About this resource
Why use this guide?
By engaging with this toolkit, you will develop essential empathy, cultural competence, and leadership qualities that enable you to navigate diverse environments, challenge biases, and contribute positively to a more equitable and inclusive world. Ultimately, embracing EDI principles at university paves the way for a brighter and more compassionate future, both in your careers and in your interactions with broader society.
With this toolkit, we hope to provide a foundation for students to continue educating themselves on the topics of EDI and allyship. Progress towards equality can only be achieved when individuals work together and, as such, we encourage students to leave any feedback they may have regarding the toolkit.
A Note on Language
This toolkit aims to provide guidance for you to act as an ally to marginalised communities. However, as will be noted, allyship cannot be treated with a ‘one-size-fits-all' approach. No group of people are entirely homogenous and, as such, should not be treated that way.
Although this guide (and many others) can provide general principles to follow as an ally, there are some discussions with no definitive answers. This is often most apparent in the varying preferences members of marginalised groups have in relation to language used. For example:
- Many guides on disability inclusivity recommend person-first language (e.g., person with a disability, person with autism). However, many people now prefer identity-first language (disabled person, autistic person).
- In discussions of race and ethnicity, terms such as BAME (Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic), BME (Black and Minority Ethnic), POC (Person of Colour) and Global Majority may all be used, depending on context and individual preferences.
- While some members of the LGBTQ+ community have reclaimed the term ‘queer’, others may avoid the term due to its origins as a slur.
When in doubt, the best practice is to ask the person you’re talking to their preference, and to not criticise an individual’s language use in reference to themself.
From the SML Language and Gender Inclusivity Guide
About the creators...
This development of this resource was a collaboration between the Student Life Unit at Newcastle University and Newcastle University students.
For researchers, and students engaged in research...
This resource has evolved from the EDI Toolkit for Researchers. If you are a researcher, a student engaged in research, or considering research, you may find the toolkit for researchers useful.