I ran a workshop on setting up and sustaining LGBT staff networks. We had 22 participants from across the UK, mostly from universities, but also from local councils. The 3 hour session was very interactive with input from me about research I have done in this area. I then facilitated sharing of good practice around the following key questions:
- what’s a staff network for?
- who’s it for?
- why would your VC/CEO support it?
I covered key areas such as:
- how to make a case for budget, time for members to organise and attend network activities
- how to recruit members and Allies
- who can help you
- raising your profile
- sustaining and embedding your network
I then ran a group coaching session to focus in on a few concrete, achievable actions. I will be sending them a postcard in a few weeks to remind them what they said they’d do.
I’m currently working on a summary of the workshop discussions. In the mean time, do not hesitate to contact me if I can help you.