Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) at TONIC is something we very much view as a collective responsibility; while my role as EDI Lead is to hold the team accountable and facilitate development, we all make an active effort to ensure TONIC is an inclusive and accessible place to work for and work with.  

EDI at TONIC is an important consideration as it is applicable and highly relevant both in the workplace and in our research. Reflective practice and co-production are two of the central methods we use to integrate EDI into our day-to-day work life.  

Keep reading to see some other ways we have been working towards and prioritising inclusion and accessibility! 

Reflective Practice 

Donald Schon (1983) defined reflective practice as the ability to reflect on one's actions to engage in continuous learning. At TONIC, we try to incorporate processes of reflective practice into all of our projects. Integrated into our project timelines are a minimum of two sessions of Quality Assurance for the project team in which we are able to discuss what is working and how we might need to adapt our approach to be as effective, and accessible, as possible.  

During our in-person team days we have also run multiple action learning sets that have led to in-depth discussions around how we can improve individually and as a team. Furthermore, a common topic of conversation in team meetings is how we make our research as accessible as possible. We have identified several mitigations and adaptations we are going to make to ensure our research is as easy as possible to engage with.  

We feel that by having these discussions regularly, we can continue to learn, develop, and overcome challenges we might face in terms of inclusivity and accessibility in research.  

Co-Production  

We understand that one of the most valuable ways we can ensure our research is as accessible and inclusive as possible is by incorporating the voice of those with lived experience. Wherever possible, we try and consult relevant individuals or communities to ensure our materials and proposed methods are accessible to all.  

Recently, we ran a consultation workshop with some experts by experience from Peer Power Youth to ensure that our research materials were accessible for young people. We have also worked with St Basils and the Essex Recovery Forum in past projects to help shape and inform our research and keep the voice of lived experience at the center of our work.

Training 

The TONIC team regularly take part in both internal and external training courses to further our knowledge and personal development. Recent training that members of the team have participated in to further our EDI understanding include: 

• Neurodiversity, Young Adults and Mental Health 

• How to Develop Cultural Awareness  

• Neurodiversity and Understanding the Power that comes from Neurodivergent Thinking 

We are also currently in conversation with several by-and-for organisations that cater to ethnic minority communities and the LGBTQ+ community in order to source and deliver some bespoke training – watch this space! 

Internal Seminars 

To celebrate Pride month, the team attended an internal seminar run by Maria and I that discussed the Stonewall riots and origins of Pride. This seminar was purposed with plugging a gap in knowledge that the team had identified in a survey that had been circulated a few months prior, asking about confidence levels around different EDI topics.  

The seminar consisted of several activities, information, and a video to ensure we were including the voice of lived experience in our learning. The seminar prompted a productive, reflective discussion afterwards around how we can show our support further for the LGBTQ+ community. Internal seminars are a great way to boost our knowledge as a team and all get involved in making TONIC an inclusive environment.  

Awareness Days and Social Media  

Our social media is full of exciting work that we have completed, research spotlights and team takeovers; however, we also make an effort to engage with relevant organisations and charities to show our support. We are following a wide range of pages to ensure we are keeping up to date with awareness campaigns and showing our support through sharing relevant posts and stories.  

We feel that social media is a great place for us to show that we are a safe space for anybody with protected characteristics and document what we are doing to foster equality, diversity, and inclusion in our research.  

Written by Danielle Jones, Researcher and Analyst at TONIC.