“…(one of the things) that could really help more people is to become more trauma-informed…” – Larna Mewett-Mayer
The issues raised in this week’s episode may be distressing or triggering for some of our listeners as we sat down with Larna Mewett-Mayer, Innovation Manager at Action for Children to discuss her life and journey into the charity sector. As we begin the conversation focussing on her youth, Larna opens up about her time spent being homeless and growing up in a household of domestic violence.
As we continue to learn more about her career path in adulthood, we hear about some of the negative experiences she had trying to migrate into the charity sector and how she thinks the sector can be better at recruiting and welcoming employees from a more diverse range of backgrounds.
1. Genuine intentions within the sector
Listening to Larna, made me think about my own potential unconscious bias and I how I interact with those around me. A lot of us enter the sector with genuine intentions to be a force for good, but do we always hold these up?
2. How language can make a difference
Language and tone can have a big impact in conversations with colleagues and potential future colleagues. Peers can espouse micro-aggressions when talking to those from different backgrounds to themselves and interviewers can create a negative experience which is not conducive to getting the most out of the candidates.
3. Becoming trauma-informed
Learning how we can all be trauma-informed in our interpersonal relationships at work could be a step to make the sector feel more inclusive. This should also flow through to organisations’ recruitment policy to appeal to a wider range of candidates. Kindness and empathy should be part of our everyday interactions, not an after-thought in order for us to continue progressing for an inclusive sector.
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in the episode, there are a number of helplines for both those experiencing domestic abuse and youth homelessness. Organisations such as Refuge and Women’s Aid can support both those suffering at the hands of domestic abuse, but also give guidance to anyone who might be worried about someone else. Larna’s current organisation, Action for Children, can help to provide practical care for those experiencing youth homelessness; plus organisations such as Centre Point can also provide support.
This episode of Charity Chat has been brought to you by our platinum sponsor Work for Good.
Work for Good is a fundraising platform helping businesses raise funds for charities through their sales. The platform makes the legal agreement needed for businesses to fundraise from sales quick and simple. Saving charities time and resource, and enabling them to raise more unrestricted income.
Pop to www.workforgood.co.uk to learn more and book a free demo.
We hope you enjoy this week’s episode.
Related episodes that you may be interested in:
E212 - Equality Diversion and Inclusion with Katie Fox -
E191 - Equality Matters with Javed Thomas -
E190 - De-biased Hiring with Khyati Sundaram -
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