At its core, equality means fairness: we must ensure that individuals, or groups of individuals, are not treated less favourably because of their protected characteristics.
Equality also means equality of opportunity: we must also ensure that those who may be disadvantaged can get the tools they need to access the same, fair opportunities as their peers.
Diversity is recognising, respecting and celebrating each other's differences. A diverse environment is one with a wide range of backgrounds and mindsets, which allows for an empowered culture of creativity and innovation.
Inclusion means creating an environment where everyone feels welcome and valued. An inclusive environment can only be created once we are more aware of our unconscious biases, and have learned how to manage them.
Equality v's Equity
Equality has to do with giving everyone the exact same resources, whereas equity involves distributing resources based on the needs of the recipients.
In the above image you see four different scenarios:
Sport England have identified several groups that have low participation in sport and physical activity, these can be seen on their page on target groups. They are putting measures in place to address this, some of these include:
It’s tempting to stereotype people who are inactive, particularly if you love sport and being active and can’t imagine not doing it. But people are inactive for a host of different reasons and their habits can vary dramatically at different times in their lives.
Programmes and projects must start with the needs of the individual – offering them activities when and where it suits them, and where they feel comfortable. From walking to table tennis, rounders to swimming, we know that these activities have a good track record of appealing to those who are inactive. The key is finding something enjoyable.
To start with the needs of the individual, you must be customer centric. We have some templates to help you with this, please contact us feedback@activecumbria.org 01228 226885
Activity Alliance - Inclusive Activity
Club Matters - LGBTQ+ (Make sport everyones game)
There are a range of organisations that can help you be more equitable and help those groups of people that are under-represented in sport and physical activity.
We must not forget that equality, diversity and inclusion is a legal requirement too, The Equality Act became law in 2010. It covers everyone in Britain and protects people from discrimination, harassment and victimisation.
What are the protected characteristics?
The following are the legal protected characteristics, under The Equality Act 2010:
Age
Disability
Gender reassignment
Marriage and civil partnership
Pregnancy and maternity
Race
Religion or belief
Sex
Sexual orientation
Discrimination on the grounds of any of these characteristics is illegal. The Act identifies two types of discrimination: direct and indirect.
Application in the sporting context
The Act’s prohibition of discrimination applies only in defined areas, such as employment, services and public functions. Several of these areas are relevant in the sporting context, including:
The governing bodies of individual sports have strategies to tackle discrimination – see, for example:
We have signed up to the Race Equality Charter from Sporting Equals. If you are a small organisation based in Cumbria that would like to benefit from the Charter, but couldnt afford the entry level fee, please contact us feedback@activecumbria.org or 01228 226885