Equality, Diversity & Inclusion

Read our anti-racist statement here: 

The De La Warr Pavilion denounces racism in all its forms

We all need to play a part in creating an equal society. As individuals and as an organisation, we will  listen, learn, speak up and take real action against racial injustice in order to create necessary systemic change.

We know that a diverse programme is essential, but it is not enough. We understand that people of colour need to be better represented in our workforce and governance and we need to continue to work in collaboration with people of colour within our communities.

To this end we have worked with external consultants to explore what Equality, Diversity and Inclusion means to us as an organisation and have developed an organisation-wide action plan (currently being updated) and a strategy which you can read here

We commit to fighting racial injustice in order to effect change in the cultural and civic sector, local communities and beyond.

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Read our statement on the UK Government’s proposal to accommodate refugees at Northeye, an ex-prison site in Bexhill:

In the 1930s, Pavilion architect Erich Mendelsohn left Nazi Germany to seek safety and security in the UK. 

Therefore it is embedded in the Pavilion’s heritage that we are committed to support those seeking refuge, whatever their status, in whatever way we can.

We work closely with the Refugee Buddy Project and Bexhill Supports Ukraine to provide creative programmes and offer social spaces for the well-being of refugees in our local area. We will continue to play our part in supporting these organisations and the individuals they are trying to help.

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Read about the community response to the vandalism of Tschabalala Self’s sculpture Seated here

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Read our values here: 

We believe in being bold and ambitious, growing and evolving to create opportunities and inspire creativity.

We lead with honour and integrity, honest and open with ourselves and our communities. We act professionally at all times.

We are inclusive and accepting of differences and avoid making assumptions. We actively listen to each other and our communities, treating each other with respect and empathy.

We support each other with kindness, care and compassion to create a healthy and happy community.

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OUR EQUALITY, DIVERSION  & INCLUSION JOURNEY

At DLWP we wanted explore our role in creating a more equal society, particularly in the communities in which we live. We wanted our teams  and the people we work with to feel that the Pavilion is a place that listens and takes action against any form of  injustice and discrimination – be that across our programmes, within our working environment or towards our audiences and communities.

In 2021 we embarked on a programme to create long-term culture change at the De La Warr Pavilion by embedding Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in everything we do.

Consultants Natasha Player & Associates worked with us to :

• Establish  a programme of “Conversations with a Purpose” – safe spaces and opportunities for staff to discuss internally difficult customer or staff situations and to understand our differences and each other’s contributions to the organisation.
• Provide guidance regarding inclusive Board and staff recruitment, working up this principle which now appears on all our recruitment advertising:
  We are committed to ensuring we hire people that reflect the South East in its broadest form and we are taking action to improve representation from Black, Asian and ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+ and lower socio-economic communities and those with a disability.
•  Write  new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Strategy and Action plans for implementation across the organisation that focuses on inequalities in our community and try to address those inequalities in everything we do.
• You can read our Equality, Diversity and Inclusion strategy  for 2022-25 here

In 2022 we :

• Recruited at  three new Board members using our new recruitment guidelines
• Re-built our staff teams using new recruitment guidelines
• Established a format for a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group of the Board, comprising key members of our community who represent our ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+ and lower socio-economic communities and those with a disability. This group is will be chaired by a new Board member and will bring feedback from the group to Board meetings for discussion and action.
• Continued to prioritise working with artists and artist educators who are ethnically diverse, LGBTQ+, from lower socio-economic communities, those with a disability and those that represent the full diversity of our communities.
• Continued our relationship with The Refugee Buddy Project (Hastings, Rother & Wealden), Project Art Works, Home Live Art, Bexhill Dementia Action Alliance, Afri-Co-Lab, Heart of Sidley, The Parchment Trust, Bexhill Supports Ukraine and many other key groups, creating space for each other, listening to each other and supporting each other
• Fully supported Refugee Week in June 2022 with space and support.
• Ran a series of  workshops throughout the year with all staff exploring unconscious bias and discrimination in the workplace and the establishment of “Listening Spaces” and continuation of “Conversations with a Purpose” for all  staff with the desired outcome of feeling valued and listened to.
• Ran all-staff training days on Gender Awareness and anti-Racism
• In consultation with all staff, created a new set of values for the organisation. You can read them here
• Worked with our programmers to create inclusive and anti-racist policies and principles, codes of conduct and contracts when working with professional and community partners, commissioning  artists or booking acts.
• Set up career development programme ” A Day In The Life” where team members can shadow other teams to learn and understand a bit more what they do.
• Set up a “Listening Ear” programme where selected team members volunteered to be a “listening ear” to anyone from the organisation who needed to talk to someone about their well-being. All Listening Ears and some senior staff members received Mental Health First Aid Training
• Improved internal communication across all levels of the organisation.
• Established an staff library and resource centre for books and materials on well-being and anti-racism.

 

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT NETWORK 2022-23

Read our blog about this exciting Creative Network in seven local primary schools, Developing approaches to equality, diversity, representation and anti-racist practice in schools through arts, culture and creativity

The resulting exhibition Sailing Together, was displayed in  our North Staircase, created by the pupils in this programme.

The work continues in 2023.