Creating a supportive culture

We all want to join group where we can be comfortable withthe people around us. In order to recruit the best talent and increase the diversity of you party it is vital you create a supportive culture where people can be open about their identity. Many LGBTI people in particular have fears about how they will be perceived if they come out to their fellow party activists, whether this will hinder they ability to progress in the party and also whether coming out will have an impact on their personal safety.

You can make people feel safer by:

• Having a clear welfare policy which is available to be read by all members
• Having a welfare officer in each local branch
• Creating a buddying scheme where members can offer each other peer support
• Creating opportunities for members of these communities to meet in women, LGBTI, ethnic minority or disabled only spaces
• Holding your meetings in well lit, central locations which are easily accessible by public transport
• Having a discussion with your members about what creating a “safe space” means to them and developing a set of safe space principles for meetings and events
• Having a clear complaints procedure which people can refer to if they experience prejudice

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