Can the North East become the UK’s most inclusive region?

Tyneside-based ABConnexions (ABC) launched its ambitious Inclusion By Default (IBD) campaign in 2020 and continues to redefine inclusivity in the post-pandemic era.

Determined to reshape perceptions, beliefs and behaviours, the not-for-profit social enterprise has gone on to launch the Inclusive Innovation Framework — helping to embed inclusion within the workplace.

And ABC is confident that the North East can become the most inclusive region in the UK by 2025.

But following a summer of societal unrest, and against the backdrop of an increasingly divisive narrative, co-founder and chairman Ammar Mirza CBE believes the need to unite communities and preach positivity has never been more important.

“We’d been developing the IBD campaign long before this summer’s riots and unrest took place,” he explained.

“However, what we saw across the country underlined the wider issue of inclusivity and why it’s more important than ever to bring our communities together.

“It was almost as if the pendulum swung both ways. At one end it encompassed racist behaviour, linked to the unrest that we saw.

“Lots of people got caught up in that and felt as if their country was being taken away.

“Then the pendulum swung the other way and the story became about empowering minority communities.”

ABC intends to capitalise on what ultimately became a positive movement and use that momentum to underline the ongoing issue of inclusion.

Newcastle was one of a number of major UK cities that headed off the threat of further unrest with a mass demonstration of positivity.

And that collective show of strength sparked a fresh conversation around ABC’s ongoing mission to tackle inequalities across the region.

Health, wealth and happiness sit at the heart of the IBD framework with Ammar and colleagues keen to understand how best to raise the aspirations and ambitions of those who historically feel excluded.

ABC is in the process of identifying 15 initiatives or activities that can drive their message home.

And there is a determination to focus on key areas including mental health and raise the profile of female and gender equality.

“It’s all about encouraging open dialogue,” adds Ammar.

“We’ve reached stage two of the IBD campaign which is all about defining which areas people want us to focus on when it comes to inclusivity.

“As a group we set out 16 years ago to tackle discrimination and racism but we’ve always done it in a celebratory way.

“The conversation about the alienation of communities has never gone away but that doesn’t mean things can’t change.

“At ABC we have the lived experience and the domain authority to implement the IBD campaign authentically and we’re pressing ahead with purpose.”

Latest statistics* support ABC’s primary aims and paint a damning picture of inequality across the North East.

In our region 27 per cent of people report experiencing discrimination at work and life expectancy remains two years below the national average.

North East women earn, on average, 73 per cent of that banked by male colleagues and disabled people across the region are half as likely to be employed as able bodied counterparts.

“It’s clear that we still have work to do in order to reach our 2025 inclusivity target,” adds Ammar. “But we are committed to getting there.”

*statistics correct as of 2023 and sourced from evidencehub.northeastlep.co.uk and ciphr.com