Athena Swan Institutional Silver Application Consultation - World Café
9 November 2023, 12-2pm, Astra Hall, UCD Student Centre
Please register your interest in attending this event via this link
Overview
UCD is currently preparing the Athena SWAN institutional silver application which also involves the development of a four-year Gender Equality Action Plan 2024 - 2028. The involvement of the UCD community is essential to ensure that an ambitious gender equality action plan is developed and that gaps that currently exist are identified and addressed. Whilst the Athena SWAN process and action plan continues to have an emphasis on gender equality, the revised Athena SWAN Charter is now more encompassing of EDI more broadly across all equality grounds as well as intersectionality. To learn more about the revised Athena SWAN Charter please click here.
To support the institutional silver application a number of working groups with broad representation across the UCD community have been established, with co-chairs from an academic and practitioner background, to lead on the development of key aspects of the application and associated actions.
These working groups are supporting key topics that are essential to achieving gender equality covering:
- Recruitment
- Promotions and Career Development
- Leaves/Flexible Working/Wellbeing
- Students and Diversity (separate consultation events will be held)
Membership of each working group can be found here
Keynote speaker
We are delighted to welcome Dr. Salome Mbugua as our keynote speaker. Dr. Mbugua is a researcher, gender equality activist and human right advocate. She is the CEO of AkiDwA -The Migrant Women’s Network Ireland. Her strong belief in equality and justice has shaped her career, leading to engagement with policy makers in Ireland, Europe and at International level. Dr Mbugua is the co-president of European Network of migrant women and sits on the expert group on violence against women with European Women’s Lobby, and the EU expert group on economic migration. In Sept 2018 she was appointed by the Tánaiste to chair the working group developing Ireland 3rd National Action Plan on Women Peace and Security. She serves as the chair of Equality, Diversity & Inclusion project board with Public Appointment Services.
More information about Dr. Mbugua can be found here
How can you get involved
Employees of all genders across all equality grounds are invited to a consultation event as it is vital that people of all genders across all equality grounds and staff categories are involved to ensure that the next action plan for the University is as inclusive as it can be. This consultation will be undertaken through a World Café style event (see further information below) where you are invited to give open and honest opinions across the emerging themes in relation to the gaps that exists and your ideas as to how the University can best address these.
Purpose of Consultation
- To update on highlights in relation to the implementation of the current GEAP 2020 - 2024
- To provide an update on key findings from data analysis and key emerging themes
- To do a deeper dive into key emerging themes to identify gaps and solutions
The following is a flavour of the range of themes that will be discussed
- Inclusive recruitment
- Faculty Promotions including experiences with current framework and supports
- Career development challenges and opportunities
- Workload Allocation and Management for Faculty and Staff – transparency, fairness, job families
- University Orientation and local level induction
- Career Development including P4G framework
- Leaves/Supports such as Family and Carers
- Flexible Working
- Dignity and Respect
- Transgender and Gender Identity and Expression
- Anti-Racism and Cultural Awareness (intersectionality with gender)
What is a World Café
The World Café is a method which makes use of an informal café setting for participants to explore an issue by discussing it in small groups (up to 10 people per group). Discussions are held in multiple rounds with the café ambience intended to allow for more relaxed and open conversations to take place. Smaller groups rotate between a series of tables discussing a specific talking point at each table (for approx. 10 minutes) with the help of a fixed table host (facilitator) at each table. The intention is to build on the discussion already held by previous participants at each table.