Addressing systemic discrimination (2020/23)

This GYA Focus Area starts from the commitment that the GYA should work against all systemic bias that results in discrimination (be it due to race, caste, gender, sexuality, culture, age, etc.), and should look into best practices to combat systemic bias. This GYA group will work to reiterate trust in fundamental human rights, in the self-respect and worth of the human in academia and other places without discrepancy in any of the above. A compilation of resources to actively combat racism and discrimination in academia could be created.

Despite legal protections of fundamental human rights all over the world, discrimination in various forms remains pervasive, including in academia.

The group will look into how systemic bias, which manifests in institutional practices as well as individual behaviour (i.e., microaggression) can be addressed by the GYA as an organisation internally, but also when interacting with our partner organisations.

The GYA Anti-discrimination Statement is the first output of the group.

At the e-AGM in June 2020, GYA members discussed a number of topics and decided on three focus areas as priority topics for the GYA in 2020/21. In May 2021, the decision was made to continue with this group for the 2021/22 year, and at the 2022 e-AGM, GYA members again voted to continue this group for the 2022/23 period.