Tag: Rainbow Network

Bield marks Pride Month with launch of Rainbow Network

Bield Housing and Care, a specialist provider for older people, has launched a new volunteer initiative to bring together its diverse community.

Coinciding with Pride Day, Bield‘s ‘Rainbow Network’ initiative will see tenants invited to join a volunteer-led group focused on inclusivity and fostering a safe and social environment for members of the LGBT community.   

It is hoped that bringing together like-minded tenants will not only create a social space but also actively engage and encourage tenants to share ideas for enhancing inclusivity.  

The group is part of Bield’s efforts to highlight the importance of the nine legally protected characteristics: age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex and sexual orientation.

Zhan McIntyre, Head of Policy and Customer Standards at Bield, said: “The Rainbow Network has been set up to create an inclusive space for our diverse community to come together.

“We’re delighted to be launching during Pride Month and to host the first meeting on 28th June – Pride Day.  Tenant opinions and feedback form the baseline for our entire business, so we are always looking for ways to improve communication and engagement with our customers.”

One of the tenants already involved in the Rainbow Network said: “The LGBT scene is very oriented around younger folk but many of us older ones have been active and ‘out’ for decades, it’s just as we get older we can become marginalised and lonely.”

Anyone interested in attending the virtual group should contact feedback@bield.co.uk in order to receive a link to the meeting.

The Rainbow Network is one of many initiatives recently introduced to get feedback from the people who know and use Bield’s services.

It comes just days after Bield held its first major customer engagement event since the pandemic, which saw the important annual fixture on hold for more than two years, enabling the organisation’s CEO and Directors to meet face-to-face with customers.

The engagement event gave tenants the opportunity to influence Bield’s strategy for the next five years at a time when the sector faces numerous challenges including soaring energy prices, the introduction of new legislation and climate change.

Bield is a registered charity dedicated to providing flexible housing solutions and support for older people with around 180 developments and over 5000 customers across Scotland.

To find out more about Bield, visit https://www.bield.co.uk/housing-and-other-services or follow on Facebook @bieldhousingandcare and Twitter @BieldScotland.

Diageo’s Rainbow Network invites LGBTQIA+ hospitality workers to join Pride with Purpose workshop at Johnnie Walker Princes Street

Diageo’s hospitality skills programme, Learning for Life, is hosting a tailored ‘Pride with Purpose’ one-day workshop at Johnnie Walker Princes Street during Pride month, designed to support and upskill LGBTQIA+ hospitality venues and LGBTQIA+ community hospitality workers.

The tailored course will be delivered by Learning for Life partners Springboard and will directly address the challenges that those working in LGBTQIA+ venues or LGBTQIA+ employees might encounter with sessions on positive drinking (DRINKiQ session), inclusive language, inclusive service and an introduction to cocktails masterclass. 

The concept was proposed by members of the Diageo global Rainbow Network, which exists to ensure that the talents and contributions of all Diageo LGBTQIA+ employees are respected, valued, and embraced.

The network maintains both an internal and external focus, supporting one another in the workplace to foster an environment where all employees can bring their whole self to work, while also considering the connection, outreach and social impact that they can have within the broader community in which Diageo operates.

Jorgie Hunt, Keg Plant Manager, and Jack Malcolmson, Business Improvement Project Lead for Brewing, Co-Chair the Supply Chain & Procurement Rainbow Network in the UK and played an important role in developing the partnership with Diageo Learning for Life to create the Pride with Purpose workshop concept.

Jack Malcolmson said: “Diageo’s purpose is to Celebrate Life, Every Day, Everywhere, and Championing Inclusion and Diversity is at the heart of this. The Rainbow Network is one of many Employee Resource Groups in Diageo, and functions to celebrate, and advocate for, members of the LGBTQIA+ community within the business and beyond. 

“We’re celebrating Pride 2022 with an incredible calendar of events. The “Pride with Purpose” workshop, developed in collaboration with Learning for Life and Springboard, is an incredible opportunity for us to engage with LGBTQIA+ hospitality venues and workers, providing them with new skills and qualifications, and showcasing the work Diageo are doing in the I&D and DrinkIQ spaces. LGBTQIA+ venues have faced particular hardship through the COVID-19 pandemic, and I’m incredibly proud that we’re able to support them in this way.”

Diageo’s Learning for Life programme, which began in Latin America and the Caribbean in 2008 and has since expanded across the globe, provides vital training and experience and a route into the hospitality sector.

With a focus on adult education, Learning for Life in the UK has traditionally focused on offering opportunities to young unemployed people, with skills programmes covering key areas within the hospitality industry implemented in partnership with local educational, governmental, and training organisations.

Gillian Dalziel, Learning for Life Programme Manager for Diageo in the UK, said: “It’s really important for us to bring this workshop to the LGBTQIA+ hospitality community over Pride as it demonstrates our support and allyship and really helps us live our purpose by championing inclusion and equality throughout the hospitality industry.

“We wanted to make sure that we delivered a programme that would be truly valuable to those who wanted to attend and would benefit from the resources we have available to us at Learning for Life to help create more positive relationships and experiences for employees in their day-to-today work. I encourage anybody that is interested to get involved.”

The Learning for Life Pride with Purpose workshop is open the anyone aged 18 or over and is free to attend. It will take place on 27th June.

To register please visit: https://form.jotform.com/221561837049964