EuropeActive's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Group roadmap keeps progressing towards its established milestones re gender-balance and gender equity. The recently elected Board of EuropeActive provides a stronger representation of national associations and gender-balance than ever before, with women holding 60% of the seats and eight countries represented through the different Board members. The Sectoral Charter to be released in November embodies DEI as a mainstream topic of forthcoming publications and events.
The DEI work strives to shed light on the moral standing of offering everyone a sense of belonging and self-worth, and the social and financial benefits of fostering an inclusive and welcoming environment for staff, customer loyalty, and business success. Recognising the necessity to address inequity within the sector, the Advisory Group was formed to advance the European DEI fitness agenda- making fitness and physical activity sustainably more inclusive.
The DEI Advisory Group currently has free positions and is looking for the right candidates. A comprehensive understanding of DEI, Anti-Discrimination and/or Human Rights, and how these matters operate in the European context, along with a passion for dismantling forms of discrimination are some of the prerequisites. For further details about the position, click here.
An equal opportunities organisation which understands the benefits of equity, diversity and inclusion within their Advisory Group and amongst their workforce, EuropeActive welcomes and encourages candidates from diverse backgrounds and also from outside the fitness and physical activity sector, who believe they can positively contribute towards DEI and Anti-Discrimination outcomes, to apply.
The DEI Sectoral Charter, pending its unveiling in November at the 2021 European Health & Fitness Forum (EHFF), falls under the Community heading of Europe Active’s Horizon 2025 Sectoral Manifesto and aims to ensure fair, non-discriminatory and inclusive treatment across the European fitness and physical activity ecosystem. The Charter also lays down the foundations for deeper reflections and debates that will be discussed during EuropeActive's DEI series of podcasts that will be released shortly.
The DEI Advisory Group seeks to achieve its agenda notably by collaborating with a host of equality organisations from across the continent, so as to provide support, information, and resources to the sector and its stakeholders. This will also be achieved through close collaboration with EuropeActive's partners, such as National fitness associations or WIFA. It also aims to create an information hub for the wider physical activity & fitness sector to participate in initiatives and access a host of educational materials and support.
Commenting on the different updates and initiatives, DEI Advisory Group Vice-Chair Rachel Young commented: "I am very proud to be part of this group and firmly believe that we are well positioned to drive the change needed across the sector, through awareness, understanding, acceptance and education. We certainly have a long way to go. However, we have already laid some very firm foundations upon which we can build to drive a truly inclusive sector and put people first, all people."
DEI Advisory Group member Tony Stone said: "Tuning out the noise to deal with the truth gives us the clarity needed to do what is right, not what is easy. We are well past viewing silence, indifference and inaction as acceptable conduct today."