Equality in organisational activities

Taking equality into account in organisational activities is important to ensure that as many people as possible have the opportunity to participate in the organisation’s activities. Investing in equality increases the safety of the organisational activities as well as the members’ wellbeing. It also makes acting in the organisation more pleasant for everyone and possible for an increasing number of people. People feeling involved and members caring about common matters are key for the creation of a safe and healthy student environment.

HYY supports organisations in their equality activities and requires them to follow its Equality Plan.

It is important that every member of the board in organisations as well as other people involved in them take equality seriously and promote its realisation for their part. We also recommend that each organisation chooses at least one person in charge of equality from among their board. A good start to establishing equality activities is appointing a person in charge of equality and communicating about this to the members. If the organisation is only just establishing its equality activities, you can always ask for help from other student organisations and follow their example. Establishing equality activities boils down to cooperation, and different perspectives often bring out new ways to improve equality. This is why being in active contact with other people is fruitful.

It is a good idea to include the coordination of writing an equality plan in the job description of the person in charge of equality so that they can delve into the specific equality needs of the organisation in question. It is absolutely crucial to listen to the members, as you can only chart their needs by listening to them. Below, we have listed some ways to improve your equality activities.

Promoting equality requires continuous, goal-oriented action, but even small acts can lead to big changes!