Guest Blog from CBF's Anchor Programme: HEAR Equality and Human Rights Network
HEAR network
HEAR is a pan-London network membership organisation of over 1000 charities, voluntary organisations, community groups, grass- roots campaigners, community activists, experts by experience’, academics and think tanks, working for equality, human rights and social justice, and against discrimination and prejudice. HEAR is an equity-led organisation delivering work focusing on systemic change. HEAR’s shared values of equality, inclusivity and respect enable members to share platforms and spaces to have their voices, campaigns and priorities heard by decision makers at an equal level.
HEAR started life in 2004 as a largely unfunded, unconstituted grouping of pan-London organisations committed to equality and human rights, working together, on a voluntary basis, through a conviction that specialist equality groups need to work together across and beyond specialisms, and with a focus on shared solutions and intersectionality. Now constituted and funded since 2016, HEAR continues to grow in solidarity to change lives for Londoners.
HEAR and Systems Change
In the context of Anchor HEAR wants to influence and improve models of engagement with decision and policy makers in London so that meaningful coproduction with those who are impacted by decisions are valued as decision makers in their own right, embedded in processes from the outset and not used as ‘tick box’ consultees with no real influence. HEAR members repeatedly tell us that the power imbalance between marginalised and disadvantaged Londoners and the statutory sector has worsened significantly in the 12 months since the general and Mayoral elections; suspension or removal of previously existing structures of engagement, for example, in London’s public health system and with the Home Office are examples. HEAR’s work to empower and support its members to address this is key to our approach to systems change.
What Matters to HEAR Members
HEAR and its members want to shift these power imbalances across a range of policy areas affecting those we work with. The impact of the cost of living crisis has been significant, and HEAR members have sought to influence by producing audio content that highlights the issues through the direct voices of those affected. A similar approach, using audio and video, has been used by members to highlight the far-reaching impact of digital exclusion. Read more here.
Christine Goodall, Network Coordinator at HEAR Equality and Human Rights Network, and Zarine Avagimyan from HEAR member Centre for Armenian Centre for Information and Advice delivering a joint presentation on digital inclusion.
Being digitally excluded impacts people across many different communities, from not being able to access benefits and entitlements, access to health care, access to vital public services and support, employment and volunteering opportunities, financial services and the risk of social isolation. HEAR members are concerned about the negative and potentially discriminatory aspects of AI, an increasingly cashless society and the lack of alternative provision for those who cannot access services digitally. Digital inclusion is important for member organisations as well as those they support, being able to access and use all sorts of digital tools is vital for even the smallest charity or community group, and HEAR works with partners such as Superhighways to support its members in this constantly changing technology environment. There are huge systemic changes being planned around AI and other digital applications and it is important that HEAR members have a powerful voice in these developments.
After the civil disturbances of summer 2024 HEAR brought members together to consider these events and how they wanted HEAR to support and facilitate work to build greater solidarity, trust and confidence in such challenging times of division. Championing the voices and priorities of small groups with key decision makers was important for members, but they also wanted to get involved in more interfaith and intergenerational work to bring people together, whilst being supported to have difficult conversations on challenging topics within a safe space of shared humanity.
Conclusion
As a pan-equality network with a focus on intersectionality the issues important to members are extremely varied, as can be seen from the above. Inequalities in health, an equitable planning system and inclusive access to volunteering opportunities are also important issues that members are tackling. All of these work in and between a number of systems where HEAR members seek to have influence. However, the central hope is that, across the board, coproduction will no longer be at best an after-thought, but meaningfully embedded in the very structure and process of decision making.