In our International Women’s Day series, we explore the theme of #InspireInclusion. Here, Anne Shewring, our Director of Programmes, shares her insight on how we can #InspireInclusion, the role of Islington Giving and our parent charity, Cripplegate Foundation, as well as her former boss who fought tirelessly for people living on the edges of society.
What does #InspireInclusion mean to you?
#InspireInclusion means doing work that others across the borough will recognise as something they can, and want to, get involved in. We work hard to open up our grant giving both to a range of organisations but also to different groups of residents to make decisions about how we spend the money. What’s important is that people feel comfortable to be in our offices, that our staff give people reassurance that they can do whatever the project demands – which they always can – and that residents taking part are able to meet others from across the borough – both like them but also different. #InspireInclusion was summed up by a recent participant who said she was initially nervous to come to take part in a project in our office, because she’s never worked in an office, but now she feels really at home here and looks forward to coming, both for the work but also to be part of the team.
“#InspireInclusion means doing work that others across the borough will recognise as something they can, and want to, get involved in.”
What role can funders like Islington Giving and Cripplegate Foundation play to inspire more inclusion across their grants and programmes, particularly for women and / or underrepresented groups?
We can ensure that everyone in the borough sees themselves represented in our work, and in our participation opportunities. We actually have quite a lot more women joining our resident led panels than men. Perhaps part of that is because our leadership is all female, including our CEO and our Board chair, but my sense is that women are keen to do something positive within their community and that they enjoy being part of a group working together to made decisions. We can do more to include people with disabilities and others living more precarious lives, and we continue to develop ways to make this kind of inclusion possible.
“We actually have quite a lot more women joining our resident led panels than men. Perhaps part of that is because our leadership is all female, including our CEO and our Board chair…”
Who/can you tell us about a woman (perhaps a woman in Islington or in your area of work) that you are inspired by and why?
One of my former bosses, the CEO of a Catholic charity working to support homeless people, was tireless in her fight for people living on the edges of society. In particular, working within the Catholic Church, her role as a female leader was sometimes challenging. She was often in rooms with only, or mainly, men. She brought many women into the organisation, and onto the board, and challenged diversity within a pretty male hierarchy.
