Inclusive Engagement
Inclusive Engagement Design
- WIE Commitment to Inclusive Engagement
- Inclusive Engagement Statement
- Guidance and further resources
Our Commitment to Inclusive Engagement
WIE is committed to ensuring our activities are as inclusive as possible. Our Inclusive Engagement Statement has been formulated by our Inclusive Engagement Learning Circle to define and set a standard for members of the Institute in their public engagement practice. The statement is a starting point to ensuring a fair and consistent approach.
As members of the The National Centre for Co-ordinating Public Engagement (NCCPE) provides further resources and underpinning principles which WIE is working towards implementing.
We value your feedback and input on the statement and our approach to Inclusive Engagement. If you have any suggestions, please email us on wie@warwick.ac.uk
Our Inclusive Engagement Statement
Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion concern all of us and are the responsibility of all members of our community. We all contribute to ensuring that the University of Warwick and the communities of which it is a part, become safe, welcoming, accessible and stimulating environments for all, where there is equality of opportunity and equity in outcomes, fostered in an environment of mutual respect and dignity.
We believe that inclusive engagement can be recognised both in inclusive practice, which works against historic inequalities and current forms of exclusion, and in the diversity of participants at all levels in that practice. This is reflected in our three core principles of inclusive engagement.
1. The best engagement activities strive to foster long-term relationships with clear and identifiable benefits for the community, and contribute to engaging a diverse range of staff, students, and stakeholders.
2. Engagement should be inclusive by design from start to finish. Inclusion should be at the forefront of our thinking and practice during design, delivery, and evaluation. This will be reflected in our language and behaviours throughout, in how we address issues of power and equity in our practice, and how success is measured and who measures it. Where possible, opportunities for co-design and co-creation of activity should be explored.
3. We acknowledge that our position as a university historically and currently affords our voices more privilege and power. We will work to recognise all the inequalities and inequities (both historic and current) found within the University and beyond. As equal members in the community, we will strive for equitable dialogue, respect, and the inclusion of diverse voices.
Inclusive engagement will ensure that the uniqueness, talents, beliefs, backgrounds, capabilities, and ways of working of all individuals and communities are able to come together, to create a culture of collaboration and belonging, where all people are valued and respected.
Why inclusion matters?
Inclusion is central to today’s conversations about public engagement with research. But why does it matter? Sophie Duncan, Co-director of the NCCPE, considers this question alongside three speakers, Fay Scott, Louise Archer and Jude Fransman, who have dedicated their work to building inclusive practices. Read more about our speakers and the NCCPE:
- Fay Scott is Senior Public Involvement Manager at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and Co-chair of the NIHR’s Race Equality Public Action Group (REPAG). REPAG developed the race equality framework to address systemic inequalities in health and care research. Race Equality Framework: https://www.nihr.ac.uk/documents/NIHR...Link opens in a new window
- Louise Archer is a professor of education and Karl Mannheim Chair of Sociology of Education at University College London. Louise’s research focuses on education and inequalities in education, and her work has included developing the Equity Compass as part of the Youth Equity in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths). Louise Archer profile: https://profiles.ucl.ac.uk/61616-loui...Link opens in a new window Youth Equity in STEM: https://yestem.org/Link opens in a new window
- Jude Fransman is an honorary associate at the Open University’s Institute of Educational Technology with a focus on inclusive knowledge production. Her work reaches from the national to the hyperlocal. Her current projects include advising UK funders on inclusive funding and designing a programme about what works in research engagement for inclusive knowledge mobilisation. Jude Fransman profile: https://iet.open.ac.uk/people/jude.fr...Link opens in a new window
- The National Coordinating Centre for Public Engagement helps universities engage with the public, working with funders, policy makers, universities, and individuals in the higher education sector.
The NCCPE is committed to inclusion. You can find resources and our latest work at www.publicengagement.ac.uk. This is the one of three films in thier Acting on Inclusion series. This series was inspired by Fay Scott, of the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR), who suggested it following a 2021 NCCPE Engage Conference session: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2kYVg.... The NCCPE is delighted to bring these conversations to life.