August 19, 2022: St John Ambulance has published the charity’s very first Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy.
The vision outlined in the document is one of engendering a sense of belonging for all employees, volunteers, and everyone St John comes into contact with, by creating an environment of mutual respect, where unique differences are valued and authentic allyship is demonstrated.
St John Ambulance’s Head of EDI, Kal Parkash says: This is recognition that St John Ambulance is firmly committed to this agenda and it aligns with our values and culture piece, where we are always working to gain a better understanding and connection with the diverse communities we serve, and that our people are able to be their true and best self at all times.
This is an exciting development for St John and has created a real buzz of energy and support for this agenda. I’m really proud to see this launched and fully supported by our senior leaders and board.
This strategy will follow the charity’s wider strategic goals to create and foster environments which are open, welcoming and embrace difference, and are aligned to the wellbeing agenda.
Introducing the document, St John Ambulance’s CEO, Martin Houghton-Brown says: Our 2022-23 EDI strategy sets out our ambition to be more representative of the communities we serve.
To be the welcoming St John we aspire to be, we will all need to reflect on the role we play and keep in mind that the way we act will lead if, full of our HEART [Humanity, Excellence, Accountability, Responsiveness and Teamwork] values and the commitments set out in this document, to a more inclusive environment in which everyone can flourish.
As our Values In Action programme advances and more St John people have their say on our future culture, we will need to revisit this strategy, but this helps us well on our way.
I believe this strategy will enhance our aspirations to serve our communities better, create a sense of belonging for our people, and, together, we will bring this document to life.
You can read Promoting Equity and Celebrating Diversity in full here.
