BY PETER OLAWAYE (VICE-CHAIR)
INFLUENCING | CULTURE CHANGE

Leap’s board and senior management team met in Summer 2020 to reflect on the protests and take action in relation to addressing racism. This is a progress statement.

My earliest memory and experience of racism was when I was a teenager. I was chased by a group of boys in an all-white area. My experience back then is very different when I hear how my elders describe their individual experiences back in the 70s and 80s, but it is painful all the same. More recently, the racism I have experienced is less overt – from the many many ‘random’ stop and searches by police whilst walking home, to being treated differently as the one black person at corporate events. As humans we want to believe we are ‘good people,’ and so any suggestion that we are (or what we said is) the ‘R’ word cannot be.

But the events of this year, have forced us to confront our own prejudices, attitudes, and race biases – whether that be in sports, government, or the charitable space (a sector close to my heart). People are starting to recognise the need to increase their own understanding of race and racism in the UK. For me, it is clear that cultural and behavioural change across the charity sector is the direction of travel. Promoting black staff who have earned it is a great starting point, but more needs to be done so that black staff feel safe in the organisations they work in and to ensure that all workers feel they can thrive without being made to feel inferior or that a glass ceiling is above them. Moving forward, I have the hint of scepticism that so many of my peers will relate to, that “by 2021 this will all be forgotten, and the world will be onto the next topic”. However, based on what I’ve seen in the last few years and the increased urgency in 2020, I remain hopeful that if we continue to progress, that glass ceiling – will be shattered to pieces!

Self Leadership is key to trailblazing change

Since our last update in June 2020, Leap has been on a journey of self-reflection on the impact of race and conflict within the organisation and racism within the charity sector. Our aim is to trailblaze change, but before we lead others, we must first lead ourselves. From September we have established the *Diversity and Inclusion subcommittee, of which I am Chair and we have recruited Bayo Adelaja as a critical consultant to Leap’s Senior Management Team. Bayo is Founder and Chief Executive for Do it Now Now, and is committed to helping charities, corporations, and governments re-purpose their resources for the benefit of underserved communities in the UK and across Africa.

“I HAVE LEARNT A LOT ABOUT RACE THIS YEAR AND HAVE BEEN CHALLENGED IN MY OWN ATTITUDES AND UPBRINGING IN A MERSEYSIDE SUBURB. I HAVE ALSO HAD NUMEROUS CONVERSATIONS WITH BLACK AND WHITE CHIEF EXECUTIVES IN MY ACTION LEARNING SET AND IN A MORE INFORMAL CHARITY CEO NETWORK OF WHICH I AM A PART, ABOUT THE PERSONAL AND ORGANISATIONAL ASPECTS OF RACISM. NEXT YEAR I WILL CONTINUE TO WORK CLOSELY WITH THE WHOLE TEAM TO CREATE AN ANTI-RACIST CULTURE WHERE YOUNG PEOPLE, STAFF AND TRAINERS CAN BE THEIR WHOLE SELVES TO WORK.’ BEN KERNIGHAN (CHIEF EXECUTIVE).”

What’s our focus for 2021?

Next year we will continue to evolve as an organisation as we invest time, money and resources to becoming an anti-racist organisation that supports black and other minority ethnic staff to become sector leaders for anti-racism. Below, I highlight top priorities for the committee’s 2021 workplan, they are to:

  • Oversee the development of new curriculum focused on young people and identity (available in Summer 2021)
  • Roll out our courageous conversations: exploring race and racism training through London Violence Reduction Unit Rise Up programme and to other voluntary, community and social enterprise partners.
  • Conduct a culture audit with some staff, trainers, trustees and possibly external stakeholders to make an in-depth assessment of Leap’s current culture and what it should become
  • Create a leadership training and development programme for black members of staff to move up in seniority (either at Leap or in their future employment). Our hope is that this programme will address the lack of black people in senior leadership positions across the sector.

“LEAP HAS THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF THE CONVERSATION ABOUT WHAT IT MEANS TO RUN AN ORGANISATION THAT PUTS ANTI-RACISM AT THE CENTRE OF ITS PROCESSES BOTH INTERNALLY AND EXTERNALLY. I AM SINCERELY LOOKING FORWARD TO GETTING TO KNOW THE FANTASTIC TEAM BEHIND SUCH TRANSFORMATIVE WORK’. BAYO ADELEJA (CRITICAL FRIEND ON RACE AND ORGANISATIONAL CULTURE)”

Organisational culture change of this scale is a long-term process, but I am committed to driving forward change that will positively impact the lives of young people, colleagues, and the charitable sector. I look forward to working with Leap in the months ahead.

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* The current committee members are: Peter Olawaye (Vice-Chair), Deborah O’Neill (Trustee), Ben Kernighan (Chief Executive), Gabin Sinclair-Constance (Director of London Programmes), Ruth Chapple (Director of Finances and Resources), Penny Nkrumah (Data and Impact Manager), and Leigh Gallagher (Executive Support Manager and Secretary to subcommittee).