The Equity Steering Group (ESG) was set up in 2007 to identify and remove the barriers preventing under-represented groups to get involved in climbing, hill walking and mountaineering. It has now developed into five sub-groups looking at: Ethnicity, Gender Equality, LGBTQ, Disability and Mental Health. Over the last 14 years the ESG has supported and led on a wide variety of work aimed at improving accessibility to the outdoors. This work culminated in the BMC being awarded the Inter-mediate Standard for Equality by Sport England in 2021.
However, we know that we can do more – and having recently completed an impact review, we are now seeking an ESG Chair that can support the BMC to make the cultural and structural changes needed to ensure EDI is a central thread to all the BMC’s work and that of our wider partners and delivers on our aspiration to become more diverse in all aspects of the organisation and in supporting the sector to do the same.
The new Chair will be able to work in a collaborative manner to bring together the ESG, the BMC board, staff, sector partners, along with the BMC’s members’ representative body (Members Council), in producing a tangible strategy that will help the outdoor sector make a step change in their relevance and accessibility to a more diverse range of participants.
One of the first tasks that the ESG Chair will be to manage the delivery of the BMC’s Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan (a requirement of the Code of Sports Governance), and we anticipate that this will provide the new Chair the opportunity to work with staff, board and the ESG in its production. As part of the Diversity and Inclusion Action Plan a programme of review and reporting (to board and Members Council) will be established.
This is an exciting opportunity to contribute to the whole outdoor sector, and the BMC is looking for an energetic individual who can advocate for and help us drive towards becoming ever more accessible to a much more diverse audience. If you have a passion for improving opportunities for under-represented groups both in the BMC and across its partners, we’d love to hear from you.
