Equalities, Diversity & Inclusion

Embedding equality and access at the heart of our work

We believe that the Scots language can be a positive force for tackling issues of equality, diversity, and inclusion in a modern Scotland. Scots, like any other language (French or English for example) is for anyone who wants to engage with it. A person’s social, cultural, or racial background should never be seen as a barrier to engaging with Scots.

Scots is originally a Germanic and immigrant language that arrived in Scotland with the Angles about 1,400 years ago.

At Braw Clan we embrace this migratory history of the language and are committed to using Scots to unite people from different social, economic and cultural backgrounds rather than to exclude or divide them.

We are committed to making Braw Clan a fully inclusive organisation and we are committed to taking meaningful action internally and externally to foster Equality, Diversity and Inclusion throughout our organisation and throughout Scotland.

We recognise that to make long term and sustained change we need expert advice and support. We will follow Creative Scotland and the Scottish Government’s models of good practice and legal regulations when addressing racial and cultural equity in our processes as we work towards a more equitable future for all.

Reinforcing racial and economic justice and equity is an ongoing commitment for Braw Clan. While this work progresses, we remain focused in our support for other underrepresented groups as they too drive for access to opportunities, to be treated fairly and to have their voices heard.

As part of this commitment, Braw Clan will pay gender equal pay rates to everyone we employ.

We believe Braw Clan must be a company where artists come to make their best work and that our productions and projects should be a proud reflection of the diversity of this country.

We also believe that whether an artist, member of staff, supplier or audience member, Braw Clan must be a company where everyone feels valued and can comfortably be themselves.

Our aim

Ou aim is to ensure the following:

  • That the awareness and practice of Equal Opportunities translates into best practice across all of Braw Clan's activities.
  • That the protected characteristics defined in the 2010 Equality Act are each attended to within the plan and consequent revisions of the policy.
  • That Braw Clan continues to strive towards its stated vision and mission.
  • That the Directors sets targets and actions, reviews progress against targets, and presents updates to the Board annually.

Evolving as an organisation

Creating an inclusive culture that recognises everyone is the only way to be truly national. It is also the most creative path - it fuels our imagination and enables us to make theatre that is entertaining, challenging, and inspiring for everyone.

At the heart of all Braw Clan’s work is a commitment to making our work accessible to a culturally, socially, and economically diverse population and breaking down barriers to participation in the arts for artists, participants, and audiences.

Equality and diversity values and practice are central to all that we do, and we plan to use Scots and Modern Scots to engage people from an unusually broad range of social and economic backgrounds.

We take pride in our place within Biggar and strive to build meaningful relationships with a community, in our rural area of South Lanarkshire, that throughout its recent history has welcomed hundreds of new residents from other places.

This commitment to inclusion will be evident from the early days of the Braw Clan, and our vision to provide quality Scots and Modern Scots language performance focused work for everyone irrespective of income or background.

We are committed to principles of accessibility through low pricing incentives where at all possible, and we aspire to running wide-ranging projects that engage with our local community and remote communities in the surrounding area.

Beliefs

Underpinning our equalities and diversity strategy are a series of beliefs:

  • We believe that equality for all is a basic human right and actively oppose all forms of unlawful and unfair discrimination.
  • We celebrate the diversity of society and strive to promote and reflect that diversity within our company.
  • We believe that participation in the arts and our Scots language can help promote equality and diversity and, moreover, that it contributes to greater understanding between different individuals and communities. Therefore, we want what we offer at the theatre to be accessible to as diverse a range of people as possible.
  • We intend that all staff, whether part-time, full-time or temporary, will be treated fairly and with respect and paid industry standard rates. Selection for employment, promotion, and training will be based on aptitude and ability. All staff will be helped and encouraged to develop their full potential and the talents and resources of the workforce will be fully utilised to maximise the efficiency of the organisation.

Vision & mission

Our vision is to transform and enhance lives through performance and participation that everyone can access.

We achieve this through:

  • New performance work in Scots and Modern Scots by and for the people of Scotland and beyond.
  • A comprehensive programme of outreach activities that engages with people of all ages, especially those within our marginalised rural communities.
  • Focusing on nurturing the talent and creativity of both established and emerging performers living within a twenty five mile radius of Biggar – in both a professional and non-professional contexts.
  • Becoming a resilient, responsible flagship organisation active at the heart of the country.

Values

Our work is underpinned by a set of values shared across our organisation:

  • We believe that live performance and outreach have the power to transform and enhance the lives of everyone who engages with Braw Clan.
  • We aspire to excellence in all areas of our work. We make work of the highest quality that is honest, adventurous and risk-taking.
  • We believe in the value and importance of collaboration with like-minded partners to achieve our full potential, to nurture talent more effectively and to offer our audiences the best experience possible.
  • We believe in the importance of presenting new writing and translations in Scots and Modern Scots that resonates with the lives of the people of Scotland and beyond.
  • We believe in being active at the heart of our community in Biggar, with a reach and outlook that is both national and international.
  • We believe that everyone should have the opportunity to engage with the Scots language and take part in the creative life of the Braw Clan, whether by watching a play or by developing skills and self-confidence in an inclusive environment.

 

Effective Date: May 15th 2023

Next Review: May 15th 2024