Inclusion and Diversity at Aspire

At Aspire, we are committing to becoming an inclusive, diverse and equitable charity. We acknowledge that there is a problem with diversity in the charity sector, including in Oxfordshire, and we are committed to working to change that.

By recognising and proactively addressing the areas that need improvement, we will ensure that we are taking responsibility to become a more representative charity that benefits from a diverse group of talented people collectively working to achieve Aspire’s shared vision. And by modelling positive behaviour and taking action, Aspire can also play an important leadership role in the local charity and social enterprise sector.

Aspire is committing to the following action and investment to help realise sustained change:

• Commit all Aspire employees, trustees and directors to learn about racial and unconscious bias, and to address how it impacts our decisions, including at a leadership level.
  
  
• Build on our positive, established culture that understands the value of lived experience in Aspire, in that it brings unrivalled insights to our organisation to be more impactful and empathetic, but to be better represented at all levels in our charity, particularly in leadership roles. 
  
  
• Undertake an Equal Pay Review to understand if there is any disparity in pay due to colleagues’ gender, ethnicity or lived experience, and commit to correcting promptly any disparity that may arise. 
  
  
• Act on these findings to be a catalyst for Aspire to proactively increase opportunities for women and colleagues from ethnic minority backgrounds to be better represented at Aspire, particularly in leadership positions.
  
  
• Undertake regular surveys with our employees, trustees and directors, to provide insight into whether the actions we are taking are improving our diversity and inclusion. 
  
  
• Give greater prominence in our communications and digital platforms to celebrate and recognise the contributions to Aspire from our colleagues of colour.
  
  
• Invest in our internal HR capacity to promote consistent Best Practice including in our recruitment processes to ensure we can benefit from a diverse group of talented people. 

In this way, Aspire can guarantee that we are providing a safe, secure and positive environment for all employees, volunteers and the individuals we support across our organisation - in which everyone engaging with our services feels welcome, valued, represented and able to foster a sense of belonging.

As a reputable organisation with a growing workforce and expanding projects, taking these steps has never been more important - and we are committed to ensuring that our people and their wellbeing are a priority.

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