Anna Sebastian says cause-led communities and action groups should find new and creative ways to work together.
In recent times we’ve witnessed the rise of many community groups, each championing important causes and creating spaces for visibility and connection. Movements such as Solent Talks, Equal Measures, Healthy Hospo, Be Inclusive and my own – Celebrate Her – are shining lights on issues or people who are often overlooked due to societal stigmas and outdated norms. Their goal is to foster visibility, opportunity and connection. Part of the success of these movements is their narrow focus – addressing a particular cause or the specific inequities experienced by a single community – but this can also lead to the perception that we represent our own interests and our interests only. Also, implicitly, that we are for the audience we serve and can’t engage with other demographics. To some, it can create the feeling of us and them.
I feel that the next step for community groups has to be about inclusion – not only of the group we represent in wider society, but the inclusion of wider society in our group and its work. We need to be forthright in our ambitions to change the world but think less singularly and more collectively. The rise of one community, cause, movement, should never be to the detriment of another.
I often get asked how men can support Celebrate Her, and it’s been a significant point of reflection and discussion. As a female advocate group, the inclusion of men at events and in our forums can be a difficult balance to strike – much of our work has focused on advocating for women, particularly around issues of safety. But it’s become more and more evident that to grow our message we need to include everyone in the conversation. While I don’t have all the answers yet, we want to start looking at active ways for others to be involved in a way that is appropriate for everyone. Moving forward we want to include more men and non-binary people on panels and round tables and in turn I hope that we at Celebrate Her can give back and perhaps Celebrate All.
Creating synergy
More and more I am trying to collaborate with other community groups so we can learn, exchange ideas, resources, and expertise, creating a synergy that can solve larger, more complex problems. By joining forces, communities can pool resources, whether financial, intellectual, or social, which leads to more efficient and effective outcomes, especially when tackling shared challenges such as diversity and inclusion, opportunity and safety.
It’s time to move beyond passive allyship to engaging with a wider set of active participants, not just as observers or supporters from the sidelines. So, if you are a member of a group – no matter how loose the association – or if you work for a brand or bar, and you want to get involved with another, think about what value you can bring, how you can creatively interact, exploiting your skillset. Think about what resources you have that might be able to help, whether a venue, brands sponsorship, advice, graphic design and so on. There are so many ways to contribute meaningfully. Asking “how can I help?” is a great first step, but coming with ideas and an openness to collaborate creatively is even better.
Groups too must think in a wider way. Look outside of hospitality – there are so many organisations outside the industry that do great things and often have more resources or experience. Ask them questions, see if there are opportunities to work together or share resources.
And put yourself out there, ask questions, listen, take a chance – even if it doesn’t happen straight away, it might in the future. I was recently connected with the Women’s Safety Night Charter who are huge advocates of making London safer for women by raising awareness, championing campaigns, training for everyone no matter the gender and, of course, by generating a huge amount of research data which they have used as a base to create tool kits for everyone. These sort of connections – outside of our immediate contacts – are what can really help us to scale our message and create real, systemic change.
Each of us has a responsibility to make the industry better, not just for ourselves but for everyone else, for those who are working in it each day and are yet to come through, but we can only do it together.