UnderOne Festival - What a Way to DEI! - Toni Kent

UnderOne Festival – What a Way to DEI!

Share this post

As the first event I’ve attended and spoken at that’s dedicated to DEI, UnderOne Festival set the bar higher than an even the most seasoned Olympian would attempt!

If you’ve ever been put off by DEI initiatives (and let’s be honest, many people are), this event was a masterclass in how to do it right – bringing people together and sharing ideas in a space that was open to discussion and differing opinions.

I guess the fact I bumped into Aduke Onafowokan and Bep Dhaliwal should have been reason enough for me to know it was going to be a great event (Aduke is a true authority on DEI and Leadership and what Bep doesn’t know about resilience isn’t worth knowing!), but, auspicious starts aside, here’s what made it stand out for me:

1. The breathtaking performance of poet Joelle Taylor whose line “Women crucified on hashtags” will stay with me forever (check her out here: http://joelletaylor.co.uk/ – thanks must go to Apples & Snakes for the “My Whole Life is a Protest” t-shirt in lieu of the fact they’d run out of Joelle’s books).

2. Denise Keating talking about her role in creating the UK’s first flexible-working policy in the ’90s and Aduke Onafowokan‘s reminder of the dynamic that power has to play in the DEI in Leadership & Governance conversation; “What is it that people are holding on to that they’re afraid to lose?”

3. Francisco Gallego in conversation with María del Mar Galcerán Gadea; the first parliamentarian with Down Syndrome whose advice to the audience was: “Our community has stepped forward, the rest of the world needs to step forward too!”

4. The Advancing Race Equality in Today’s World panel; Michael Adu, Joanne Conway BSc MSc David R Taylor, Mandeep Rupra and Misha B. Stand out moments included: “You can’t begin with a deficit mindset”, “If someone tells you there’s “Nothing to see here” there definitely is”, “Sometimes your sister doesn’t look like you” and a member of the audience pointing out that there hasn’t been a sudden outburst of entrepreneurialism – in many instances people working to address racism within their organisations have felt they have no other option but to leave.

5. With my tech hat on, it was great to see Gori Yahaya lead the panel on Harnessing the Potential of AI and Emerging Technologies for Inclusion. Key quote was Chanell Daniels “We have to remember we’re dealing with imperfect tools in an imperfect world.” Lots to learn too from Henrique Zanin and Cien S. on cultural nuances, impact assessments and protecting fundamental rights.

6. Ritika Wadhwa‘s session on Cultural Intelligence was like a 40 minute lightbulb moment for me. Hard to choose a quote so let’s go with what really got the conversation started when she asked us all to share “How was the common cold treated in your family when you were growing up?”

I’ll let others be the judge of how the Social Mobility session I participated in with Nina Slingsby, Jon Hering and Hannah Olarewaju went but, for me, it was brilliant to be able to share our respective experiences of social mobility and explore the role nationality, culture, employment and education had to play in getting us to where we are today.

Finally – meeting UnderOne’s lynchpin and leader, Lydiah Igweh, and feeling as if I was being greeted by an old friend. I can only imagine the work that she and her team put into making this incredible event happen. My only complaint was that I hadn’t been able to attend Day One!

——

Looking for a panellist or keynote speaker on social mobility for your next event? Head on over to my contact form or make an enquiry via my agent: [email protected]