Celebrating Pride Month: deverellsmith's Pride Day

a charity that supports LGBTQ+ homeless youth. Our Pride Day was filled with insightful conversations, a trivia quiz, and a commitment to making a positive impact.

We wanted to share how we celebrated pride and share ways that you can do the same in your own businesses.

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A talk with Sybil Taunton, DE&I leader in the property industry

Our Pride Day began with an internal talk by Sybil Taunton, the Head of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DE&I) at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). Sybil, a renowned advocate for DE&I, shared her insights and experiences, emphasising the importance of fostering an inclusive workplace.

Sybil highlighted how diversity and inclusion are crucial for the growth and success of any organisation. She shared ways in which she creates an inclusive workplace for her team, sharing that giving employees an environment where they can be their authentic selves allows them to work at their best. Feeling valued and respected in the workplace allows employees to feel like they can approach their colleagues for support with both personal and work-related subjects, overall leading to a productive and inclusive workplace.

Sybil also openly shared her own coming out story, and how this experience led to her now working within DE&I, working on ways to make the property industry a more inclusive space. She gave our employees some useful advice on how we as peers can ensure that everyone feels they can be themselves, by asking questions and educating ourselves on LGBTQ+ history and the challenges the LGBTQ+ community faces.

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Pride Day Quiz

The whole office came together on the roof for a Pride Day Quiz organized a Pride Day Quiz. The quiz featured questions about LGBTQ+ history, pop culture, and important milestones in the fight for equality.

The quiz not only provided a fun break from work but also educated participants about the rich history and ongoing struggles of the LGBTQ+ movement.

You can download our Pride Quiz here and get quizzing in your workplace.

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Giving Back to the Community

To wrap up our Pride Day celebrations, we dedicated a sales day to raise money for AKT (Albert Kennedy Trust), a charity that supports LGBTQ+ young people.

Coming out or being outed as LGBTQ+ can still today lead to young people being made homeless, and this is the reality for 77% of the young people akt supports.

The AKT (Albert Kennedy Trust) is a vital organisation dedicated to supporting LGBTQ+ youth who face homelessness or are living in hostile environments. They offer a wide range of services, including safe housing, mentoring, and financial assistance, ensuring that vulnerable young people have access to the resources and support they need. AKT also provides educational programs and advocacy, working to raise awareness and combat discrimination. By creating a safe and inclusive environment, AKT helps LGBTQ+ youth to build their confidence, develop life skills, and achieve their potential, fostering a sense of community and belonging.

You can learn more about them here.

From the insightful talk by Sybil Taunton to the engaging quiz and the successful fundraising efforts for AKT, the day was educational and left employees more aware of the challenges LGBTQ+ face and how we can continue to foster an inclusive and supportive environment for all.

Here’s to celebrating Pride, not just for a month, but every day of the year!