What is the Inclusion Allies programme?
The Inclusion Allies programme is a 5-week immersive learning experience that prepares individuals to become Inclusion Allies.
Over the 5 weeks you will learn:
- What the role of an Inclusion Ally is and how the role fits in to your day-to-day work
- Key topics and considerations necessary to talk about inclusion and be an Inclusion Ally with confidence, such as: inclusive language, addressing power, privilege and biases
- How to develop tools to have courageous conversations, the power of stepping in and not standing by
- To self-reflect on your own position as an Inclusion Ally, working with a buddy and with the rest of the cohort to build an ongoing network of Inclusion Allies you can turn to
- To create sustainable, long term, best practice inclusion behaviours and a journey of further learning to continue developing your Ally style.
This programme is designed to take you out of your comfort zone. In between humility and discomfort, we find growth. Please keep this in mind when considering and approach this programme – with a willingness to hear others and be open to share your experiences. Everyone is welcome!
What do I get out of it?
Essentially, you will get out of it what you put into it. The more you spend time developing your Ally style the more confident and capable you will find yourself as an Inclusion Ally. Generally, you can expect come out of the programme with the following:
- Feeling confident to talk about inclusion in any situation and to identify and champion inclusive behaviours in and out of your work life
- Courage to call out exclusionary behaviours/remarks having had the tools to help you do so
- Be part of something bigger than yourself. Being supported and part of a new system-wide Allies Network, where you will have other Allies that you can go to for support
- Established as an Inclusion Ally in your team and department, who people may turn to for advice or ideas on improving inclusion and diversity for the team.
What will I be expected to do after the Inclusion Allies Programme?
The role of an Inclusion Ally is varied as you will see when you start the programme, however, it is one of support, learning, raising awareness and demonstrating inclusive behaviours every day.
As such, your commitment to being an Inclusion Ally after the programme is what you make of it, but it is relatively light touch and won’t interfere with your official job role.
When is the programme running, and how long does it take?
The Inclusion Allies programme starts on Tuesday 18th November and finishes Tuesday 16th December 2025.
The programme lasts for 4-6 hours and is spread over 5 weeks. The structure looks like this:
| Week 1 | Tuesday 18th November 2025
10:00 – 11:00 |
You will join a one-hour live onboarding call via MS Teams where we will talk about the role of the ally, share examples of great allyship and start your journey to becoming an Inclusion Ally.
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| Week 2
Week 3
Week 4 |
In your own time | During the following three weeks you will need to commit to two hours of learning, at a time that suits you, which includes:
· Watching two videos · Following some activities in your Allies workbook
You will learn about: · inclusive language – how to become comfortable talking about inclusion and difference; · courageous conversations – how to ‘call in’ and coach others when they exclude.
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| Weeks 1-5 | Buddy meetings
(dates/times to be arranged with your buddy) |
We will match you with an ‘Inclusion Ally Buddy’ – someone else participating in the programme. We will introduce you to one another by email.
We suggest you arrange to meet your buddy on a weekly basis (four meetings in total) for approx. 20-30 minutes. These can be on MS Teams or in person. You will be guided on the topics to discuss each week.
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| Week 5 | Tuesday 16th December 2025
2:00 – 3:00 |
You will join the final live call of the programme. Once again this will take place on MS Teams.
You will complete an Inclusion Ally Pledge which is your personal commitment to take action. You’ll also celebrate graduating from the training and find out what’s next. |
You will learn alongside other colleagues working in any of the partner organisations in the One Gloucestershire Integrated Care System (ICS):
- Gloucestershire Constabulary
- Gloucestershire County Council, and all city, borough and district councils in Glos
- Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue
- Gloucestershire Independent Social Care Sector
- Gloucestershire Integrated Care Board
- Gloucestershire Health and Care NHS Foundation Trust
- Gloucestershire Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Gloucestershire Primary Care teams
- South West Ambulance NHS Foundation Trust (SWAST)
Are there any pre-requisites to attending?
The programme is open to anyone interested in becoming an Inclusion Ally, regardless of role or banding.
Before submitting your application online, please check first:
- you can commit to the dates, time and study requirements described above
- you are up-to-date with all statutory and mandatory training as per the requirements of the organisation you work for
- you are not subject to any disciplinary action or formal performance management in the organisation you work for
- your line manager supports your application to become an Inclusion Ally
How do I apply?
If you would like to apply for a place, click the link below to book a place or scan the QR code with your mobile device.
During the registration process, please use your work email address to help us verify your identity and communicate with you in a professional capacity. If you do not have a work email then please use your personal email address (please note that if you do this we will need to verify your employment before confirming your place). Select the most appropriate sector from the drop-down list and add your employer’s name in the ‘other’ section.
Please note that there are a maximum number of places available per organisation/sector. Therefore, if your organisation/sector reaches its limit and we are unable to accommodate you, we will allocate places on a first-come-first served basis.
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 22nd October 2023 at 5pm
If you have any questions or require support with completing your application form please email: