ARMI’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee Launches First Ever Action Plan
ARMI’s Diversity & Inclusion Committee has launched the “Diversity & Inclusion 3-year Action Plan 2023–2025” today, outlining the current landscape and attitudes of the ARMI cohort, and the path forward to creating a stronger, more inclusive Institute. The Action Plan acknowledges and is informed by the voices of ARMI’s academic and professional staff, as well as students and ARMI’s Advisory Board. It was designed to foster a culture that embodies the principles of creativity, innovation, excellence, respect and collaboration through strategic actions designed to enhance equity, diversity and inclusion within the Institute.
The Action Plan has been developed using the responses from the first ARMI Diversity & Inclusion survey, which was conducted earlier in the year, as its foundation. Looking at topics such as mental health, disability, LGBTQIA+, gender and career development, the survey interrogated a broad spectrum of issues that ARMI scientists and professional staff may face or have already faced in their careers.
From this better understanding of the experiences of ARMI’s staff and students, strategies to further improve equity, transparency, accessibility and support for all were identified. The Action Plan has three main priorities:
- Empowering underrepresented communities through education and advocacy
- Fostering research excellence through career development and training opportunities
- Effective communication practices
With each priority, initiatives and actions aimed at normalising the inclusivity of under-represented communities at ARMI and to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all ARMI staff and students have been established. At the heart of the Action Plan is the establishment of a “Parental Leave Grant,” designed to assist the current and emerging leaders, inclusive of all sexual and gender orientations, navigate the period of parental leave through the provision of flexible funding to help maintain scientific momentum.
Mindful of accountability, the Action Plan also outlines how it will track implementation, from monitoring engagement with the committee to conducting another survey in mid-2024. Wary of tokenistic and performative actions, the Diversity & Inclusion committee is determined to create real change to better support people in a career that is often associated with high stress and high pressure.
It has been almost a year in the making, the Action Plan was spearheaded by the Diversity & Inclusion committee, and in particular, Dr Leon Teo, Oliver Anderson, Mafalda Ramos De Melo Pimentel and Dr Jennifer Zenker. The launch will coincide with ARMI’s inaugural “Run, Roll, Walk and Talk,” where ARMI staff and students have been invited to a fun, accessible and inclusive mindfulness break at the Jock Marshall Reserve on the Clayton campus. Here, the Reserve’s manager will take ARMI scientists on a guided tour discussing the Reserve’s history, interesting flora and fauna, and ongoing ecological research being conducted.
The Diversity & Inclusion committee was established in 2018, with the aim to promote a working environment where everyone feels welcome, valued and equally respected. By providing resources, tools and information, the committee aims to create a diverse, inclusive and equitable working place for people of all genders, cultures, ages, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation, education and national origin.
Congratulations to ARMI’s Diversity & Inclusion committee on the launch!
If you would like more information, you can contact the committee via armi-diversityinclusion@monash.edu