Inclusion Policy

We welcome you to any and all of our events, and are committed to creating an environment where everyone feels safe, heard and valued.

We therefore ask you – authors, audiences, vendors and partners to engage and participate in our festival events with care and respect for others lived experiences.

This festival is not a space for hate speech, discrimination or personal attacks, and we will make dynamic responses to ensure our events run without these.

Our aim is to create equitable, inclusive, warm and friendly festivals, and to invite authors and attract audiences which reflect the society in which we live.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Policy

1.JLFA recognises the importance and benefits of actively pursuing an environment within our festivals, and all activities associated with them, in which inclusion and diversity are taken into account. We aim to support and celebrate differences and to foster an inclusive culture.

2.JLFA is committed to pursuing non-discriminatory policies and practice which aim at eliminating unfair discrimination on grounds of race (including colour, national origin, nationality and ethnicity), sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, pregnancy & maternity, age, disability, marital status, religion or belief, or social background.

3.JLFA will work to take into account equal opportunities in the day-to-day running of its activities and festivals. It aims to ensure that equality of opportunity is considered in its activities, such as recruitment of volunteers, contracting freelance workers, the development of festival programmes, and the opportunities for authors and other contributors to the festivals.

4.JLFA recognises that it has a legal and moral responsibility to ensure that all workers, volunteers, participants and festival-goers are treated with respect and in a fair manner.

We aim to:

have diversity and inclusion as an integral part of the planning process of every festival;

make it easy for everyone to access new ideas, learning, entertainment and opportunity by attracting authors who are fully reflective of the world we live in;

raise awareness of issues of diversity and inclusion through our festival programme content;

support the rights of those with disabilities and neurodiversities to write, to read, and to access events;

create festivals which provide a healthy, kind and supportive environment, taking into account physical health, mental health, and financial inequality;

provide employment and volunteering opportunities for people of all backgrounds, genders, ages and cultures;

recognise that we have more to do to realise our ambitions and work to ensure that our strategic policies, our festival programmes, partnerships and other initiatives will progressively reflect the diversity of our community.

Our commitments in action:

Encouragement of local creative writing through competitions open to all.

Volunteer opportunities open to all.

Festival events reflecting inclusivity and diversity:

Free schools programme
Prison events
Mental health and wellbeing
Celebrating languages and cultures
Jèrriais events
LGBTQIA2S+ Racial equality
Social equality
Women’s rights

Charitable partnerships:

Every Child Our Future
Jersey Child Care Trust
Jersey International Centre of Advanced Studies

Consultation:

Eyecan
Enable
Jersey Deaf Society