Jasmin finds her place as a new employee with the Proud network at West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Created by VERCIDA for West Yorkshire Combined Authority

Starting out in the workforce post-pandemic, Jasmin says the Proud LGBTQ+ network has made the move from university to work much easier.

The Proud Network was launched at West Yorkshire Combined Authority in 2020, but I joined last year and became a member of Proud about a month later. So, I’m quite a new member, but even in that short time, I’ve seen the network evolve.

I’m an administration apprentice in the employment and skills team at the Combined Authority. It’s my first full-time job since I graduated from university, apart from a three-month internship. So, I had to get used to an in-person workplace. I wanted to find likeminded colleagues, especially joining an organisation after Covid. At the Combined Authority we work in a hybrid way. To help build strong connections with colleagues in the wider organisation, the Proud network was a great opportunity for me to meet new people and join a community. Meeting in person is important to me and helps me feel part of an organisation that shares my values and supports diversity.

Proud had quite a big presence at Leeds Pride and we held a lunch-and-learn session for Pride last year. Since then, I’ve seen the network grow. They do a lot of events around awareness and education, so February’s LGBTQ+ History Month is important. This year, it’s centred on important figures in our history and how far the Pride movement has come.

 As a queer person, I’ve found a real sense of community by being involved in Proud. It has really helped me bridge that transition from university to the workplace. I’ve found the Combined Authority to be such a welcoming and inclusive workplace.

On my first day, I remember there was Pride bunting on the wall and a Pride flag on the wall. The Proud co-chairs have a strong presence at work, they get the opportunity to give feedback on the formulation of HR policies and initiatives, and when issues do come up that affect LGBTQ+ people they’re quite vocal. Even things that might seem small are important, such as updating Outlook so people can include their pronouns in email signatures. It’s a great move, especially for trans colleagues and it just helps everyone feel more comfortable when they know how to refer to people.

The network meets once a month and members are welcome to add anything to the agenda. This means we have some pretty wide-ranging discussions at our meetings. There was one meeting last year where one member talked about going to a Taylor Swift concert, while another spoke about their experiences with adoption. I like that our meetings are informal and not super-structured. It doesn’t feel like a rigid board meeting.

Overall, our members are quite aware of intersectionality and a lot of people are naturally part of multiple networks. Not all of us come from the same background and within Proud, we have people with diverse experiences, and we get to learn from each other.

There’s an allies group too. Here, our allies are given updates on things like forthcoming events, such as Trans Day of Remembrance and Pride, and, like Proud, it’s an informal safe space where people can have discussions and ask questions without being embarrassed.

Looking ahead, we’re planning some volunteering for Pride month. The network did this last year, but I hadn’t yet joined, so I’m looking forward to being involved. At the Combined Authority, employees get paid time out for volunteering, and somebody has already mentioned balsam-bashing, which I’ve never done before. I’ve Googled it and it looks really interesting! It should be a good day out while doing some good. But you’re also getting to know your colleagues, so it should be quite social as well.

As for me, I’m really enjoying my job and I find that being part of Proud helps. It never hurts to be aware of marginalised groups within your community when you are engaging with people. I’ve still got a little bit of my apprenticeship to complete and ideally, I’d like to stay with the Combined Authority. 

The Combined Authority has a great track record for retaining apprentices. I'd still like to identify what my next steps are, but it would be nice to move into a programme assistant role and keep progressing from there. It’s an inclusive place to work and I can see a real career path for myself here.