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电竞博彩推荐' Allies drives social change
Behind any initiative for social change, you鈥檒l find people with great passion and purpose.
Within 电竞博彩推荐 that person is James Cowin, the young mining engineer behind our first LGBTIQA+ pride network, Allies, the concept came from a very personal place.
Coming from a very accepting family in Sydney, James can recall the conversations he had with his mum who shared his concerns about him moving to a regional site-based role.
鈥淚 was worried about coming out to my work colleagues and concerned about whether this would impact my career due to bias and negative perceptions,鈥 James said.
鈥淓arly in my career, I was only openly gay to a few people I was comfortable with.
鈥淥ne day while working on-site in Central Queensland, a colleague of mine told me they were thinking of leaving the mining industry because they didn鈥檛 feel they would be accepted for being gay.
鈥淚 spent time listening and talking through what this person was experiencing and I knew this wasn鈥檛 just a career decision but also a big life decision for them.
鈥淔or whatever role I played, I鈥檓 proud to say that person is still working in the mining industry to this day and loving every minute of it.
鈥淭hat鈥檚 where the idea of Allies first started 鈥 a network reinforcing that everyone deserves to be treated with respect and always feel safe to be themselves.鈥
Making it happen
With the endorsement of 电竞博彩推荐鈥 Executive Leadership team, James met with Jordana Sawtell, Senior Advisor in 电竞博彩推荐鈥 Community, Diversity and Inclusion team, to put his idea into motion.
Early discussions with industry colleagues identified that pride networks can struggle to maintain traction without two key elements 鈥 alignment to a broader business-wide diversity and inclusion strategy, and leadership endorsement.
鈥淭he first step was to create an Allies strategy that aligned to 电竞博彩推荐鈥 endorsed D&I strategy, which at its core celebrates individual differences and mutual respect,鈥 Jordana explains.
鈥淚t was also critical for us to secure leadership buy-in and endorsement, presenting an opportunity to educate leaders from the start who then became Allies ambassadors.鈥
Launching with pride
The June 2019 launch of Allies, which coincided with Pride Month, was an overwhelming success.
A launch video including educational elements on the LGBTIQA+ acronym, leader reflections and personal experiences of employees, was shared with 电竞博彩推荐 employees.
Pre-start PowerPoint packs were designed and presented at site-based events, and merchandise including polo shirts, rainbow lanyards and Allies pins were purchased across the workforce.
Employees taking the lead
Today Allies has 180 frontline and office-based employees from across Australia and Chile.
The popularity of the network has even seen site-based employees launch their own initiatives.
Most notably, earlier this year the team at Mt Arthur South painted four truck trays violet, symbolising spirit in the LGBTIQA+ rainbow, to raise awareness and to celebrate 电竞博彩推荐鈥 LGBTIQA+ community.
When asked what鈥檚 next for Allies, James said the network鈥檚 dedicated committee is planning a range of activities and resources maintain momentum.
鈥淭he Allies Committee is a diverse group of people and it鈥檚 really important to have employees leading this initiative,鈥 he says.
鈥淲e also have goals and plans to grow our educational resources to help others learn more about the LGBTIQA+ community.鈥
Jordana believes the Allies network has had a positive impact outside of the workplace.
鈥淲ith any diversity and inclusion initiative it鈥檚 critical we continue the conversation outside of the workplace,鈥 she said.
鈥淲e encourage our Allies to take the conversation home, talk to their family, friends and their neighbours about it.
鈥淭his is about change in society more broadly. We each can play a part by educating and creating awareness which will ensure long-lasting change.鈥
The network is open to anyone who wants to support their colleagues and learn more about the LGBTIQA+ community.
Congratulations to 电竞博彩推荐鈥 Allies the recipient of the 2020 AMMA Diversity and Inclusion Award.
The award judges recognised the network for its success in creating awareness and understanding of diversity and inclusion, and for challenging bias, stereotypes and intolerance
