The Higher Education LGBT+ Network of Networks has been running for over a year now. It brings together university LGBT+ staff networks to share good practice and hear from guest speakers. I have been an adviser to the Network from its inception, together with representatives from Stonewall and the Equality Challenge Unit (now part of Advance HE). A committee organises events and strategy and Advance HE provides administrative support.
Representatives from 50 universities were present at the official launch at UCL’s rather splendid campus at Canary Wharf to hear various presentations including my session:
Creating, developing and sustaining an LGBT+ staff network – this was a summary of and feedback from the workshop I ran for LGBT+ NoNs at Chester University’s Diversity Festival. I took participants through key questions such as:
- what’s you network for and who’s it for?
- what activities will make a difference?
- why would you VC support if and give you money
- how to make a business case for time, resources and budget
- effective marketing and communication
- and: working with student union societies, influencing senior staff and middle managers,
Please contact me for copies of my slides.
Other presentations on the day included:
- an overview by UCL’s staff network and how they have collaborated with local partner networks at Kings, Imperial and LSE.
- an update by Gendered Intelligence on the current Gender Reassignment Act review
- Oxford Brookes on collaboration between different staff networks
- Stonewall talking about their recent University Report on the state of LGBT at universities
The day was rounded off by a reception at Pinsent Masons , the highlight being a wonderful and inspiring talk by Ruth Hunt, CEO of Stonewall.
The next NoN meeting will take place in Sheffield in December, date tbc.