CMC Establishes Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
CMC Establishes Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group
The CMC has established a new Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Working Group to examine access to the mediation profession and consider where barriers may exist. The group recently held its inaugural meeting and will begin developing proposals and guidance to support greater inclusivity across mediation.
REPORT BY CMC CHIEF EXECUTIVE VICTORIA HARRIS
It was a pleasure to chair the inaugural meeting of the new CMC ED&I Working Group. This was an opportunity for the group to share their personal experiences and motivation for joining the group and to chart a way forward.
The CMC has set this group up to advance inclusivity within the mediation community. Specifically, the group will look at whether there are any barriers to becoming a mediator; developing a successful mediation practise or benefiting from mediation.
ED&I is of course about fairness. But as a young profession, it’s also about legitimacy. We need to take steps to develop the profession now and for future generations. The first step for the group will be to recruit a chair and a deputy chair and to create terms of reference. The group will progress to suggest ideas and initiatives to the CMC Board, and as a first step, the Board is requesting that the group create ED&I Guidelines for mediation users. We look forward to sharing these guidelines and the progress of the group, in the months ahead.
I am confident that this group will contribute a great deal to the profession. The members demonstrated a high level of knowledge, professional experience and personal commitment. The group is varied and diverse bringing together newly qualified mediators and practitioners who are highly experienced in mediation and with ED&I initiatives. This breadth of perspectives and expertise will be a valuable asset to the group’s work and I look forward to our collaboration.
