Council marks Race Equality Week 2025
The Vale of Glamorgan Council is taking part in Race Equality Week 2025
Race Equality Week, as a UK-wide initiative, was launched by Race Equality Matters to turn words into meaningful action.
The theme for Race Equality Week 2025 is #EveryActionCounts as it aims to unite thousands of organisations in action to seriously address race inequality in the workplace.
Throughout the week, there is a five-day challenge – which dedicates each day to addressing different key issues that can be hurtful, damaging, and excluding to colleagues, friends and family, and the community.
Cllr Ruba Sivagnanam, Cabinet Member for Community Engagement, Equalities and Regulatory Services, said: “Race equality is everyone’s responsibility, and the Vale of Glamorgan Council is steadfast in its commitment in helping to achieve it.
“Having an equal, diverse, and inclusive Council means we can better improve employment opportunities and delivery of service for minority ethnic communities and groups.”
Ahead of Race Equality Week, the anti-racism charity Show Racism the Red Card recently visited All Saints Church in Wales Primary School in Barry as part of their Leaders of Now pilot scheme aimed at primary school pupils.
The Leaders of Now Scheme selects ambassadors in Wales to lead the cultural shift towards anti-racism in their own schools.
The school selected a group of pupils to form an anti-racism action group.
The group worked with Show Racism the Red Card staff to examine what they thought anti-racism should look like in their school, the good practice already going on in the school and what they would aim to continue doing in the future.
Over a ten-week period, the group undertook a variety of activities – including coming up with a group name – Red to Racism – a logo and then conducted a whole school survey to see how anti-racism was reflected in their resources and created questions to ask staff and students about their understanding and thoughts about anti-racism.
At the end of the project, the group completed a presentation to fellow pupils, school staff, parents and school governors on what they had been working on and their longer-term plans.
Following the success of their presentation, the students were invited to present it to members of the Vale Community Cohesion Group on 30 January.
George Ashworth, Deputy Headteacher at All Saints CiW Primary School said: “The All Saints CiW Primary School Red to Racism Group delivered a magnificent presentation to members of the Vale of Glamorgan’s Community Cohesion Group.
“Representatives from the school’s governing body and Show Racism the Red Card also attended to hear the children present on how the school is raising the profile of the Anti-Racist Wales Action Plan, how they are gaining a deeper understanding of cynefin, diversity, equity, and inclusion, and how these important topics are being taught in school, driven by pupil voice.
“The children are eager to present again in the future and excited to continue working towards the targets outlined in their action plan.
"Thank you to everyone who attended and contributed to this brilliant event!”