First we need to talk about the difference between Equity and Equality.
Equality is when each person is given the same thing or rule is applied in the same way to everyone. But that doesn't allow for people being individuals and having different needs. It also doesn’t consider their starting point.
Equity is when each person is given what they need to enable them to be successful. Or when rules consider the circumstances and are adapted to enable progression.
In this Image you can see that if you give each person the same bike, then it only really allows one person to ride comfortably or even ride at all. But when you consider an equitable solution in the image at the bottom, everyone to able be ride comfortably.
At Urban Synergy we understand that every young person, their circumstance, and their dreams are unique, we tailor our school programmes, mentoring and work experience opportunities to help them reach their individual potential.
We work tirelessly to remove the barriers that our young people face and give them the skills, networks and opportunities they need to be successful.
We understand that each young person may face many challenges and that there is often intersectionality between the different protected characteristics of diversity and often socio-economic factors to be considered.
We work with our partners, the schools, parents and most importantly the young people to put in place what is needed to help them enter and thrive in the workplace.
We hear from our mentees that this is working and leading to work opportunities Princela recently told us “Mentoring really prepares you for future life and builds all those skills you need for work life. It was also really helpful to hear from someone who has gone through it all and knows how it works. Having someone who is dedicated towards helping you grow as a person really helped me.”
Through our programmes we are embracing equity especially on International Women's Day to raise awareness of the challenges that young people face and what is needed to overcome them.
The latest global gender gap report from the World Economic Forum (WEF), summarised here, shares that between 2021 and 2022 the overall global gender gap slightly narrowed.
It uses four key areas to assess gender gaps, health and survival, educational attainment, economic participation & opportunity and political empowerment.
You can consider these and ‘Embrace Equity’ too. By ensuring that you consider people's individual needs, their starting point and any intersectionality they may have, you can put in place what is needed to support the women in your teams.
We would love to help you to ‘Embrace Equity’ too. We’d love to help even more young people to access opportunities, so if you can open your doors to a young person, get in touch. We’d love to partner with many more companies to offer even more diverse opportunities to the talented young people we work with.
With the collaboration of our valued partners, we are building an equitable world where everyone, regardless of their background, is empowered to write their own future.