The Faith Network is dedicated to supporting individuals of all faiths by promoting understanding and respect for religious diversity. Our goal is to create a harmonious environment where all faiths are respected and celebrated.
The purpose and goals of this network is to:
- Enhance Religious Inclusivity on the BIOS Website: Review and improve website content to ensure it is inclusive and respectful of all faiths, providing accessible information on religious diversity and showcasing BIOS’s commitment to inclusivity.
- Provide Support and Resources for BIOS Members and Leadership: Offer guidance and resources to BIOS members, leadership, and teams to build a supportive community that respects various religious beliefs, fostering best practices for inclusivity and mutual respect.
- Raise Awareness Through Inclusive Communication Channels: Utilise diverse communication platforms to educate and inform on topics related to faith and belief, raising awareness of the unique needs and challenges faced by individuals of different faiths, and highlighting their contributions to the orthoptic profession.
- Establish Measures to Track Impact of the Diversity Network: Develop and implement metrics to evaluate the network’s impact, ensuring continuous improvement and accountability in promoting religious inclusion across the organisation.
Network activities will include:
- Meetings: Hold regular meetings to bring together Diversity Champions and Leads, discussing faith-based inclusion initiatives based on a pre-set agenda. Record progress and report achievements against agreed actions and diversity objectives.
- Awareness Campaigns: Plan and execute campaigns to highlight important EDI calendar dates relevant to the Faith Network, such as religious holidays, festivals, and interfaith weeks, raising awareness and fostering respect for religious diversity.
- Ideas and Initiatives: Create a safe, open space for network members to discuss and coordinate new ideas and initiatives, addressing known barriers, emerging challenges, and developing practical solutions that promote inclusivity for all faiths and beliefs within BIOS.
- Success Stories: Share inspiring stories of individuals within the network to motivate others, highlighting stories of EDI best practices and examples of respectful interfaith collaboration that could be replicated in other orthoptic departments.
- Resource and Communication Management: Stay informed on relevant topics to keep communications and resources up to date, including website content, online resources, diversity calendars, social media, and email communications.
- Support: Collaborate as a group to review newly reported issues or queries shared by BIOS members through the EDI Lead to provide targeted support from within the diversity network. Serve as an advisor to BIOS on upcoming communications, event planning, and other relevant initiatives.
- Reporting: Provide regular updates to the EDI Lead on progress toward key objectives, highlighting emerging challenges, the proactive steps being taken to address them, and success stories from within the diversity network.
Toolkit for Managing Diversity Meetings
- Agenda template and Action Log
- Report template
- EDI Calendar
- Faith Calendar
- Social Media examples
- BIOS templates
- Access to BIOS email address