Uni holds first-ever Inclusion Week for staff and students

Breaking down barriers to diversity

STAFF and students flocked to the University’s first Inclusion Week, held earlier this month.

The week-long event comes on the back of a series of annual Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) events that began in 2015. 

The week was organised by the University’s EDI Officer, Olivia Briddon, in conjunction with the University’s Students’ Union, and the events were based on the equality strands of the staff and student networks along the theme of breaking down barriers to diversity.  

“The Inclusion Week has been a fantastic opportunity to raise awareness of barriers to diversity and inspire people to push boundaries to achieve their potential,” said Olivia.

Inspirational Women was the tile of the opening event on the Monday, which took place the day after International Women’s Day.

Four women from the University were asked to speak about their career journeys and their professional experiences of being female in a senior position.  The four were Human and Health Sciences Director of Teaching, Learning and Student Experience Dr Georgina Blakeley, Acting Dean of the School of Art, Design and Architecture Professor Christine Jarvis, Professor of Social Work and Director of the University’s None in Three Research Centre Adele Jones and the Chief Executive Officer of Huddersfield’s Student Union, Rebekah Smith.

The midweek events included two well-known keynote speakers.  The first was British racing driver Charlie Martin, who is soon to become the first transgender racing driver to compete in the Le Mans 24-hour Race.  The second was award-winning mental health campaigner Jonny Benjamin MBE, whose life was saved after a stranger talked him down from the edge of Waterloo Bridge as he attempted to commit suicide.

A midweek workshop, Breaking Barriers: BAME Leadership, Talent and Inclusion, was led by Huddersfield lecturer Dr Berenice Golding and the University’s BAME Ambassadors.  The event discussed the themes of everyday experiences, retention and belonging, attainment and progression and support, and possible actions were suggested as to how these barriers could be broken down.

Concluding Inclusion Week was a Meet Your Networks event where representatives from the University’s staff and student networks joined colleagues from the Wellbeing and Disability Services and the Occupational Health Service for a networking session.

Charlie Martin

Race to the Top

With a background competing in European Hill Climb, racing driver Charlie Martin has a reputation of being extremely focused and ambitious.  Charlie has fought continuously to overcome adversity throughout her life, having lost both her parents at a young age.  Entering motorsport without any support is difficult enough, but she also realised she identified as transgender from as young as seven years old.  She would transition to live as a female midway through her career in 2012.  To inspire others across the world to begin their own journey, Charlie recorded her entire transition on her YouTube channel.

In 2018, she returned to the UK and began a full season of circuit racing in the Ginetta GT5 Challenge, taking the brave step of coming out as transgender within motorsport.  Her aim was to improve LGBT visibility and acceptance within the sport she loves, while empowering others to follow in her footsteps to live authentically without fear.

Charlie is a Sports Champion for Europe’s largest LGBTQ+ charity Stonewall, patron for transgender charity Mermaids and an ambassador for LGBTQ athletic advocacy group Athlete Ally.  Having finished third in her first ever endurance race at Le Mans (Bugatti Circuit) in 2017 and fourth in her debut race in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in 2019, Charlie is well on her way to making history as the first transgender driver to ever compete in the Le Mans 24-hour Race.

“The biggest barrier that prevented me from being my true self in motorsport was undoubtedly the fact that I was unable to see anyone else like me, from club racing right up to professional level.” said Charlie.  “I had no idea how people would react to me as trans, but I’m pleased I overcame this fear.”

 

Jonny Benjamin MBE

The Stranger on the Bridge

As part of Inclusion Week, the award-winning mental health campaigner, author and film producer Jonny Benjamin MBE shared his story of how a passing stranger stopped him from taking his own life in 2008.

The Stranger on the Bridge, which has since been made into a book and a documentary film, tells the story of how, having been recently diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder, Jonny stood on London’s Waterloo Bridge and prepared to commit suicide.  However, Jonny was fortunate to have found the help of a stranger who was crossing the bridge at the time and managed to persuade Jonny to reconsider.  

With the support of the charity Rethink Mental Illness, Jonny launched the #FindMike social media campaign, to track the stranger down.  The campaign reached over 300 million people worldwide and while Jonny admits having got the stranger’s name wrong, it eventually led him to Neil Laybourn – the man who saved his life.

Since this dark period of his life, Jonny has invested his time into improving the mental health of others.  He has since travelled the globe with Neil to try and raise awareness and remove the stigma surrounding mental health issues and suicide and said that the biggest highlight has been completing the London Marathon with Neil. 

 “I want to let people know that it’s ok to have suicidal thoughts and feelings,” said Jonny.  “I also hope to show people that through talking about it and by having someone else to listen, it is possible to overcome the darkness that overwhelms a person when they feel helpless.”