The events of the last two months have profoundly moved the members of this team along with the rest of the business community and society. As a company, we are deeply against racism, social inequality, and social injustice. It is vital that we speak up and call out the unfair treatment of black people and other ethnic minorities.
As a black-owned business, we are proud of the fact that ViDERE is made up of people from different cultures, backgrounds and nationalities. The diversity found within this company is its greatest asset and strength. As a team, we are able to access each other’s different ideas and perspectives which enables us to do better and be better.
A few thoughts from members of our team..,
“…this has been a time of reflection for society and a moment of introspection for black people and black communities around the world. I have struggled with having open and frank conversations about the inequalities I see and experience. The last few weeks have shown me that only knowledge and information about the realities of what's taking place can help people understand the experience of other cultures and the perspective of other people.” – Akil Gordon-Beckford (Founder)
“…there are many positive to conversations and dialogues about inequality and inclusion opening up. Within the film and TV industries, in particular, there’s a massive movement to address diversity within all forms of media; I’m hopeful for the future and that there will be a more honest conversation about inclusivity within society.” – Ravi Kumar (Videographer)
“It wasn't easy growing up as an Asian lad in the UK, for example being called racial slurs regularly or being told to "go back to your own country”. This left me feeling disappointed,
discouraged and the feeling of being inadequate. However, I have chosen to move past these
feelings and obstacles to pursue success and happier feelings; it’s not worth letting myself be
consumed with life’s hurdles and the ignorance of others.” – Nathan Dudley (Aquascaper)
“As a woman of Chinese descent, it’s not been uncommon to face or hear of others experiencing ignorance, micro-aggressions and hate crimes. However, across the course of history, no ethnic group has been subjected to as much structural violence and racism in the same way as the black community. As a society, we must stand up for all racism. But at the forefront of this movement, we must stand up for black lives matter. We must support our black friends, partners and colleagues and help to create an end to the systemic oppression
and injustice.” – Sophia Smith (Sales)
“People can be incredibly small-minded, but hopefully we’ll continue to listen, grow and educate ourselves as a society and do better. People would do well to see the power, diversity and opportunity all cultures have to offer instead of remaining prejudiced and
ignorant.” – Holly Young (Marketing)
FOR ALL LIVES TO MATTER BLACK LIVES MUST MATTER TOO!
It’s important that we all act and contribute towards real change within our community and society.
We believe in doing our bit to create a better world for now and future generations. Through our ‘Clean Water Programme’ with B1G1 we have been donating a percentage of our profits towards projects that line up with UN GLOBAL Goal 6 clean water. Since 2018 we have provided 20,491 days of clean water for people.
As a company, we have decided to diversify the focus of our social responsibility by adding Global Goal 3 ‘Good Health and Wellbeing’ and Global Goal 10 ‘Reduced Inequalities’.
POSITIVE SPACES
We know that the products and services we provide for our clients have positive benefits for improving health and wellbeing. We pledge to go a step further through ‘Positive Spaces’, a community-focused project aimed at creating better access to nature for members of our communities. We will do this through donations and fundraising to create natural spaces that facilitate young people and healthcare keyworkers, having a more positive experience at work and in education. Positive environments shaping positive cultures is the philosophy that underpins the work we do with our clients. We want to positively shape the environments of our key workers who support our health and the spaces of children from black and ethnic minorities by working with our industry partners to donate fish tanks to UK schools and hospitals.
OPPORTUNITYISNOWHERE
We will be supporting UN Global Goal #10 ‘Reduced Inequality’ in an effort to be more visible and create opportunities within our community. ‘Opportunity Is Now Here’ is an outreach initiative to develop the talent of future generations and level the playing field from social inequality. We will be working with grassroots organisations to engage with young people providing mentoring and internship opportunities. The aim is to share our knowledge and experience to raise aspirations and create a platform for future careers.
As a small business, we will do our best to reverse the impact of social injustice by strengthening the connections we have with nature and each other. We have seen first hand how positive spaces can lead to a positive culture that embraces the value of diversity and equal opportunity. We look forward to giving our support in making those opportunities possible.