Joining the Zero Racism Wales pledge

As a college, we’re proudly supporting the move towards Wales becoming a more inclusive nation. We’re taking a stand against racism with a zero-tolerance approach, by joining hundreds of Welsh organisations signing Race Council Cymru’s Zero Racism Wales pledge.

We’ve long championed acceptance and inclusion in our community, promoting the benefits of a diverse student and staff population. So, we’re well-placed to shape the future of our society by educating people of all ages about equality, diversity, and inclusion. For this reason, we strive to create a place where everyone – students and staff – can be themselves and feel safe, valued, and included; mirroring Race Council Cymru’s vision for a zero-racism nation.

In line with Welsh Government’s aspiration for an antiracist Wales by 2030, we now stand in solidarity with 1500 other pledgers to say no to all forms of racism. To promote zero tolerance to racism in the workplace and classroom, we’re implementing this commitment every day, by:

• Taking a stand against racism and promoting a more inclusive and equal society for all.
• Not tolerating racial prejudice, discrimination, harassment, victimisation, abuse, or violence against any individual.
• Standing in solidarity, coming together, and saying no to racism, in all its forms.
• Promoting good race relations between people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
• Promoting equal and fair opportunities for people from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Positive action is already underway to make our college more inclusive, and to promote equality, diversity, and inclusion among students and staff. By bringing in a dedicated Diversity, Inclusion and Wellbeing Manager, we’re taking important steps to drive change. Some of our key equality, diversity, and inclusion initiatives include:

• Introducing affinity networks for staff and encouraging student support groups.
• Providing anti-racism training for all staff by 2023.
• Celebrating key awareness days, weeks, and months.
• Delivering staff training and talks on diverse topics to achieve cultural competency.
• Introducing pronoun pins for students and staff.
• Leading a year-long ‘Be You’ campaign to share stories, celebrate one another, and develop an inclusive language toolkit to provide a vocabulary of respect.

As part of Black History Month this October, we’ve also invited a guest speaker, Nelly Adam from Race Council Cymru, to deliver a talk for students. She’ll discuss steps that can be taken to move forward as anti-racism is embedded in the college, as well as highlighting examples of what we can do as individuals to push the dial on achieving a more anti-racist society.

For more information about our ongoing work towards equality, diversity, and inclusion, visit coleggwent.ac.uk/diversity and find out more about the Zero Racism Wales campaign at zeroracismwales.co.uk.