicants from all backgrounds.
3. Create opportunities for the workforce to share learning and gain confidence to improve diversity and inclusion.
4. Work to ensure that everyone feels represented in physical activity and sport.
5. Work with underrepresented communities to create pathways into workforce roles.