This month’s #HeritageChat, an online Twitter converstaion on heritage topics, was held on the 15 February, on the theme of diversity in the heritage sector. The session was run by @HeritageChat and The Heritage Alliance @Heritage_NGOs.
The topic of diversity is integral to the work of Heritage 2020’s Public Engagement group, which is currently working on the issue of diversity in governance. One year on from the Foresight workshop on Diversity in the Historic Environment Sector, Heritage 2020 decided to revisit this theme as a topic for its monthly #HeritageChat.
Last year’s Diversity workshop had concluded that there were three key areas in which action was needed: data, process and perception. This new discussion aimed to assess changes in practice and priorities over the past year. It explored the place of the concept of class in conversations about diversity, barriers to employment and participation, and how the sector can move forward in addressing diversity issues – in particular through apprenticeships, toolkits and self-assessment. Participants shared ideas for future initiatives and examples of best practice within and outside the sector.
The full discussion can be found on Storify.