Staff Networks events and activities across the year
Our staff networks are a vibrant and valued part of life at Sussex. They bring people together, create spaces for connection and conversation, and give colleagues the opportunity to share experiences, celebrate different perspectives and have their voices heard. In doing so, they play a vital role in bringing the ambitions of the new Inclusive Sussex Framework to life and helping to shape a University where everyone can feel they belong.
Over the past year, our networks have continued to make a real difference. Through events, conversations, celebrations and opportunities to connect, they have supported colleagues, raised awareness, challenged thinking and helped us to better understand the experiences of different communities across our University.
And they have done this against a backdrop of considerable challenge and change. Despite the pressures of the past year, our networks, supported by the EDI Team, have continued to show the strength of their commitment to their members, to each other and to building a more inclusive Sussex. The time, enthusiasm, ideas and lived experiences that colleagues bring to this work are hugely valuable, helping us to broaden our understanding, challenge assumptions and create a more inclusive University for everyone.
This is something worth celebrating!
So, in recognition of the contribution our staff networks make throughout the year, we wanted to take a moment to look back at a year in the life of our staff networks. This is a celebration of the people, activities and achievements that have helped make Sussex a more connected and inclusive place to work. Most importantly, it is a thank you to everyone who gives their time, shares their experience, supports their colleagues and helps create a University where people feel heard, valued, and included.
LGBTQ+ Staff Network (Co-Chairs: Hermione La Chapelle and Keira Thomas)
This year, the LGBTQ+ Staff Network has delivered a brilliant mix of social, cultural and community events. We marked Trans Day of Remembrance with candle lighting, poems, speeches, decorated tea lights and shared soup; held a festive Christmas Quiz with our quizmaster and mulled wine; celebrated International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia, and Biphobia (IDAHOBIT) with Chaps & Straps, a queer line-dancing event; and joined other staff networks for a fun Canine Cuddles meet-up.
For Trans Pride, we hosted a sunny Trans Pride Party with the Trans and Non-Binary Staff Network, featuring an all-trans line-up of performers, zine-making, DJs, fiddle playing, folk singing and pizza. We also travelled to Brighton for Queer Night at the Museum, enjoying a queer art exhibition opening alongside DJs, performances and a catwalk. Most recently, our Pride Identity Painting Workshop brought in an external queer artist to share how he explores his identity through art, before giving everyone the chance to create their own canvas - a lovely, emotional and personal celebration of Pride, identity and community.
Parent and Carer Network (Chair: Hannah Mason-Bish)
Over the past year, the network has focused on supporting staff and families around the realities of care, wellbeing and changing family life. Network lead Hannah Mason-Bish alongside Judith Townend carried out work on Cultures of Care which brought together staff with caring responsibilities through a faculty conversation café and survey, capturing the experiences of 63 staff members in the Social Sciences. The work highlighted a gap between institutional equality policies and the lived realities of carers, while also demonstrating the positive difference that supportive and flexible line management can make. The findings have informed recommendations around carers’ paid leave, timetable and meeting scheduling, carers’ passports, improved support for fathers and male carers, and better guidance and training for line managers. These recommendations have been incorporated into the institutional Athena Swan application and action plan.
Alongside this, the network has provided practical support for families navigating the challenges of digital life. Two sessions on screen time and family digital wellbeing explored how families can develop healthier relationships with technology, reduce conflict around screens and support children’s online safety and resilience. The sessions encouraged parents and carers to reflect on their own habits, understand children’s online experiences, establish realistic boundaries and make use of practical tools and resources. Together, these activities demonstrate the network’s focus on creating supportive, inclusive environments that recognise the diverse realities of caring and provide practical approaches to improving wellbeing for staff, parents, carers and families.
As we move into 2026-2027 we have a session planned on parenting with anxiety and a workshop looking at helping elder family members navigating fraud online. We also continue to contribute to management level discussions including Athena Swan and putting forward membership views relating to the collective consultation on University business plans.
Neurodiversity Staff Network (Co-Chairs: Cecille Chevalier and Darren Payne)
The Neurodiversity Staff Network has continued to grow as both a community and a voice for change across the University. The network has contributed to inclusive practices through conversations at many levels (e.g. University strategic approaches and policies, training, disability equality steering group).
This year saw the first Sussex Neurodiversity Forum, from which the neurodiversity staff network community came together in developing capacity and visibility in sustaining neurodiversity work. The forum had four interconnected themes - sense-making, openness, reciprocity, and care - with the aim of increasing the visibility of existing work, strengthening awareness of neurodiversity beyond our community, and energising the community itself.
The network continues to offer a welcoming space through monthly MS Teams meetings, termly newsletters, and awareness events on topics such as generative AI tools and workplace accommodations. It’s a place for honest peer support — and when issues are raised, we feed them anonymously to the EDI unit so they can be acted on.
Trans and Non-Binary Staff Network (Co-Chairs: Jackie De Beaudrap and Rach Vowden)
The past two years have seen difficult external legal and regulatory developments for trans and non-binary people in the UK, which has led to significant uncertainty and anxiety amongst network members. The Trans and Non-Binary Staff Network has been engaged in consultation with Human Resources and the PVC of Culture, Equality, and Inclusion to identify potential impacts on trans and non-binary staff, and to find ways to mitigate the risk of any harm at work. At the same time, we have been working together with HR to do what we can to continue improving the clarity around how the University of Sussex recognises the needs of trans+ and non-binary staff.
We have hosted a diverse array of events and activities throughout the year. We began the year by marking Trans Day of Remembrance, with music performed by local harpist Sekinue, bringing our community together at the Meeting House to reflect and remember. In the new year, we invited Gendered Intelligence to deliver a ‘Know Your Rights’ session for our network members, providing valuable information and support. For Transgender Day of Visibility, we held a stall in Library Square, where we brought along a selection of pride badges, pronoun pins and lanyards, creating an informal opportunity to chat, share resources and raise awareness of trans and non-binary experiences across campus.
One of the biggest events of the year was our Trans Pride Party, featuring live performances from local musicians and a zine-making workshop. It was an afternoon filled with joy, visibility and connection, providing a chance to celebrate our network and spend time together as a community. Another valuable opportunity this year was attending the Trans Virtual Centre of Excellence conference in July, which provided a space to learn from other institutions, share experiences and explore best practice in supporting trans communities. We hope to continue developing and expanding our programme of events and activities, creating further opportunities for our trans community to come together and get involved.
Staff Disability Network (Co-Chairs: Angelina Kinsey-Cummings and Kitty Mitchell-Turner)
The Staff Disability Network have had a very busy year; from supporting network members, contributing to change on campus and putting on events. Our wonderful Co-Chair, Chloe Ilsley, stepped down in October and was replaced with Kitty, who chairs the network alongside Angie. Over the past year, the SDN has hosted a range of events, including a screening and discussion around 'This Might Hurt' and a well-being walk and a series of accessible yoga sessions. We also teamed up with the other staff networks to provide 'canine cuddles' sessions on campus for network members to improve well-being across campus and increase bonds across networks. As well as these exciting events, we have continued with our regular network meetings and newsletters, often based on relevant topics such as 'Chronic Fatigue at Work'.
The network has also worked hard on improving accessibility on campus. Our co-chairs worked with the estates parking team to reverse the newly introduced parking fees to keep parking low cost and accessible for all. They also advised on accessible signage for the newly installed platform lift and generally worked behind the scenes raising awareness and promoting accessible changes to support disabled staff and students. Providing support and understanding is one of the values that underpins the staff disability network, which has been provided amongst network members, as well as the more individualised support and advice for network members from the network chairs.
Ethnic Minority Staff Network (Chair: Madina Tash)
Over the past year, the Ethnic Minority Network has continued to provide an important space for colleagues to connect and engage with issues of racial equality and inclusion across the University. Through in-person, online and smaller group discussions, members have shared experiences, raised concerns, exchanged ideas and contributed to the University’s ongoing work on racial equality.
A key focus has been supporting ethnic minority staff to reflect on developments in racial equality at the University, celebrate progress and achievements, and identify areas where further action is needed. The Network’s Teams channel has complemented this work by providing an important source of ongoing peer support, enabling members to raise race and equality-related matters and access guidance and advice from colleagues.
The Network also undertook a survey to better understand the specific EDI-related concerns and experiences of ethnic minority colleagues working at Sussex. The survey provided an opportunity for members to share their views and identify issues that they felt were particularly important to address. The findings and feedback from members have helped to inform the network's discussions and priorities, ensuring that its activities remain grounded in the lived experiences and concerns of ethnic minority colleagues.
One of the final online discussions of this academic year was dedicated to the memory and legacy of Professor Jason Arday. His death was deeply upsetting to members of the network, many of whom expressed feelings of shock, sadness and frustration. The discussion provided an important opportunity for colleagues to come together, reflect on Professor Arday's contribution to academia and racial equality, and consider the significance of legacy. It also highlighted the continuing importance of maintaining spaces where colleagues can openly discuss the challenges facing ethnic minority academics and staff and support one another during difficult moments.
To find out more about our staff networks and how to join please visit Staff networks - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion.