Wales’ first national diversity and anti-racist leadership conference determinedly focused on educators in education, childcare and play, took place in the capital today.
The Welsh Government is committed to creating an anti-racist Wales by 2030, which calls for zero tolerance of racism in all its guises.
The event, which took place at the All Nations Centre in Cardiff, united over 250 leaders across education and early years, building on firm foundations already in place, following the roll-out of Diversity and Anti-racist Professional Learning (DARPL) since 2022.
DARPL provides practitioners with a high-quality professional learning and fundamental grounding to support anti-racist leadership in learning, teaching, childcare, play and leadership with children and young people across Wales, with 18,000 education professionals engaging to date. DARPL, designed by Cardiff Metropolitan University, has recently opened up to leaders and practitioners from childcare, playwork and early years and further education.
Accelerating this momentum, keynote speakers at the event including Baroness Floella Benjamin and Jeremy Miles, Minister for Education and Welsh Language focused on anti-racist leadership one of the key drivers to achieve the ambitions of an anti-racist Wales.
Jeremy Miles, Minister for Welsh Language and Education said:
“We are committed to embedding anti-racism right across the Welsh education system. The support for today’s first national diversity and anti-racist leadership event has been overwhelming. Our educational leaders are key to driving the change towards anti-racist leadership.”
Baroness Floella Benjamin said:
‘In the DARPL National Leadership conference, I talked with the leaders in Wales in Education, Childcare and Play about my childhood journey to the UK resulting in my bestselling book ‘Coming to England’. My session reflected on my experience of overcoming adversities and obstacles through positive attitude and learning to face them with a smile. My time with these leaders in Wales sets out to inspire and support their anti-racist leadership and for us all to think even more about ‘Childhood lasting a Lifetime’.”
Chantelle Haughton, DARPL Director-Founder, Principal Lecturer in Early Childhood in Cardiff Metropolitan University said:
“The first DARPL national leadership conference is an historic day, a collaborative leap towards ensuring anti-racist education, childcare and playwork in Wales. This unique event gathers, supports and challenges key leaders through professional learning within a strategic community of practice. Together, we are determined to reimagine the experience of our future generations in an anti-racist Wales. Cardiff Met is proud to be at the heart of progressive national racial equity conversations and step-change in Wales.”
