麻豆传媒

鈥淐oleg Gwent is the only place I have been accepted for the way I am immediately. I鈥檓 transgender, and the college made sure that I was always doing ok and gendered me correctly everywhere I go.鈥� 鈥� Avery, Art and Design alumni 2019.

We pride ourselves on being a friendly, welcoming and inclusive college where everyone can be themselves without fear of judgement. So, in 2020, we took our first steps聽towards聽shaping a聽new聽Equality and Diversity聽strategy. We developed an annual calendar of activities to聽demonstrate our commitment to equality, diversity, acceptance聽and inclusion.

To kick off the events,聽we鈥檙e celebrating聽聽with a range of activities聽throughout聽February. All learners and staff are invited to show their support and get involved.聽So, here鈥檚 a breakdown of all the positive activities and inclusive events taking place throughout the month:

Stonewall training 鈥� Introduction to allyship

We all have to play our part in supporting LGBTQ+ inclusive education. So, we began the month with staff training from , who champion inclusive education for all. The session was an opportunity for staff to reflect on their LGBTQ+ inclusion work, whether they鈥檙e tutors or support staff. They were given a chance to learn ways to step up as an active ally to the LGBTQ+ community, helping to promote inclusion and diversity on campus.

Wear rainbow

Throughout the month, we encouraged learners and staff to show their support for LGBTQ+ classmates and colleagues by sending us a selfie for our rainbow wall of support. We united by wearing a rainbow with pride, and received lots of fun and colourful selfies from people all across the college showing their support. Check out our rainbow flag montage of support!

Learner support groups

Learning remotely from home is a challenge, especially when it comes to making new friends and socialising with your classmates at college. So, to reduce feelings of isolation and to provide support our LGBTQ+ learners, we鈥檝e created Teams and Yammer groups. Peer support is important for our learners鈥� wellbeing, and the groups give our LGBTQ+ learners a safe space to share their experiences with each other.

Gender awareness training

Following the success of last year鈥檚 Inset-Day training, we鈥檝e engaged with again to deliver gender awareness聽training for staff in February.聽The training promotes an understanding of positive gender inclusion within our college, exploring terminology and legislation. The session also covers top-tips and general awareness around gender identities, helping to make Coleg Gwent more inclusive for learners and staff alike.

LGBTQ+ History Month guest speaker

As part of our LGBTQ+ History Month activities, we鈥檙e delighted that airline and ex-RAF Royal Squadron Pilot, Matt Lindley, joined us as our guest speaker. During the session, he shared his story of being one of the first openly gay pilots in the armed forces – a story of self-motivation, determination and drive which led to his dream of joining the RAF being fulfilled. He shared an inspiring story of how the RAF adapted its culture from one of hostility towards gay personnel to one of acceptance and support.

Diversity champions

As part of our ongoing pledge to be a diverse and inclusive college, we鈥檝e identified learners and staff as Diversity Champions. They鈥檒l wear our Diversity Charter badges with pride, as a sign of their allyship to the LGBTQ+ community. So, any LGBTQ+ staff or learners will easily be able to recognise our Diversity Champions on campus and know that they鈥檙e approachable and available for support.

LGBTQ+ virtual staff coffee morning

On 24^th February, LGBTQ+ staff got together for a virtual coffee morning. Following the success of last year鈥檚 informal coffee morning in support of the LGBTQ+ community at Coleg Gwent, we were keen to support a safe space for LGBTQ+ staff to meet and chat about anything and everything, even during lockdown.

Library resources

To encourage learners and staff to continue to develop their knowledge and understanding, we聽curated聽a selection of digital resources聽that聽learners and staff can access via the聽 These resources were free to access throughout the month and helped our learners and staff to support and become allies for the LGBTQ+ community by developing their own understanding.

Fly the flag in Teams

And finally, to continue to show our support for the LGBTQ+ community at Coleg Gwent, staff changed their Microsoft Teams backgrounds to rainbow colours and flags during meetings. Not only did this brighten up our virtual meetings, but it also helped to raise awareness and promote inclusion at the college too.

All of these activities are helping us strive towards being a college where everyone feels safe and respected for who they are and we鈥檙e proud to be supporting our LGBTQ+ community. There are plenty more educational resources, talks, webinars and information available on聽the聽, and you can find out more about inclusion and diversity at Coleg Gwent here.