Your Wellbeing Matters

In designing and developing this resource, we built on our own experiences, previous projects in relevant fields and the work of racialised academics and practitioners who continue to inform, inspire and challenge our practice. We approach anti-racism as a dynamic, reflective and collective discipline embedded in communities of practice. Within these communities, we continuously learn, challenge assumptions and hold one another accountable.

We want to share below our personal vision and approach to learning and change.

Learn continuously: Remember that racial equity work is ongoing. Never say you have “finished.” As contexts shift and new challenges arise, reconsider what you learned yesterday. Use this resource to reflect and revise continuously.

Learning through imperfection: Even projects focused on racial equity can face challenges or may not reach every group. Rather than seeing these moments as personal failures, we invite you to see them as important opportunities for growth and learning. Being honest about what didn’t work helps build trust and move us toward more equitable engagement.

Consider context and relationships: No single formula, approach, or checklist can make your public engagement project racially equitable in every setting. What helps in one institution, community, or context may not help in another. Every context is different and draws on diverse histories, relationships, and power dynamics. Use tools, checklists, and frameworks to support your thinking, but do not let them replace attention to the specific people, histories, and power dynamics before you. Adapt this resource; do not apply it prescriptively.

Use words to guide practice: The language you use shapes what you can see, name, and discuss. Learn terminology as a starting point, not the end of this resource. Use words only when they change what you do. Treat language as evolving and contested, and revisit terms rather than treating them as fixed. Find a useful set of terminology and its meanings in the Terminology section [LINK].

Use your knowledge with humility: Your professional or academic expertise matters, but it is not a substitute for someone else’s lived experience. Recognise the limits of what you know. Hold your expertise alongside curiosity and humility, and cultivate a willingness to listen, unlearn, and share power.
Use two related ideas to support this practice: cultural humility and epistemic humility. Practice epistemic humility by reflecting critically on beliefs, biases, and assumptions, and being willing to change them. Practice cultural humility as a lifelong practice of self-reflection and attention to power.

Work toward a more just world: Treat this commitment as concrete, not abstract. Let it shape your decisions about agendas, partnerships, resources, and who has influence. Ask hard questions about your practice. What values guide your decisions? Whose interests are prioritised? What are you willing to change? Notice when good intentions do not lead to fair outcomes, and be willing to change course.

This resource invites you to consider your sphere of influence, however large or small, and how it affects those around you.

Emily, Siddharth and Vanessa