This week is National Inclusion Week, and here at the Rose we have been discussing what inclusion means to us and why it's so important in the workplace. This year's theme is Each One Reach One, and in the current climate we feel it couldn't be more crucial to reach out to one another and connect with colleagues. You can read more about National Inclusion Week here.
"As the arts industry looks at ways to weather this huge storm it also has to think of a new and better way of becoming more inclusive.
If we lose diversity in the workforce now, we lose our future talent pipeline. If we lose ethnically diverse staff and freelancers who are not new to the sector, we will create a skills deficit that will take years to rebuild."
Robert O’Dowd, Chief Executive of the Rose
Taken from his Spotlight on Diversity with Darling Magazine
To mark National Inclusion Week, we caught up with some Rose employees and asked them what inclusion at the Rose means to them:
"Without inclusion it is impossible to be diverse. Inclusion is so important because it means each person will feel a sense of belonging and that their voice will be heard."
Lily Nissan, Marketing Officer
"When I think of what inclusion means to me, a quote from Verna Myres sums it up perfectly: “Diversity is being invited to the party; inclusion is being asked to dance.”
Lucy Richards, Development Manager
"From the moment I stepped foot in the Rose, everyone was so welcoming. Though we come from different backgrounds and work in different departments, everyone feels accepted and valued and this is why inclusion in the workplace is so vital."
Abi Cutler, Press & Marketing Assistant
Part of our ongoing commitment to inclusion at the Rose is making our programming more diverse and reflective of the community we represent in Kingston. Our Artistic Director Christopher Haydon is already beginning to do this, and has big plans for the future.
"A truly inclusive theatre is one where the people in the building look and sound exactly the same as those in the community surrounding it. It is a place that should feel both very special and completely normal at the same time: special in that it is a unique space to excite the imagination and normal in that it is somewhere that everyone should be able to feel completely at home in."
Christopher Haydon, Artistic Director of the Rose
Read more about what he has in store in his recent interview with The Upcoming here.
National Inclusion Week is a registered Trademark of Inclusive Employers