Equality

Equality is the cornerstone of Zebra’s values and a central strand of our work. We run generic and topic-specific reflective learning workshops ('training') and offer consultancy, including  support with developing policy and the design, development and implementation of equality action plans. If you're looking for any input re equality, we'll listen and create something designed to meet your best hopes.

Over our 21 years, we’ve run equalities workshops for multifarious organisations small and large, local and national, from grass roots groups to voluntary sector organisations through to statutory authorities.

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Our Equality Offer

We address all key concepts, such as: equality, equity, inclusion, identity, intersectionality, cultural capability (and cultural humility), power, privilege, prejudice, unwitting prejudice (unconscious bias), stereotyping, discrimination, institutional discrimination, oppression - and positive action.

Our purpose is:

  • to build knowledge and understanding of these core equalities concepts, and the principles and values they link to
  • to highlight that equality matters - and that inequality blights lives
  • to promote recognition that we're all susceptible to unconscious bias, which impacts on what we do, even when our conscious beliefs and our intentions are good
  • thus to foster self-awareness, a key quality in excellent equalities practice
  • to engage people in what's already strong in their equalities thinking and practice, motivating them to keep it up and develop further
  • to explore possibilities for specific action and change, individually and on the organisational ('institutional') level
  • to facilitate the planning of “the next step”

Challenging Discrimination

The ability and commitment to challenge discrimination is core to strong equalities practice, yet challenging well is tricky. At Zebra, we're fascinated by the psychology of effective challenging.

For a challenge to be useful, we must seek to engage the other, rather than alienate them. How do we establish this engagement while questioning a person’s views and actions? Drawing upon solution-focused principles, the research of sociologist Mikael Klintman and psychology journalist David McRaney, and the inspirational example of Daryl Davis, Zebra’s workshops offer:

  • an understanding of the social psychology of humans’ tendency to hold onto our beliefs when challenged, even in the face of clear argument and evidence
  • clear, practical guidance on how to engage a person or group such that they are more likely to open up to reconsidering their views
  • a focus on how self-aware, reflective and open I must be if I am to initiate and hold such courageous conversations

Reflective Learning Workshops

Consistent with the above, and through nearly two decades working on equality, Zebra has developed exceptional reflective learning workshops that balance the sensitivity required to engage participants and bring them on board, with the need to unearth and challenge prejudices, which are often as unconscious as they are deeply held. Only where this delicate balance is achieved will participants open up to the self-examination required for attitude change, the essential precursor to genuine, significant and lasting change in practice and behaviour.

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Our Solution-focused approach to Equalities work

Zebra’s equalities work reflects our solution-focused approach: participants/ groups/ organisations examine their current practice, policies etc to notice what’s already strong in their equalities work; we focus on best hopes for a fairer world, and consider what better will look like in individual practice and in our group / organisation; we explore possibilities; and then we focus on the next step of change.

Our Approach

We'll always ask you what you hope will be different in your organisation after our work with you, and we'll find out about the current context that has initiated your approaching us. Through conversation, we'll gather the information we need to tailor the work to fit your best hopes.

For enquiries or further details please contact Marc at marc@zebra.coop