Weeknotes #1: Reflecting on a Week of Connection, Activism, and Learning

Hello everyone,

I've been wanting to share weeknotes to give you a bit more insight into what I’m up to. Last week, was a busy week of in-person events and processing the devastating scenes in Israel and Palestine.

HouseProud & Community Conversations

Fresh from Jamie Hickling's wedding (congrats!), our HouseProud Board Meeting covered responses to recent party conferences, how we can provide more value to our members, and upcoming events.

Early in the week, I represented HouseProud-LGBT and other groups, as part of the community conversations in preparation for the new London Plan focusing specifically on the experiences of the LGBTQ+ community.

The London Plan sets the policy for London's growth and future development over the next 25 years. The Planning for London Programme aims to get the views of Londoners, through the Co-Design Housing Panel, to help inform a new or updated London Plan after the Mayoral elections in May 2024.

The themes we discussed in our group were safety, accessibility, having suitable homes over the course of our lives, and the planning tools available – e.g., Equality Impact Assessments.

This is the second workshop I have attended. The conversations have been impactful and highlight the similarities in challenges we face despite our diverse backgrounds.

HouseProud Black History Month Event

Join HouseProud on Thursday, 26 Oct 2023 between 17:30 - 20:30 for a private screening of “Under Your Nose” by Veronica McKenzie.

The film is a poignant documentary on the first black LGBT Centre in Lambeth in the 1980’s and has so much relevance in the current climate. I personally love this film and am looking forward to seeing it again.

It will be held at The Outside Project LGBTIQ+ Centre and Shelter , located at the LGBTIQ+ Centre, 52 Lant Street, Unit 1, London SE1 1RB.

There are limited tickets still available, link to book here.

UK Social Mobility Awards 2023

Last week, I had the privilege of attending my first-ever UK Social Mobility Awards 2023 gala, founded by Tunde Banjoko OBE . I was invited by my organisation, Capita Local Public Service , who were not only sponsors of the innovation category but also hosted an all-female table. It was a fun opportunity to get dressed up and celebrate achievements.

I was in excellent company with (pictured above from left to right), Caitlin Kinsella , Dewbien Plummer , Steph Bright, Carol-Ann King , Nicole Dorskind, Janine Goodchild, Julie Scorer , Samantha Campbell-Springer MPRCA, Folawe Odunukan , and Assal Kaabipour CMgr MCMI .

Learn more about these women here.

Social mobility is about giving everyone a fair chance in life, regardless of their starting point.

I have personally benefited from such initiatives in my educational journey. Here's an insightful piece by Capita’s Caitlin Kinsella on why social mobility matters, read here.

Learn more about the SOMOs here.

Unify Black History Month Film Screening

A good time was had at the in-person event celebrating Black History Month with the UNIFY Network with a screening at the Everyman Cinema in collaboration with The Hyde Group .

Look out for the annual Unify conference coming up on Friday 10th November 2023. The theme this year is accountability, reflecting on the journey since the inception of the G15 Ethnic Diversity Pledges in 2020.

The pledge commits each of its signatories to try to reflect the ethnic diversity of the communities they work in at their organisations - particularly at senior managerial, leadership and board?levels.

Book your (free) tickets to the conference here.

Learn more about the G15 Ethnic Diversity Pledge here.

Getting Board Ready

Speaking of representation, securing a board role is on my to-do list for 2023. I've been inspired to be more active in throwing my hat in the ring. But after a number of unsuccessful attempts, I'm doing the right thing by getting some more guidance/training!

I finished the week strong, with an extremely valuable workshop,? “Getting Your CV Board Ready”? facilitated by the immediate Past President of the Chartered Institute of Housing , Lara Oyedele ??? ?? , CEO of Black On Board Ltd .

I highly recommend it, so watch this space for my developments!

Read about Lara and other inspiring Black women in social housing in a post I wrote for the National Housing Federation link here.

And finally, what I’m…

Reading: Book - Infinity Gate by M.R.Carey. The first book in an epic story of humanity's expansion across millions of dimensions—and the war with AI technology - my kind of story.

One of the best stories I've read in a while, to be honest - I can definitely see this being brought to life on screen.

Listening: Podcast The New P&L - Principles & Leadership in Business podcast series - Episode #239 by Paul Spiers .

"Door Kicker or Door Fixer?" – a short but insightful podcast (around 7 minutes), talking about the “quieter” roles in social activism.

The episode was inspired by a conversation Paul and I had recently. In it, Paul explains what each of these terms represents. Trust me, it's well worth a listen!?

Details of the various ways to get hold of the episode can be found here.

Until next time,?

Love and light