Putting inclusion centre stage
Jess Eastoe, Young People Equality Lead at Greater Manchester Moving, shares three ways that your organisation can truly embed inclusion
At Greater Manchester Moving, we’ve learned that inclusion isn’t something you “add in” to your work – it has to sit right at the centre of it.
Inclusion means making sure that movement truly is for everyone, across all protected characteristics and in the broader sense of diversity, identity and lived experience. And while that commitment sounds big - and sometimes daunting - we’ve found that organisations of any size can take practical steps to create more welcoming, equitable and representative environments.
1. Building an informed and confident workforce
One of the biggest lessons we learned early is that a lot of partner organisations and our own workforce care deeply about inclusion, but the learning and ways of working are new and there is a training need. Caring isn’t the same as being confident or equipped. So, we invested heavily in workforce training across equality, diversity and inclusion – covering everything from LGBTQ+ awareness, cultural inclusion and disability confidence to trauma-informed practice and youth voice.
The workforce learning told us they wanted practical tools, in addition to the theory. We took that feedback and redesigned our approach, bringing in lived-experience trainers, co-delivering workshops with partners like The Proud Trust, or local religious leaders, and creating space for staff to ask the uncomfortable questions they didn’t feel able to raise elsewhere. Inclusion training stopped feeling like compliance and started feeling like growth.
Tip: make training real, ongoing and two-way. People need to feel safe enough to learn – and unlearn.
2. Connecting delivery partners with EEDI experts and targeted provision
We quickly realised that we couldn’t be experts in everything – and that’s okay. What matters is knowing who the experts are and connecting them with the people delivering sport and movement on the ground.
So, Greater Manchester Moving built partnerships with organisations specialising in equality, diversity and inclusion. LGBTQ+ partners. Faith-sector leaders. Disability advocates. Cultural organisations. Youth groups. Community hubs. These partners help sports clubs, coaches and deliverers understand the young people they’re trying to reach and design opportunities that genuinely work for them. In turn, non-active groups had connections into the sport and movement sector.
Different groups needed different things – and so did different deliverers. We have shifted to a more tailored model, matching partners with relevant expertise to specific places, cohorts or challenges. The change was huge. Delivery partners felt supported, communities felt understood, and young people felt more welcome.
Tip: don’t try to do it all yourselves. Build networks, create systems-leadership, share knowledge, and let experts lead where appropriate.
3. Being data-driven, adaptive and honest about what the numbers show
Data has been our compass. We use Active Lives, local insight and #BeeWell to understand who is and isn’t moving – and why. But the key has been using data not as a report, but as a starting place.
One of our early learnings was that data can feel cold or overwhelming for staff and partners. So, we reframed it. Instead of “statistics”, we focussed on stories, needs and opportunities.
We reflect the data by using a targeted approach throughout all our work with children and young people, adults, walking, wheeling and cycling and our sports and welfare teams. As our data has grown, we’ve become more adaptive – changing where we invest, who we target and how we shape the system to close inequality gaps.
Greater Manchester Moving leads on system and sector focus on safe spaces with a gendered lens, inclusive teams, older adults and workplace activity, and culturally inclusive facilities – all from highlighting data to a strengths-based approach.
Tip: reframe data as needs and opportunities to help target your approach so that you can identify inequality gaps.
GM Moving is a leading Greater Manchester charity and the Active Partnership for Greater Manchester, working to change lives through movement, physical activity, and sport. They lead, support, and connect people, communities, and partners to deliver the GM Moving in Action Strategy.