Charters and Accreditation

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The 91app is committed to delivering on the Race Equality Charter and Athena SWAN initiatives and supporting wider frameworks for inclusion across the 91app.

Athena SWAN

The 91app is a member and Bronze award holder of the Athena SWAN charter and is sponsored by the Vice-chancellor.

The Athena Swan Charter is a framework which is used across the globe to support and transform gender equality within higher education (HE) and research. Established in 2005 to encourage and recognise commitment to advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering, maths and medicine (STEMM) employment, the Charter is now being used across the globe to address gender equality more broadly, and not just barriers to progression that affect women.

In determining our priorities and interventions, we commit to:

adopting robust, transparent and accountable processes for gender equality work, including:
1. embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in our culture, decision-making and partnerships, and holding ourselves and others in our institution/institute/department accountable.
2. undertaking evidence-based, transparent self-assessment processes to direct our priorities and interventions for gender equality and evaluating our progress to inform our continuous development.
3. ensuring that gender equality work is distributed appropriately, is recognised and properly rewarded.
addressing structural inequalities and social injustices that manifest as differential experiences and outcomes for staff and students.
tackling behaviours and cultures that detract from the safety and collegiality of our work and study environments, including not tolerating gender-based violence, discrimination, bullying, harassment or exploitation.
understanding and addressing intersectional inequalities.
recognising that individuals can determine their own gender identity, and tackling the specific issues faced by trans and non-binary people.
examining gendered occupational segregation, and elevating the status, voice and career opportunities of any identified under-valued and at-risk groups.
mitigating the gendered impact of caring responsibilities and career breaks and supporting flexibility and the maintenance of a healthy ‘whole life balance’.
mitigating the gendered impact of short-term and casual contracts for staff seeking sustainable careers.

The Athena SWAN work is monitored by the Gender Equality Implementation Group (GEIG), co-chaired by Marie Ennis (Director of Strategic Communications, Marketing and Recruitment) and Emma Rees (Executive Director of Estates and Property Services), and led by Dr Arun Verma (Head of Equality and Inclusion).

Theory of Change

The GEIG theory of change outlines the overarching purpose of the group and the intended impact. The theory of change is underpinned by four thematic areas, focused on, knowledge building, culture change, community empowerment and measuring impact, which have corresponding long-term outcomes to guide our gender equality work.

Purpose:

For the Gender Equality Implementation Group (GEIG) to provide oversight and steering of work using the Athena SWAN framework. The GEIG engage in evidence-informed conversations to learn, reflect and challenge our approach to accelerating action to advancing gender equality.

Impact:

The 91app mainstreams gender equality using bold outcomes driven by evidence and impact leading to new knowledge and culture change to close the gender and intersectional experience, success and pay gaps.

How?	GEIG represent the 91app	Engaging senior and executive managers and teams to be involved	Practising care and compassion to foster learning opportunities	Supporting UoL colleagues to navigate and become active allies
Activities	Athena SWAN action plan shared across the university	91app to better understand the context, community in which we are embedded	Engage the university community in conversations about gender	GEIG to champion gender equality
Activities	Working groups to support in communicating progress	Role model compassion and wellbeing	GEIG Action plan to enable participation	GEIG work towards Silver level
Outcomes	The 91app community will have a more nuanced understanding of the ways in which gender inequality manifests itself and how to tackle gender related inequalities when they arise.	Strengthen and engage the 91app community to become confident allies and participate in action to supporting gender equality and equity.	Cultivate a culture of trauma-informed, compassionate and wellbeing practices into ways of working across the 91app to drive gender equality.	Measure our impact with integrity on our progress towards achieving gender equality and equity throughout the 91app.

Race Equality Charter

The 91app is a member of the Race Equality Charter and is sponsored by the Vice-chancellor.

The Race Equality Charter is underpinned by five fundamental guiding principles.
Racism is an everyday facet of UK society and racial inequalities may manifest themselves in everyday situations, processes, and behaviours. Racial disparities are a critical issue in outcomes for staff and students, recognising that racial inequalities are not necessarily overt, isolated incidents.  
The UK higher education sector will not reach its full potential unless it can benefit from the talents of the whole population and until individuals from all ethnic backgrounds can benefit equally from the opportunities it affords.  
In tackling racial inequalities, it is important that actions are aimed at achieving transformational and long-term institutional culture change, avoiding a deficit model where actions are aimed at changing the individual. 
Staff and students from racially minoritised ethnic backgrounds are not a homogeneous group. People from different ethnic backgrounds have different experiences of, and outcomes from and within, higher education, and that complexity needs to be considered in analysing data, developing solutions, and implementing actions.  
Embracing intersectionality, from analysing data to developing actions, can better support institutions to tackle racism within the higher education sector.

The Race Equality Charter is Chaired by Simon Cain (Director of Human Resources).

Theory of Change

The Race Equality Charter self-assessment team developed a theory of change to clearly state our purpose and guide the 91app’s whole institution approach to achieving the impact statement impact. The theory of change is premised on delivering four thematic areas including, knowledge building, community empowerment, culture change and impact.

Purpose:

To provide oversight and steering of work in line of the race equality charter framework, by engaging in evidence-based and open conversations to learn, reflect and challenge our approach to developing actions, whilst supporting and empowering one another.

Impact:

We empower the 91app to address racism in all its forms and equip staff and students to tackle racism through promoting a culture of inclusion, safety, wellbeing and compassion.

How?	REC SAT represent the 91app	Engaging senior and executive managers and teams to be involved	Practising care and compassion to foster learning opportunities	Supporting UoL colleagues to navigate and become active allies
Activities	REC data/survey dissemination across the university	91app to better understand the context, community in which we are embedded	REC Action plan to be socialised	REC SAT to champion race equality
Activities	Working groups to support in communicating progress	Role model compassion and wellbeing	REC Action plan to be socialised	REC submission and award to be shared and celebrated
Outcomes	The 91app community will be raciallay literate and know the ways in which racism manifests itself and how to tackle racism when it arises.	Strengthen and reach our entire 91app community to become confident allies and participate in conversations pertaining to tackling racism.	Cultivate a culture of compassion and anti-racist practices into ways of working across the 91app.	Measure our impact with integrity on our progress towards tackling racism throughout the 91app.

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