October is Global Diversity Awareness Month and Black History Month
Diversity Awareness Month celebrates the values, contributions and diversity of cultures around the world. Within Verco, we aim and hopefully succeed, in celebrating our team of unique individuals. We also aim to attract people from different backgrounds to our business.
It is great to take a specific opportunity to highlight and celebrate diversity, but this is something we do all year round. We take Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) seriously, around HR and our business practices.
For Black History Month, the theme this year is Time for Change: Action Not Words.
Catherine Ross, BHM Editor, in her article wrote, “Black people are often given the double burden of experiencing racism and discrimination, and then being expected to fix it. To get to a better tomorrow, we can’t just focus on the past. The past is in the past. We can acknowledge and learn from it, but to improve the future, we need action, not words. We need to come together around a shared common goal to achieve a better world for everyone”.
To read the full article visit: blackhistorymonth.org
Verco wants real change, and to be a supportive, active ally.
As an ally, the ask of us, is "to move beyond short-term or performative gestures and taking real, long-term action. In the workplace, in places of education and learning, and in the public sphere, this means having policies in place that achieve real outcomes. As an individual, it means actually practicing what you preach." (Catherine Ross, 2022)
A starting point is to educate ourselves. To learn not just about the Black experience, but also about the wider subject of diversity.
This month ….
- We have created a Teams channel where everyone can share recommendations on books, articles, websites and more around the theme of diversity.
- Tom Adeyoola, founder of Extend Ventures and our Non-Exec Director is leading a lunchtime session on “How can you stop your 'Brilliant' technology failing?" Clue: the answer includes diversity of thought, people, skills and approaches.
- We’ll be looking at inspiring black environmentalists who have led the way in our field.
- We’ll run an introductory session on understanding Unconscious Bias; what this means and how it impacts our decision making and perceptions.
- We’ll have a knowledge share session on Neuro-Linguistic Programming; a skill/tool used to prevent and support those suffering from, some forms of ill mental health.
- We’ll be looking at climate injustice in the LGBTQ+ community.
Diversity is a massive topic that is relevant to everyone.
“By highlighting, honouring, and learning more about diverse customs, cultures, and experiences we gain a greater awareness of and appreciation for the unique backgrounds and identities of others and can better leverage diverse perspectives for greater innovation, problem-solving, productivity, and collaboration.” (thediversitymovement.com)