Mae’r ddogfen hon ar gael yn Gymraeg

Anti-Racism Statement

About ALW

Adult Learning Wales (ALW) is the national Adult Community Learning (ACL) organisation and unique in Wales in being completely focused on this element of the education sector. We offer many learning opportunities directly, and also work with partners across Wales to deliver courses and learning programmes. Collaboration is key to ensuring that all people, from all walks of life in all communities have access to opportunities to improve their lives through learning and to achieve their potential.

ALW currently works in Adult Community Learning Partnerships across Wales, and we have a diverse range of Affiliated Partner Members and Delivery Partners that include both local providers and national institutions. These include a number of organisations supporting Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities. We support many learners from Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic communities via our English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) amongst other provision.

Our offer is wide ranging, from basic skills in English, Welsh, numeracy, digital, personal health and finance, up to qualifications which provide pathways into Higher Education. We also offer courses in topics that link to hobbies or special interests as all learning can have a positive impact. For many of our learners, our courses can be the first time they have engaged in formal learning since leaving traditional education, and an empowering step on the road to achieving their goals. Our aim is to help and support individuals, to inspire and build their confidence and skills through their learning experience with us. Whatever we are offering, our aim is always to deliver excellent teaching and learning in a way which is inclusive and focused on the needs of our learners.

We are known for going above and beyond to enable and support learning for everyone, and often deliver to individuals in challenging circumstances. Many of our learners tell us that their experience with ALW has been life-changing, feedback which inspires us in working harder to deliver for the. There are many inspiring learner stories on our website, for example, where learning has helped individuals and groups to deal with loneliness, mental health issues, lack of confidence and low self-esteem, and to gain new skills or learn a new language, meet people, gain employment and improve their career prospects along with their health and wellbeing.

Anti-Racism at ALW

ALW fully supports the Welsh Government’s vision of ‘A Wales which is anti-racist’. We are committed to becoming an anti-racist organisation, creating a culture with zero tolerance and changing our systems, policies and procedures to eradicate racism in all that we do. Our Anti-Racist Action Plan will ensure that we play our part in  making a measurable change to the lives of Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people by tackling racism.

Along with our own organisational values, the values underpinning our anti-racist action plan are in line with those set out in the Anti-racist Wales Action Plan. These values are:

• Open and transparent
• Rights-based
• Putting lived experience at the heart of all we do

At ALW, we view our identity as closely aligned to the traditional inclusive impulses of the adult learning movement. We strive to integrate inclusivity into all activities and to empower staff to take action to ensure equality via a focus on positive attitudes, supported by policies and plans.

Our Commitments

• We recognise that racism exists in society, and that this is extremely harmful. We acknowledge the impacts of racism and we will support our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic staff, learners and members who may experience these impacts.
• We will encourage people to speak up about racism, giving people the time and space to talk about their experiences, with confidence that they will be listened to and supported.
• As a learning provider and a membership organisation we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to make a positive difference to anti-racism both within ALW and in the wider community. We will embed anti-racism in our curriculum, through our networks, events and communications and will influence and advocate for anti-racism at all opportunities, challenging racism where we see it.
• At present, our management team does not reflect the diversity within either our organisation or wider society. As we work to address this, we will develop the skills of our management team along with our wider staff to give them the support they need to be effective allies. Our team is committed to supporting our Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic people to ensure the burden of tackling racism does not fall on those who already experience its injustices.
• We will be open and honest about our progress on anti-racism, and via our Anti-Racist Action Plan we will set clear goals against which our progress can be measured.
• We want to move beyond compliance to seek opportunities to promote anti-racism in everything that we do. We strongly believe this is the right thing to do, in the interest of our learners, staff, volunteers, members and the wider community.

Sharing Lived Experience

In order to fulfil our commitments, tackle racism and achieve our aim of becoming an anti-racist organisation, it is vital that we hear from those with lived experience. We encourage our learners, staff, volunteers and members to speak up about racism, and will work hard to create a safe space where we hope you will feel comfortable to speak about your experiences with our support and understanding. You will be able to speak openly, free from judgement. Your confidentiality will be respected.  We will ensure that professional support is available and any feedback will respect your wishes to remain anonymous should you prefer.

If you are willing to share your experience as described above, please contact Cath Hicks, Head of Learner Services and Resources
cath.hicks@adultlearning.wales