About Us

Courageous Conversations

Our shared journey: learning about intersectionality as cultural organisations.

Introduction

In 2025, the National Portfolio Organisations – NPOs in Plymouth commissioned Léa Guzzo, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion consultant, to deliver a series of 3 workshops tailored for their cultural organisations in the city. These workshops aimed to:

  • Build a shared understanding of intersectionality

  • Explore how to apply an intersectional lens to our everyday work

  • Highlight the importance of intersectionality in fostering inclusive practices, specifically in the creative sector

The workshop series included:

1. Navigating Identities & Intersectionality

Participants explored key concepts including identity, privilege, and intersectionality, building a strong foundation for inclusive practice.

2. Practical Applications of Intersectionality

Using real-life case studies chosen by participants, focused on inclusive recruitment and programming, this session offered practical tools and strategies for embedding intersectionality into organisational practice.

3. Sustaining Courageous Conversations

This final session equipped participants to lead and sustain courageous conversations about EDI through an intersectional lens. Together, we explored some principles for creating courageous, trauma-informed spaces that welcome complexity and nuances.

Some key learnings

  • Intersectionality is essential to reveal unique individual experiences.

  • It’s a vital lens for creating more equitable and inclusive practices.

  • Courageous conversations are essential for meaningful cultural change.

Sharing our journey

With the aim of sharing our learning to help inspire and encourage other cultural organisations to embed intersectionality into their work, we’ve produced a series of videos where Léa interviews some of the participants to share their experiences, challenges, and tips for applying an intersectional lens. We hope you will find this helpful to support you on your journey bringing an intersectionality lens in your work.

We invite you to start with this introduction to intersectionality:

Then hear from Hannah (Plymouth Culture) and Rebecca (The Box) for more context:

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Next, meet Dulcie and Sally from the Barbican Theatre:

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Followed by the journeys of Helen and Matt at Literature Works:

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