Equality, Diversity & Inclusion
#IBelongOnTheWater
#IBelongOntheWater is all about celebrating our sense of connection with the environment, with paddlesports and our affinity with the people in it.
We are a diverse community of paddlers, each with our own identity, motivations and passions; but we all share that connection of belonging on the water.
#IBelongOnTheWater,
so can you! Find out more about the campaign
here.
We believe that paddlesport is for everyone. SCA endorses the principles of sports equality, diversity and inclusion, and will strive to ensure that everyone who wishes to be involved in SCA activities and events:
- Can be assured of an environment in which their rights, dignity and individual worth are respected, and in particular that they are able to enjoy their sport without the threat of intimidation, victimisation, harassment or abuse.
- Has a genuine and equal opportunity to participate to the full extent of their own ambitions and abilities, without regard to their:
- Age
- Disability
- Gender reassignment
- Marriage and civil partnership
- Pregnancy and maternity
- Race
- Religion or belief
- Sex
- Sexual orientation
What do equality, diversity and inclusion mean?
Equality is where people have a genuine and equal opportunity, and any difference doesn’t matter.
SCA and clubs must remove barriers to current or create new opportunities in order to facilitate this. Equality protects people from being discriminated against.
Diversity is where difference is recognised, respected and valued, but not actively leveraged to drive organisational success. Everyone is individual and different.
Diversity acknowledges the benefit of the SCA being representative of the country and paddlers, but also how the value of different experiences and knowledge enriches our sport, clubs and the SCA itself.
Inclusion is where difference is seen as a benefit to utilise and where perspectives and differences are shared, leading to better decisions. It refers to an individual’s experience and the extent to which they feel they belong, are valued and supported.
Inclusion is paddler driven, steered from the top of the SCA and clubs and encourages innovation and a tailored approach for every stakeholder.
How can I be an Ally?
An ally is someone who is not a member of an underrepresented group but who takes action to support that group. It's up to people who hold positions of responsibility to be active allies of those from under-represented groups and to make changes that will help everyone to be successful.
An ally actively promotes and aspires to advance the culture of inclusion through intentional, positive and conscious efforts that benefit people as a whole. Allies listen and seek views from people different to themselves and challenge their own perceptions and biases in order to help make an informed decision
We must regularly listen, adapt our thinking, rework what we believe to be correct and become comfortable being uncomfortable.
Allyship is a lifelong process and an opportunity to grow and learn about ourselves, whilst building confidence in others.
The Equality Standard - A Framework for Sport
SCA are currently working towards the Advanced Equality Standard.
The Standard is a framework for assisting sports organisations to widen access and reduce inequalities in sport and physical activity from under-represented individuals, groups and communities.
It is based around two broad themes
- Developing our organisation - This will be a reflection of our culture
- Developing our services - This activity describes the work we have done to improve delivery and will be reflected in our action plans
and four levels of achievement
- Foundation - achieved by SCA in June 2006
- Preliminary - achieved by SCA in December 2008
- Intermediate - achieved by SCA in February 2017
- Advanced - targeted by SCA by 2024
More information can be found on the
http://equalityinsport.org/ website or by contacting our
equality@canoescotland.org.
Equality Group
We want to make our sport as inclusive as possible. We want to remove the barriers that prevent people taking up our sport - both real and perceived.
The SCA Equality Group exists to monitor and assess all aspects of equality, diversity and inclusion relating to paddlesport in order to improve paddlesport opportunities in Scotland. The SCA wants everyone to have the opportunity to develop a passion for paddlesport.
Ultimately we aim to remove barriers connected to all nine protected characteristics. We are currently focusing on how to make paddlesport as welcoming and inclusive for those within the following protected characteristics:
- Gender
- People with a disability
- Age - targeted at younger and older paddlers
- Sexual orientation and Gender Identity
In order to make a difference the SCA’s planned approach is to form groups that focus on each of these areas. These are:
How can you get involved?
We would like to hear your suggestions for activities or events that you think would make a positive difference to participation in paddlesport in Scotland. If you haven’t been involved in our sport but would like to be or if you can contribute to this important work please get in touch. You can reach the Equality Group by emailing us: equality@canoescotland.org
We encourage clubs to have an Equality Policy in place and consider having an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Champion to promote and help make the club more inclusive.
An important part of making our sport more accessible is understanding where we are at the moment with equality, diversity and inclusion, so that we can then determine if the positive actions we are taking are making a difference. We encourage all SCA Members and Club Associates to update the Equality information in their Profile on the SCA Go Membership system. You can login to Go Membership by clicking here. If you need help to log in please email hello@canoescotland.org.
Any information you give is used by the SCA to measure how the sport is becoming more accessible over time. Data is reported anonymously, in aggregate. This means that no information is attributed to any individuals. Responses are completely confidential, and all data is processed in line with the Data Protection Act 2018.
Additional Documents
SCA Equality Group Terms of Reference
