Diversity and Inclusion in the South West...
| Author | Date | Message |
|---|---|---|
| Conor Murphy | Jul 7 2024, 6:21pm | This is what the future of trail running looks like. Runners from Ireland, Somalia, Egypt, Sweden, Nigeria, Ukraine and England enjoying our beautiful landscape, chatting and making friends. We see marked improvement in diversity and inclusion in other sports, in track and field, it WILL happen on trails and mountains. But if you look at photos of events, races and outings here now, we can all do better. The one bright light is the wonderful work of Trail Criú and advocates like Maggie Lawler and Alicia Christofi-Walshe. Check out their social media and please support their proposal to IMRA by posting on Maggie's thread below. Some of us put together a run for the international community here in Munster this morning. It took a lot of work, but this really matters. Simply saying "we're having a run, everyone can join" is no use. They face barriers that we hardly notice. And not just gear, language and transport; what we see as our small tight knit community can look like a closed clique to others, many cannot afford the commercial events and do not know of and cannot get to IMRA events. This is our first small step in the south west. We want to develop this with Trail Criu, so we liaised with FRCs, immigrant support groups like KASI and Tralee International Resource Centre, reps from the Ukrainian, Indian and African communities, Sanctuary Runners Ireland, Kerry Sports Partnership and regional and national media, who are all interested and engaged. Thanks so much to Annemarie of Sanctuary Runners, Sorcha, Marie and Fergus for your enthusiasm and help - and for the delicious post run food - and to Kevin Leahy for his support, and patience in running with us! https://www.instagram.com/p/C9H-vcysiof/?igsh=MXZjMDFybG1vdDYyMA== |
| Maggie Lawler | Jul 8 2024, 10:25am | Great to see it Conor Murphy! Yes theres more to inclusion than being 'friendly' or 'welcoming'. Being a friendly group is a bare minimum tbh. If inclusion is to be taken seriously, an effort needs to be made to remove barriers that exclude people. |
| Eoin Mac Mahon | Jul 8 2024, 10:50am | IMRA is the most welcoming organisation I've ever seen. There is no barriers. |
| Elaine Casey | Jul 8 2024, 11:29am | I think Eoins comment shows how it can sometimes be difficult for people to know and understand what the barriers can be. Maggie I think it would be really helpful if you gave some examples. Transport, language, money, gear, culture, fear are just some that spring to mind for me. And how friendly a group see themselves as is only one part of the equation. |
| Maggie Lawler | Jul 10 2024, 9:25pm | Hi Elaine, I think you're right that it can be hard for people to see the barriers. What you've mentioned are top of mind. The things that are largely taken for granted aren't considered barriers because the majority in the sport aren't affected by them. |
| Connie Dottino | Jul 10 2024, 10:24pm | I am immigrant from a country not included in your limited list who has been running with IMRA since 2012. I must say, I've never felt so included in any organisation or club, not even in my native land! I hope that count as an example of serious inclusion. A great Irish teacher and mentor gave me hours of his time listening to me and my personal crap and over the course of almost 10 years built up my confidence help me free myself the barriers I saw. He never once advertised his charitable work. He never did anything FOR me. He gave me the skills I needed to do things for myself. You sound so pushy I can't help wondering what your hidden agenda is. |
| Maggie Lawler | Jul 10 2024, 10:52pm | Connie, my agenda has never been hidden. It's been fairly clear all along. I'm glad your experience has been positive. The truth is that barriers still exist for some people. |
| Mícheál O'Mullain | Jul 10 2024, 11:05pm | Unless there is the possibility of hurling final tickets involved include me out …… |
| Connie Dottino | Jul 11 2024, 12:12am | Maggie, trust me. I know from my own experience the barriers that exist in life. My point is, i totally respect you want to pursue your cause for whatever reason. If I was in their shoes, I’d be wondering why anyone would fight for me to go mountain running when there are obviously more basic needs that are unmet. That’s not IMRA’s members’ fault. I can’t afford sailing. Anyone got yacht? |
| Conor Murphy | Jul 11 2024, 8:07pm | Hi Connie, It is great to hear you had such a positive experience. Of course, not all immigrants are the same, and not all experiences are the same. Some are Consultants in our hospitals, some are fleeing conflict zones and live in Direct Provision. One of the runners had never seen woodlands before! Now I don't speak for them, but what I and we can do is try to make it as easy as possible for them to go back to those woodlands for another run. Incidentally, I should add that diversity and inclusion is not all about immigration. In that regard I recently praised Niamh O'Ceallaigh for organising an inclusive event for people with a disability. These first steps should be encouraged and developed. You don't need to own a yacht to go sailing. You don't need to own a mountain to go running. Again, like getting to the woodlands, it's all about access. And in that regard, I understand Irish Sailing has policies on equality, diversion and inclusivity going back almost a decade that are applied to all their clubs and centres. They even have an Equality, Diversion and Inclusivity Officer. They are years ahead of us, but no time like the present to start catching up. To end on more positivity, I note that Trail Criu has made proposals. I have a very modest one. At a time when we are sending teams out to international races - which is great - maybe IMRA could assist in covering the costs if Munster Trail Runners and Trail Criu arrange a meet up for our international contingent in a month or 2. It would not be substantial, just to cover a hostel and travel to bring a group from Leinster down to the South West, but I think it would send out such a good message. Oh and will someone ever get Micheál a hurling ticket! |
| Connie Dottino | Jul 12 2024, 8:53pm | Conor, you picked the wrong woman to mansplain to. I didn't realise I was speaking to the self-appointed God Almighty himself who decides who should have access to what in this world or judges who is more or less disadvantaged. Let me confess to you, I stopped attending the Sunday guilt trips a long time ago. I've lost all faith and respect for any charitable or religious organisation that proclaims to do any sort of social work. So, if you don't mind, I'd like to exercise the freedom not to support any. Let me put it to you this way, Conor. IMRA is a voluntary organization. I joined it to mountain run and switch off, not to solve the social inequalities of this world of which many of us can be victims of at times. As a taxpayer, I indirectly support a lot of things that if, given the choice, I wouldn't support. Whatever your prejudices about IMRA members are, I can barely finance my own running, gear and travelling costs. Yet, I am aware that mountain running is not at the bottom of Maslow's pyramid. Therefore, I don't see why IMRA should give anything to anyone for free. That would mean I am yet again obliged to indirectly support a cause I may not want to support and I'd like to have a choice. That said, if IMRA decided to give you a spot on the calendar for you to hold an event to fundraise, I wouldn't have any objection to that. You could also seek support from business organizations looking for kudos and a tax-break! Great marketing. You guys asked in previous threads, for feedback. My view is that you are campaigning, making a lot of noise and patronising people on the wrong platform. If you are so concerned about the welfare of the people you claim to represent, you could get on to the Department of Social Protection and fight that they get the support they need to have access to Education, dignified work and support to find their own voices. I am distrustful of anyone who takes it upon themselves to speak for others. As for the sailing, Lord who knows all my needs, you seem quite familiar with the sport, no wonder doctors area higher rank of immigrants. You'd choose them to cut labour costs at the expense of sending your children to Australia! All I can say to you, is I need to own a yacht to go sailing as much as anyone needs to be a member of IMRA or own hand-me-down gear to go hiking or mountain running! If there's no yacht up for grabs, I'll take a dinghy! |
| Conor Murphy | Jul 13 2024, 8:35am | Hi Connie, I'm afraid I'm 50. So I'm FAR too old to be drawn into a slagging match! And tbh some of the abuse amused me - the recurring "God/Lord" stuff is silly and you may already regret the lack of an edit feature. But I laughed it off. Don't worry, I won't call the netiquette police. And I can understand some of your anger, few things irritate me more than idle virtue signalling. People have to roll up their sleeves too. But I think that is exactly what Sanctuary Runners and Trail Criu are doing. You are perfectly entitled to object to IMRA giving time, money and effort to any issue or cause. I see Robbie collecting second hand gear, which obviously could be met with many of the same accusations of paternalism you make. I see Miriam's thread about donating to SLMRT following an awful tragedy, people running from Coast 2 Coast for palliative care etc. But ultimately I respectfully disagree with your claims that IMRA should not give anything to anyone for free and exists solely for running. I also note that the IMRA Constitution supports my view, it's not just about running, it's about promoting the sport. And I think my, again modest, proposal does just that. |
| Laura Flynn | Jul 13 2024, 5:33pm | Thanks for sharing your personal experience of IMRA with us Connie. I’ve no doubt there are many other similar positive stories amongst our members. I’ve also just read the mid-year report published by the committee on the home page. Reading it will give anyone an understanding and appreciation of the range and volume of the work that’s being done, not just to put on the vast calendar of races but also to grow and promote the sport throughout the country. The suggestion that efforts are not being made in the areas of promotion and inclusion are, in my opinion, inaccurate and insulting - insulting to the current committee and sub-committees, past committees and the many, many members who put their hands up when needed, all of whom have helped in bringing IMRA to where it is today. The countless hours given by these people, voluntarily and by choice, are priceless, as the report says. This is the main reason we’ve been able to keep the cost of participating so low and inclusive to people of all income, as opposed to the commercial events you’ve mentioned Conor, which are becoming more and more exclusive. (I don't have the exact stats but I do know that most of our race costs haven’t increased in years) Of course things can always be improved and I expect the committee will look at the submission on diversity and inclusion with an open mind and in the context of the organisation as a whole and the various competing demands. In the meantime hopefully we can all stay positive and respectful and recognise that we’re all here because of our shared love of running in the mountains and on the trails. |
| Maggie Lawler | Jul 15 2024, 10:00am | Hi Laura, We can all appreciate the massive work that goes into continuously providing races and improving participation at the scale that IMRA does, especially on a volunteer level—it's very impressive. However, let's not confuse promotion with diversity. Spreading more races nationwide doesn't actually diversify IMRA. The fact is, the cost of participation is not inclusive for all people; it's inclusive for those who can afford it. Implying that everyone can afford an IMRA membership and race entry is inaccurate. It's not meant to be insulting, but it’s important to remember that following last year’s member survey, the IMRA committee themselves recommended that the member base should reflect all sections of Irish society. We can all agree that it certainly doesn’t at this point, but work is happening and change is happening. On a very positive note, Trail Criu has 21 IMRA members who have participated in 40 races. We think this is something to celebrate. IMRA is clearly benefiting from this, not just from a cultural enrichment and diversity point of view, but also financially. All of this has been funded by individuals and small businesses, and what Trail Criu has proposed is for IMRA to provide a fraction of this cost (estimated €100-€300). Diversity and inclusion do require a financial investment. Additionally, it's important to note for everyone interacting here that those 21 members are all reading this forum. It’s not always a welcoming space, even for those of us who have been IMRA members for years and are culturally similar. Diversity and inclusion start before the race entry. |
| Dave Docherty | Jul 15 2024, 10:25am | Might I make a suggestion that I have seen used for inclusion in the media and podcast world. Where a paywall is in place the producers have a policy, if an email is sent asking for access, then access is granted, no questions asked. Perhaps we could operate a similar system, someone simply sends a mail asking for race entry and race entry is granted. Its open to some abuse but I'd say for the most part given the cost of races and the voluntary aspect IMRA it would be respected. |
| Turlough Conway | Jul 15 2024, 12:46pm | Just to comment. I was one of the organisers of the 3 IMRA Sligo women’s races this year. We achieved in having 100 new women’s members participating in the sport who would not have otherwise done so. This started with the IMRA ‘Her Outdoors’ weekend run in 2022 (IMRA were nominated for inclusivity award). Miriam and the IMRA committee were engaging and listened to the obstacles to female participation I had passed on, and also let me know of technical/logistical obstacles that would need to be overcome. We worked together with an external organisation (Sligo Sports Recreation Partnership) which was also a new departure. Again we all worked together with accurate information and made it work. IMRA committee were also keen that the Sligo pilot be replicated in other areas and we have worked on this with the Inclusivity Sub Committee. I attended a meeting of the main and sub committee and I found them to be open, fair, hard working and of a high standard. I am not saying this to win an argument. But it is important that ordinary members know that any implication that IMRA or its committee does not strive to be inclusive, does not understand the issues (or is unwilling to listen to them) is not based on fact. WRT to whether running or off road running being beneficial for asylum seekers I would suggest the benefits are in community, self esteem, mental escape, and solidarity. All of these are pretty big when missing. Sports groups can’t help with basic needs such as accommodation, food etc. But they are a very good fit for the others. Well done to the folks in Sanctuary Runners, Trail Criu etc for identifying this and actioning. You may be aware that Sports Ireland have a considerable inclusivity budgets available. With 8 new ‘REgional Sports Officers’ coming on line. This is not a comment on your proposal, but this is a route we took and could help future plans. I am sure the IMRA committee will look at any proposal in the open minded, practical way they looked at ours. As with any good committee you’ll get best results by interfacing with them in a similar vein. Best of luck to all. |
| Connie Dottino | Jul 15 2024, 8:49pm | Thank you, Laura and thanks to the current committee and previous committees for the immense work you put in behind the scenes. The only guilt I feel is that I haven't volunteered enough or openly thanked you enough! IMRA has been inclusive in a beautifully understated way since before the media made it fashionable to talk about inclusion. I hope it stays that way. |
| Conor Murphy | Jul 16 2024, 3:58pm | Thank you Turlough. Frankly given all you've achieved in bringing trail and mountain running to the West and North West, I'm not surprised that you've brought that same commitment and drive to tackling other issues too. The regional reps like you and Robbie Williams are phenomenal ambassadors and all that is good in the sport. I fully agree with the last line of your post Laura, about a shared love of running on the mountains and trails. That's what made it particularly special to give people from conflict zones living in Direct Provision their first opportunity to access the mountains and trails of the south west. As you and other Committee members will know from joining Trail Criu runs, they are wonderful. And the outpouring of goodwill here has been wonderful too, over 250 likes across FB, Insta and in lovely messages, many from IMRA Munster reps. It's very clear that so many here support us following the trail blazed by Sanctuary Runners and Trail Criu. I'm certain they all look forward to seeing that reflected in support from HQ. I have written to Miriam and Louis about funding our meet up. It's not just altruism, this could help IMRA get coverage in national media, access major sponsors etc. The win win is very obvious. In fact, I note Sanctuary Runners have made it into today's Guardian in the UK for their work on inclusion... https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/16/free-to-run-asylum-seekers-dream-sporting-glory |
| Miriam Maher | Jul 16 2024, 4:44pm | Hi Conor, Email received yesterday, with thanks. Reply sent back yesterday evening. If you haven't had sight of it yet, might be worth checking your spam folder? All the best Miriam |
