Media Education – Equalities, Diversity and Inclusion
January 2024 - 31st March 2028
We are a Community Interest Company. We run our organisation in a co-leadership structure, with shared decision making and equal pay, to mirror the genuine co-production that underpins the way we work. The creative freedom and trust we give each other results in the continuous evolution of our practice.
Our vision is that all permanent staff members have the opportunity to become Co-Directors of the organisation. This unique set up means that the people on the ground are the people who govern and develop our strategic mission.
Externally, we build collaborative partnerships with other organisations who share our ethos, so that we can deepen our social impact and learn from each other’s experiences. We believe that sharing lived experience is the cornerstone for building bridges between people from all walks of life and organising an equal and equitable society. Our films and podcasts go on a journey alongside the people who make them.
We firmly believe that cultivating environments where every individual is not only valued but celebrated for their unique contributions is essential for a society where every voice is heard and every person empowered to thrive.
We are committed to equality for people from all protected characteristics, and to creating a culture in which equality of opportunity is promoted actively, and where unlawful discrimination, harassment and victimisation based on a person’s race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual identity, age or ability is not tolerated.
Under the Equality Act (2010) we are required to eliminate unlawful discrimination thereby minimising disadvantage for those individuals who are protected by the Act. We have duties to remove barriers and promote opportunities for those from protected groups in all aspects of our work; whether in our interactions with colleagues, associates, groups and individuals we work with or in the way we design and deliver our services and policies.
We recognise the pervasive influence of white privilege within our society, wherein advantages and opportunities are disproportionately afforded to individuals of white ethnicity, often at the expense of marginalised communities. As individuals and as an organisation, we are interrogating our individual and organisational power and privilege in order to contribute to dismantling this systemic racism, inequality, and inequity based on race.
This entails a commitment to challenging the structures, biases, and norms that perpetuate white privilege and contribute to the marginalisation of people of colour, as well as individuals from other marginalised groups.
Our Team
As we work towards establishing a more equitable and inclusive workplace, it's crucial to grasp how our plans, decisions, and actions affect various groups. Analysing our data allows us to identify areas or positions where certain groups are underrepresented. It helps uncover potential biases and obstacles that our team members may encounter. Utilising this data also helps us gauge our current position and set goals for the future. We'll provide updates on our findings every two years.
Results from Media Education’s Equalities Report 2023
Approximately 40% of respondents consider themselves LGBTQIA+
Of those who chose to disclose, around 20% said they have lived experience of a disability or a long term health condition that impacts their work.
Overall, the staff team at Media Education are from a wide range of age groups, with respondents spread across ranges from 30-66.
The staff team have a wide range of schooling backgrounds, with the majority (70%) answering “State-run or state-funded school”.
While all respondents identify with a nationality of either ‘British’ or ‘Scottish’, several of our staff team have a mixed nationality, including ‘British Sudanese’ and ‘British/Polish’.
A significant majority of the staff team identify with an ethnicity of ‘White/Caucasian’. A small number of respondents listed ‘Black Arab African Jewish’.
Of those who chose to disclose, around 20% said they have lived experience of a disability or a long term health condition that impacts their work.
We have used this information to inform our EDI plan. Whilst we consider our team to be diverse in some areas, we have active steps in our EDI plan to extend the representative nature of the team - please see the recruitment section of our plan.
Summary of objectives 2024-2028
Continue whole team training in all areas of EDI. (Achieved through SMART Resourcing Objectives of Business Plan)
Develop a series of position statements informed by team training to promote our organisational equalities stance including a Racial and Ethnic Minority Inclusion and Equality Stance. (Measured through Milestones of High Level Plan, available on request)
Develop our Space to be more inclusive and accessible through redesign of our recording studios to enable a ‘quiet space’ for neuro diverse staff and visitors and to enable greater accessibility for any disabilities. (Achieved through SMART Resourcing Objectives of our Business Plan)
Create Inclusive Language and Accessibility Guidelines (Achieved through SMART Resourcing Objectives in our Business Plan)
Align the promotion of our organisational EDI stance with the creative outputs of our Lived Experience Collaborators across all of our programmes to create solidarity and ensure shared learning between the internal culture and the creative outputs of those we work with. (Achieved through SMART Delivery Objectives in Aim 4 of our Business Plan)
Amplify marginalised voices through our programme of community and stakeholder screenings in our programmes using project Models 1 and 2. (Achieved through SMART Delivery Objectives in Aim 4 of our Business Plan)
Advocate for systemic change through policy drafting groups, TSI forums and cross party committees using creative and research outputs from our programmes using our project Models 1, 2 and 3. (Achieved through SMART Delivery Objectives in Aim 4 of our Business Plan)
Actively support initiatives that address all forms of discrimination and injustice using our social media and attendance at demonstrations. (Achieved through SMART Delivery Objectives in Aim 4 of our Business Plan)
Increase remuneration of “lived experience” collaborators across Model 1 and 2 programmes in order to remove barriers to access creative opportunities and contribute to subvert the unequal power dynamic at the heart of those who are paid for expertise and those who remain in the participant/volunteer dynamic. (Achieved through SMART Delivery Objectives in Aim 1, 2 &3 of our Business Plan)
Create a training budget to support lived experience collaborators to access additional training opportunities. (Achieved through SMART Resourcing Objectives in our Business Plan)
Create a progression route from lived experience collaborator to organisational associate to contribute to address the diversity of the team and increase access to opportunities. (Achieved through SMART Delivery Objectives in Aim 3 of our Business Plan)
Achieve disability confident Level 3 (Achieved through SMART Resourcing Objectives in our Business Plan)
Achieve pension employer contribution to Living Wage recommended level. (Achieved through SMART Resourcing Objectives of the Business Plan)
Implement Equalities monitoring across all Lived Experience Collaborators and Programme Audiences. (Measured through Yearly Engagement Report)
Media Education has two dedicated EDI Officers who are Directors - Inma De Reyes Casa and Ania Urbanowska.
A full copy of our EDI Strategy Plan and Policy is available on request.
For further information, please contact Ania Urbanowska or Inma De Reyes - EDI Officers - ania@mediaeducation.co.uk and inma@mediaeducation.co.uk