Calderdale Council is one of nearly 500 organisations to join the Root Out Racism movement being launched by West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership (WY&H HCP) and the West Yorkshire Violence Reduction Unit (VRU).

Kindness and togetherness are just some of the things that make Calderdale special. Since launching the Vision2024 for Calderdale over two years ago, the Council has stepped up its work to tackle inequality. The Vision aims to realise the potential to make the borough’s five key qualities (enterprising, talented, kind, resilient and distinctive) mean something for all communities, regardless of who they are.

To emphasise its commitment to equality, diversity, inclusion and the regional anti-racism movement, the Council has announced (Friday 20 August) that it will launch a new mentoring scheme for its staff, to share the perspectives and challenges of diverse individuals and to hear from often unheard voices.

‘Reciprocal mentoring’ will help to increase the Council’s commitment to recruit, train and promote talented people from under-represented groups, and specifically Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) colleagues. The aim is to develop trust and enable honest conversations, to increase the Council’s understanding of the challenges colleagues face within and outside the workplace, and to provide access to professional networks.

The new mentoring scheme is the latest step forward in the Council’s work to provide an inclusive place to live and work. The Council is also launching a film including interviews with organisations across Calderdale which have signed up to the anti-racism movement, showing the borough-wide commitment to equality.

The Council’s other action includes creating the BAME Network; launching the Inclusion Plan; teaming up with the voluntary and community sector to become a Valley of Sanctuary; improving access to skills and jobs; and helping to address health inequalities by supporting BAME communities to be more active and building resilience in response to COVID-19.

Co-created by over 100 WY&H HCP ethnic minority colleagues to proactively challenge racism across all aspects of society, the West Yorkshire Root Out Racism movement is part of an ongoing commitment to tackle structural and institutionalised racism, as well as addressing health and social inequalities across the area.

Calderdale Council and a range of other organisations across the borough join other supporters including the NHS, West Yorkshire Police, housing associations, the voluntary and community sector, Yorkshire Sports Foundation and Halifax Panthers Rugby League club, to name a few.

The Root Out Racism movement, a recommendation from the WY&H HCP review in October 2020 into the impact of COVID-19 on health inequalities, spotlights the experiences of ethnic minority staff and allies from across WY&H HCP and illustrates their views and experiences of racism. Imagery from the campaign will be displayed outdoors and on buses, as well as across social media with the hashtag #WYHRootOutRacism.

You can register to join the movement at http://ow.ly/lWB250FBmYt. To find out more, including how to access the free resources, visit  https://www.wyhpartnership.co.uk/rootoutracism or follow us on twitter at WYHRootOutRacism