Mo Farah, Beth Mead, Oleksandr Zinchenko and….Kirklees Council…?
What do Mo Farah, Maya Jama, Vincent Kompany, Beth Mead, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Kirklees Council all have in common? They’ve all been shortlisted for a European Diversity Award!
For the second year in a row, we have been shortlisted at the European Diversity Awards for our outstanding work on inclusion and diversity.
We have been shortlisted in three categories, they are;
– Social Mobility Initiative of the Year – Project Search Scheme
– Hero of the Year – Linda Johnson
– Outstanding Employee Network of Year – BAME Employee Network
Big names such as Beth Mead, Mo Farah, Maya Jama, Oleksander Zinchenko, and Vincent Kompany have all been shortlisted in the ‘Media Diversity Champion of the Year’ category.
We are wishing our colleagues the best of luck, you all thoroughly deserve this recognition!
The winners will be announced at the awards ceremony in London on Friday 11 November.
Cllr Shabir Pandor, Leader of Kirklees Council, said:
“I’m incredibly proud to see our projects and colleagues shortlisted in three different categories at this year’s awards ceremony.
“Project Search, our BAME Employee Network, and Linda Johnson, have all had such a significant impact on our Kirklees communities and colleagues, so I’m glad to see them being recognised for their hard work.
“As an organisation we’ve always been honest with ourselves that we have much more progress to make on our inclusion and diversity agenda. But being recognised on this international stage is evidence that we are heading in the right direction.”
You can view the full shortlisting on the European Diversity Awards website.
BAME Network
Our BAME employee network has long provided both space and opportunities for its members to meet and network, and a forum for other colleagues and the wider community to come together.
From supporting members and representing their interests with management and other employee groups to arranging and hosting events such as Black History Month and health awareness raising, the network makes a huge contribution to the cultural life of the Council and Kirklees district. This includes work in schools for World Book Day and a month-long celebration of South Asian History, now in its second year, that featured art, local landmarks, a celebrity interview with Huddersfield’s BBC Apprentice winner and the healing power of tea traditions.
Linda Johnson
At Kirklees, Linda is lead officer on the Iroko Project, which originated to support local Black African and Caribbean (BAC) communities. The project has seen Linda develop and implement highly successful co-production strategies that have enabled us to listen to the voices of the community. In turn, this has enabled community members to work with us and other partners to address trauma and mental health issues, develop community assets and spaces and build leadership capacity to promote legacy and belonging and generate new educational and employment opportunities.Linda picked up an award for ‘Public Service’ at last week’s Kirklees Diversity, Equality and Innovation awards 2022.
Project SEARCH
As an employer we took decisive action to support young people with learning disabilities and autism. The partnership initiative has involved running an internationally renowned internship programme known as Project SEARCH.
Nationally, employment levels for those with learning disabilities and autism are extremely low at 6%. In Kirklees they are slightly higher at 11%. The programme in Kirklees has achieved outstanding outcomes with an employment rate for the group standing at 75%.
Working with Kirklees College the programme has used innovative methods to engage and train young people into work and has been showcased to other employers who are looking to take similar steps.