The scheme aims to help senior staff within the Combined Authority gain some understanding of what life is like in the city region for people from Black and Asian and Minority Ethnic backgrounds. The scheme will partner with Liverpool John Moores University to deliver the training, who are in their third year of running this type of reciprocal mentoring scheme.

Over the last year the Combined Authority has worked with a wide range of partners on activities including a £3.2m Race Equality Hub that will target employment inequalities and removing barriers in the labour market, as well as starting to deliver race equality training to the city region’s 22,000 local government employees.

This is the latest element of the Combined Authority’s broader work to tackle racial inequality in the city region. The understanding gained through the process will feed into how the Combined Authority delivers its own services and help improve its practices around inclusivity and non-discrimination in its activities, while volunteers will benefit from building a relationship with the Combined Authority’s senior leaders. Under this race equality mentoring scheme, the volunteers will be reimbursed for their mentoring over six months.

Speaking about the programme Katherine Fairclough,  Chief Executive of the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, said:

“The best people to help our senior leaders understand what life is like for people from the region’s Black and Asian, Minority Ethnic communities are those who have that lived experience.  I’d urge people to come forward to get involved with this scheme, to truly have their voices heard, and influence how the Combined Authority delivers its services in the future.

“The scheme will provide opportunities to create a powerful alliance where knowledge and understanding of people’s lived experience are used to raise awareness and influence decision making. I hope that this will directly contribute towards creating a diverse and inclusive society across the city region.

“This scheme is an important practical demonstration of our unwavering commitment to address racial inequality.  It is also a great example of how devolution can enable us to get closer to the people we serve and ultimately make better decisions on their behalf.”

The scheme is open to anyone over the age of 18 from a Black, Asian, Minority Ethnic background. Participants will be offered reimbursement for their participation.

The closing date for applications is Wednesday 15 February. Information on how to apply is available in the vacancies section on the Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, visit: https://bit.ly/3CWRlrp

Further details on the scheme:

There is a time commitment over the full six months based on the estimate below:

• Mentor training session:  90 minutes training in March 2023 on being a mentor and getting the most out of a reciprocal mentoring relationship

• Between four and six mentor meetings: approximately 1-1/2 hours per meeting, once a month for six months.

• Maintain a reflective diary: 10-15 mins after each meeting (e.g. video, written, etc.). This is individual, and we believe it will help you reflect on the conversations.

• Impact and evaluation (to assess the effectiveness of the scheme): Approx. 60 mins (This meeting will be arranged for end of the scheme)

The project will the run from March 2023 until October 2023 with impact and evaluation taking place in November 2023. Anyone with any queries, or who would like an informal discussion, should contact the Combined Authority via email: [email protected]