Author: Amy Edwards

As part of our Citizen Student Strategy, we want University of Chester students to make a positive impact on society.

The conversation around consent and healthy relationships is growing and we want to help our students understand why. Earlier this year, the results of our campus climate survey highlighted that our students believe education is key in prevention and that there is a desire for this across campus.

This workshop will cover what we mean when discussing consent, what constitutes a healthy relationship, sexual violence and the impacts of trauma.

This event is aimed at all Key Representative Students to enable them to engage in conversations with fellow students on this topic and have the confidence to challenge negative behaviours or beliefs.

To commemorate International Women’s Day and the theme for 2023 of #EmbraceEquity, we are partnering with Healthwatch Warrington to shine a light on their amazing work in the community.

Healthwatch is your local consumer champion for Health and Social care Services in Warrington. In this session you will hear about how Healthwatch helps shape Health and Social Care Services in Warrington through the views of Local people. Our work with local groups and our links with the main NHS providers. Hear about our Advocacy service for NHS complaints and our free public information Health events. Also we will talk about our volunteering and apprenticeship opportunities that you may be interested in.

An Institute of Gender Studies and Diversity Festival collaboration – Dr Helen Pankhurst in Conversation with Professor Emma Rees

About the event: Helen Pankhurst CBE is a British women’s rights activist, scholar and writer. She is currently CARE International’s senior advisor working in the UK and Ethiopia. Her name will be familiar to many: Helen is the great-granddaughter of Emmeline Pankhurst and granddaughter of Sylvia Pankhurst, who were both leaders in the suffragette movement.

In 2018 Helen convened the Centenary Action Group (CAG), a cross-party coalition of over 100 activists, politicians and women’s rights organisations campaigning to end barriers to women’s political participation. CAG has campaigned on issues ranging from increased transparency in political party candidate selections to an end to violence against and abuse of women.

Helen also leads and sits on the steering committee of GM4women2028, a charity creating change for the women of Manchester. Her accolades are plentiful and will be discussed in depth with Professor Emma Rees, Director of the Institute of Gender Studies in this fantastic In Conversation event.

Benefits of attending: A great opportunity to attend one of the Festival’s much-loved In Conversation events and hear more from Helen on how her amazing work builds on the celebrated legacy of her famous ancestors.

A festival finale not to be missed! Open to all.

In collaboration with the Men’s Network – Equality for Men too? Why men’s issues are creeping up the equality agenda.

About the event: Following the establishment of the University’s newest network, the Men’s Network in April 2022 and the very successful International Men’s Day conference comes this exciting event!

We are delighted to welcome Mark Brooks OBE to open the event. Mark is Senior Communications and Policy Advisor: Men and Boys’ Wellbeing and Inclusion as well as a trustee of the Men and Boys Coalition charity, Chair of The ManKind Initiative, a Policy Advisor for the All Parliamentary Party Group on Men and Boys Issues and the National Ambassador for International Men’s Day UK – phew!

Mark will discuss the societal and political narrative surrounding issues affecting men and boys.

He will be joined by our own Dr Alan Finnegan, who is a Professor of Nursing & Military Mental Health and Director of the Westminster Centre for Research in Veterans here at University of Chester. Dr Finnegan will discuss his research on military depression. The British Army is predominately composed of young men, often from disadvantaged backgrounds, in which Depression is a common mental health disorder. Dr Finnegan will discuss the result, implications and changes needed in this area.

We also look forward to welcoming Dr Maz Idriss, Senior Lecture in Law at Manchester Metropolitan University. Dr Maz will discuss the causes and effects of what is often referred to as “honour”-based violence/abuse (HBV/A) and forced marriages on men and boys. Often seen as something that only affects women, this is an under-researched field of patriarchal violence.

Another area that is often considered only a women’s issue is Domestic Violence. Paul Gladwell of the Paul Lavelle Foundation knows too well this isn’t the case. After the devastating loss of Paul Lavelle in a domestic abuse incident in 2017, friends and family of Paul came together to create The Paul Lavelle Foundation. The Charity was created to raise awareness of male domestic abuse, support male victims and survivors and provide healthy relationship education as a preventative measure. Paul and the Charity’s office manager Sharne will join us to tell us about their amazing work.

Facilitated by members of the men’s network with plenty of opportunity for networking and discussion, this event, open to staff, students and visitors of all genders is sure to be a Festival 2023 highlight!

Timetable:

9.00am Refreshments and Networking

9.10am Introduction to the day – Rob Dawson

9.20am Mark Brookes Institutional Indifference – the societal and political narrative surrounding issues affecting men and boys

9.50am Discussion – facilitated by Men’s network member

10.00am Dr Alan Finnegan Big Boys Don’t Cry: Research & the Military Veteran

10.30am Discussion – facilitated by Men’s network member

10.45am Break

11.15am Dr Maz Idriss HBV, Forced Marriages and Men

11.45am Paul Gladwell Domestic Violence against men – what we do and how we help

12.30pm Plenary with all speakers

12.45pm Event ends

About the event: This event is focused on celebrating the diverse cultures that exist among international students at the University of Chester. The event is being championed by the appointed Student Race Advocates who are committed to create more awareness of the inclusion and diversity that currently exists at the University of Chester.

The event is open to international and UK students, and staff who would love to learn more about the different cultures.

At the end of this event, the participants will gain more insights into the various cultures and understand the increased level of race equality, diversity, and inclusion present at the University.

This event will enable attendees to hear from a diverse range of employers who will showcase their very best Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging initiatives to demonstrate why their companies are the best places to work.

Opened by creator and CEO of The Millennial Introvert Lifestyle, Yulanda Duff, this event is for students looking for their first graduate roles, academic and professional services staff who want to help their students further their careers and anyone who would like to hear more about what these great companies offer.

9.15am | Welcome and introduction from Steph Hodge, Senior Lecturer, Department of Management

9.30am-10.00am | Keynote address from Yulanda Duff

Yulanda Duff is the creator and CEO of The Millennial Introvert Lifestyle as a way

to help aspiring entrepreneurs start and scale their business. TMI Lifestyle does

this by providing a comprehensive toolkit of e-books, workbooks, courses and

webinars to guide them on their journey and covers everything from brand

building, niching, selling, product creation, empire expansion and so much more!

Yulanda will talk about her own career journey and provide attendees with top tips

on personal branding and networking, whilst ensuring the organisation you choose

to further your career in is the right one to enable you to be your authentic self.

10.00am-10.30am | Speaking for 5 minutes each, these fantastic organisations will

talk about their very best Equality, Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging initiatives:

• Amazon Web Services aspires to build a more equitable and inclusive world. Their

representative will explain how they are encouraging more women into tech and their great

achievements in this area to date.

• Bristol Myers Squibb has a culture of inclusion and aims to create an agile and responsive

work environment where the diverse experiences and perspectives of all their employees

helps to drive innovation and transformative business results. BMS employee Iain Hadwin

will talk about how the company supported him on his journey with Tourette’s.

• Cheshire Constabulary has a strong commitment to Diversity, Equality and Inclusion,

ensuring that Cheshire’s workforce better reflects the public it serves. Cheshire

Constabulary’s Equality and Diversity Manager will explain what makes this employer a

Disability Confident Leader.

• Enterprise Rent-A-Car puts a high value on diversity and strives to create an inclusive

environment where everyone can be their best. They will discuss how their LGBTQ+ and

Diversity Committee helps make Enterprise Rent-A-Car a great place to work.

• No Turning Back works to achieve their aim for 20% of all marketing, communications

and sports sponsorship marketing professionals to come from black, Asian, minority ethnic

communities; and for this 20% to stay in the industry until they reach the very top jobs. They

will discuss what a really effective positive action recruitment strategy looks like.

10.30-11.30 | An opportunity to network and find out more from these great employers