D&I Representatives at Summer Institute 2022

“My favourite aspect of the Diversity and Inclusion Representative Role is seeing the information we feedback in meetings put into practice and seeing our work making real a difference.”

The disproportionate representation of certain groups in the criminal justice system is a major issue – and a priority for Unlocked. We believe that diversity not only makes for a stronger team, but that it should also be celebrated. We therefore aim to create a programme that is welcoming for all: inclusive of ethnicity, disability, age, religious belief, marital status, pregnancy, sexuality and gender.

At this year’s Summer Institute, Unlocked Graduates appointed a group of seven Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) Representatives to champion these areas. The group helped to ensure that Summer Institute provided a highly inclusive environment for all participants and staff, whilst being supported by the Head of D&I and the Programme Director through regular meetings and forums.

Examples of improvements that have been made since this group came together include prioritising the availability of gender-neutral toilets at training venues and creating participant-led spaces for participants from minority backgrounds.

We spoke to some of this year’s D&I representatives about their experiences in the role so far:

“My experiences with diversity and inclusion with Unlocked Graduates have been really positive. I signed up to this role because of difficulties I’ve had with adjusting to having a hidden disability. Although this isn’t something we have actively touched upon in the group, I think Unlocked creates a really supportive environment. My favourite aspect of the role is seeing the information we feedback in meetings put into practice and seeing our work making a real difference.”

“I had been a Student Representative at my university and wanted to become a Diversity and Inclusion Representative in order to go beyond just representing the cohort, and work to represent black participants too. I also struggled with my mental health during my time at university and would have loved to have had someone to speak with who looked like me.

It is an amazing experience to be at the forefront of change and empowering conversations. I have really enjoyed how seriously our feedback is taken during meetings, and the turnaround of results has been great! Yet, being a representative can be a double-edged sword. The ‘downside’ is hearing about certain situations participants may experience during their time on the programme due to race or gender differences. It’s unfortunate, but this is the reality of why I wanted to sign up for the role in the first place.

My favourite moment so far was the genuine excitement expressed during one of our meetings where we discussed a problem and came up with a great solution. It was just amazing to see everyone on board and genuinely excited to make a positive change.”

Representatives were supported to feedback in regular meetings on D&I matters. Their experience as representatives will help them in future applications should they wish to apply for Equalities Officer roles in their establishments. Equalities Officers have the opportunity to change culture in prisons by amplifying the prisoner voice. By creating effective communication channels and running activities to support positive interactions, Equalities Officers promote meaningful representation across the prison.

2022 Unlocked Participant Cheyane worked to plan her own social event for the end of Summer Institute to provide a safe space for Black, Asian and Ethnic Minority participants to relax:

“The social was fairly simple to plan, and I had loads of support from one of the Unlocked Events Officers and from Unlocked staff in general. It was a lot of fun! I’ve planned socials before, and it felt like people in the cohort wanted a safe space to enjoy and just relax a bit. So, I thought that as a D&I representative (and just because of who I am) I would create this social, and I hope everyone really enjoyed it!

Not to be biased but we have a great group of D&I Reps, and on a wider scale, an even greater cohort!”

Our 2022 D&I Representatives have done some exceptional work bringing positive and constructive evidence-based feedback to meetings and working with us on potential solutions. The group have moved our work forward in a truly collaborative way, and we look forward to working with them more in future.