Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Scottish Heritage

This year-long AHRC-funded project will deliver a collaborative programme of engagement around Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) in the Scottish Heritage sector. The project is designed to create capacity to address EDI issues (with a special focus on race) in some of Scotland’s largest and most influential heritage organisations, through working with closely networked partners from within the sector, community organisations and young people. 
Partners on this project include: Strathclyde University (lead partner); Museums Galleries Scotland; Chartered Institute for Archaeologists; Society of Antiquaries of Scotland.
The project work will centre on 3 strands: 
Strand 1 will involve evaluation and reviews of current knowledge and practice. It will include reviews of literature and race-related heritage projects. Using Museum Galleries Scotland (MGS) and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland's (SoAS) extensive networks it will facilitate a large survey and interviews of heritage professionals about EDI awareness and challenges, to identify specific gaps in knowledge and practice to address. Community organisations will also be surveyed and interviewed to understand the barriers they face in engaging with the heritage sector and their understandings of what heritage is. This information will also feed into the MGS Scottish Government consultation on Empire, Slavery & Scotland's Museums. Some of this work will also be used by SoAS to develop their own EDI framework. 
Strand 2 will focus on delivering two pilot case studies which will recruit 4 paid work placements each. These pilot case studies will be based at National Trust Scotland and the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland. The work placements will offer young people from backgrounds underrepresented in the heritage sector the opportunity to develop skills in the sector and will demonstrate how diversity can develop different decision-making in heritage. These pilot studies are designed to generate impact through creating templates for future EDI-focused placements run by heritage organisations. 
Strand 3 will focus on dissemination, including a report engaging politicians and heritage-sector policy-makers launched by Museums Galleries Scotland. It will also include the development of a suite of resources (toolkit) for audiences such as heritage sector organisations, community groups and people of colour entering the heritage sector workforce, as well as webpages. Throughout the duration of the project, webinar series will be developed around contested issues in Scottish heritage. 
By working with the heritage sector to map challenges, build links with diverse communities, and involve young people (and potential future employees), directly with decision-making mechanisms, the project will work to address inequalities by embedding better working and engagement practices and policies across the heritage sector in Scotland