Inclusivity Guidelines

When we run a GPN event, whether it’s a workshop, a volunteer engagement event or the annual dinner, we want to make sure that everyone feels as included and thought of as possible!

Inclusivity at GPN isn’t just about saying “You’re allowed to be here”, it’s about making that feeling of “You belong here. We are so excited that you’re here!”

The wellbeing officer role is built on this idea that every student should have an awesome time at GPN, and that means that they may need extra support. The kinds of things that we might do as part of a support plan aren’t always necessary (e.g. we don’t always need to have a 

Below are some practises that we should endeavour to include in our events whenever possible. If you have any questions, concerns or ideas about these guidelines (especially if you have something we should add) please let us know and we are happy to add them in!

• Using inclusive language in our events. Whether it’s text, graphics or spoken!
  We are the Girls’ Programming Network, but our students and tutors have a variety of identities that we want to respect and celebrate!

  • When addressing a group of students or tutors, instead of using words like “girls”, “ladies”, “women”, use more inclusive language like “students”, “tutors”, “folks”, “awesome people”

  • When writing about GPN use the words “girls and gender diverse [students/volunteers/folks/people]” so we aren’t excluding some of our community

• Making sure dietary requirements are respected and people don’t miss out! Making the gluten free kids eat a salad when everyone else gets pizza isn’t inclusive and we can do better!

• Including an acknowledgement of country at the start of every event is an easy way to respect the heritage of the land that we live and meet on

• Including period products like pads and tampons in the first aid kit helps make sure that the needs of our students (and tutors) are met with dignity and respect. Especially since we work with a lot of teenagers who might be getting their period for the first time, it’s great to be able to help them without making a big deal out of it.

• Making sure that your space is accessible to different people and understanding the accessibility features of your venue (e.g. where are the accessible entrances, bathrooms etc.) so that you can help anyone who needs them.

• Understanding when different religious or cultural holidays are that may be impacting your students or tutors

  • A big one here is Ramadan - it usually falls around the time of our Term 1 workshops and you may have students or tutors who are fasting and cannot eat during the events. Adding a slide to the start-of-day welcome slides to acknowledge the students observing the holiday and educate the other students about why some of their new GPN friends won’t be having pizza with them is a great inclusion. Having some board games and a set aside area away from the food so that the students don’t need to watch everyone eating, and giving them the opportunity to take home some food in a goodie bag to enjoy when they break their fast is a good way to make sure they don’t miss out on the fun of getting GPN lollies.

• Being aware of social or religious restrictions when creating social events, especially for volunteer engagement and the committee bonding events

  • Some people won’t or can’t drink alcohol so an event like a cocktail making class would not be inclusive.

  • Someone prone to motion sickness won’t have so much fun on a boat cruise, 

  • Someone who gets overwhelmed by loud environments may not enjoy a karaoke session

  • Remember that our  volunteers and students are a variety of ages when you are creating a social event. E.g. you may have volunteers who are still under 18 if they are young for their year, and they may not be able to enter certain venues

  • If you are doing something like watching a movie or starting a bookclub or otherwise encouraging GPN students or volunteers to consume media not produced by GPN, consider looking up and providing content warnings

  • You have GPN Committee and community engagement budgets to support you to provide free events that everyone will be able to participate in. Adding on extra parts of the event that are optional and of minimal cost (e.g. a local dinner after a paid-for bowling session, or a frozen yogurt run after a GPN event) is alright, but make sure that the main session is open for everyone and no one is pressured to spend money to participate.

  • Consider the cultural background of your participants - a trivia night all about sci-fi isn’t inclusive of everyone’s interests and a puzzle game requiring strong English skills isn’t necessarily inclusive of people who have learnt English as a second language.

  • Some people in groups are less likely to speak up or just have a physically quieter voice. Try to get everyone's input to help make decisions, not just the loudest and most extraverted members of a group. 

  • Maintaining a safe and healthy space is important, especially for those in our community with health problems or vulnerable family members. Foster an environment where people stay home when they are sick and when people choose to wear masks in your community don't challenge them or question their decision.