Slideshow for a session on community engagement at the meeting of Campus North held at York St John University on 5 November 2014. The aim was to share best practice and facilitate discussion on community engagement, both doing it and promoting what is done. Campus North is a network of LGBT staff networks in higher education institutions in the north of England.

1. Campus North: community engagement
David Garfield and Andy Law
5 November 2014

2. Stonewall Gay By Degree
Based on ten criteria:
1. Anti-homophobic bullying policy and mandatory training
2. Student sexual orientation monitoring
3. Explicit welfare support and info for LGB students
4. Society for LGB students
5. Events for LGB students
6. Consultation with LGB students
7. Specific career advice for LGB students
8. LGBT staff network
9. Stonewall Diversity Champion
10. Engagement with the wider community
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3. Stonewall Gay By Degree
Key figures
• 31 institutions in North East, North West and Yorkshire and the
Humber
• Three scored 10/10 (six nationally)
• Eight received a tick for criterion ten, community engagement
Methodology
“The university guide checklist has been compiled solely on the
basis of information in the public domain. Where no information
can be found we’ve assumed that this provision doesn’t exist.
This is because our guide is designed to reflect what could be
easily accessible to a prospective student in the process of
applying to university.”
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4. Stonewall Gay By Degree
Community engagement
1. “Does the university engage with the wider community, e.g.
local schools, colleges and youth groups or other universities
on LGB issues?”
2. “Does the university sponsor local LGB events or encourage
staff and students to take part?”
3. “Does the university actively attempt to engage with
prospective LGB applicants to encourage them to apply to the
institution?”
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5. What we do
1. Engaging with the wider community on LGB issues
a. York LGBT Forum: space and facilities for monthly meetings
“York LGBT Forum would be lost without the generosity of
the space and use of equipment given by York St John
University for our monthly meetings.”
Edwina Sykes (Co-chair of York LGBT Forum)
b. York Pride launch night: attendance
c. York LGBT History Month 2014: coordination
“It was great to see York have such a diverse range of
events for LGBT History Month in 2014 – even better the
collaborative approach.”
Greg Stephenson (Chair and Web and Design Officer,
York Pride)
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6. What we do
“At last we have set the ball rolling in York for a diverse, lively
and informative York LGBT History Month.”
Sue Lister (Artistic Director, Real People Theatre)
“This year’s LGBT History Month provided an opportunity not
only for the city of York to celebrate and commemorate the
efforts of the LGBT community to overcome inequality and
discrimination, but also it became a platform for closer ties to
be forged between the different LGBT groups in the city.”
David Sanin (former LGBT Representative, York Graduate
Students’ Association)
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7. What we do
d. Campus North
e. Stonewall Role Models Programme: invited other institutions to
attend; offered a place to Joseph Rowntree Foundation
f. York Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: shared best practice
g. (Upcoming) joint events with the University of York
h. (Upcoming) party-political debate/Question Time
i. (Upcoming) York LGBT History Month 2015: events
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8. What we do
2. Sponsoring local events and encouraging staff and students to take
part
a. York Pride 2013: sponsorship and stall
b. York Pride 2014: sponsorship, stall and parade
c. Blog: guide to LGBT York; publicising local events
d. York LGBT History Month 2015: sponsorship
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9. What we do
3. Engaging with prospective LGB applicants
a. York Pride: stall
b. Jobs pages: profile of Amy Lynch making reference to
university’s LGBT work; Stonewall Diversity Champion logo
c. Gay By Degree: media coverage including radio interview
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10. How we tell people
1. News articles on our website’s homepage such as on our Gay By
Degree result.
2. In the announcements sections of our student and staff pages.
3. Our blog, which is linked through from our equality webpages:
• York LGBT Forum
• York Pride
• Campus North
• External events
4. Facebook and Twitter.
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11. How we tell people
Why use a blog?
• Ability to browse old posts.
• More flexibility in presentation and interactivity.
• Allowing people to keep up to date without cluttering their
inbox, or without adding their name to a list.
• Sharing specific posts to a wider audience.
• Social media integration.
• Easier scheduling?
Using plugins, you can set up automatic emails when a new post is
published, containing either the full post or an extract. (Though
dependent on which plugin you use, people may need to self-subscribe
to the mailing list, and there is a chance your email servers will act as a
blockade.)
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12. Discussion
Doing community engagement
1. Is it important to do community engagement?
2. What do you do?
3. Is there anything else you could do?
4. What are the barriers?
Telling people about it
1. Is it important to tell people?
2. How do you tell people?
3. Are there any other ways you could tell people?
4. What are the barriers?
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