EDI NEWS AND ADVICE FROM NCFD

What an unforgettable celebration of leadership, learning and lived inclusion! On Thursday 27th November, the National Centre for Diversity proudly hosted the FREDIE Conference & Awards 2025 at The Aagrah Restaurant in Bradford — marking a powerful milestone in our journey as we celebrate 20 years of championing FREDIE values across the UK.

The festive season can be a joyful time — but also an isolating one if Christmas isn’t part of your culture, religion or personal life. Office parties, Secret Santa gifts, Christmas jumper days… it can feel like everyone else is celebrating something that doesn’t represent you.

Words shape how we see the world — and how we see each other. That’s why inclusive language plays such an important role in building respectful and positive environments.

In conversations about equality, diversity and inclusion, we often focus on what we should say — the right words, the correct terminology, how to communicate effectively. But one of the most powerful inclusion skills isn’t speaking at all. It’s listening.

Fairness isn’t a luxury — it’s a human necessity. It’s hardwired into us. From childhood, we react instinctively to unfairness. When a child says, “That’s not fair!”, they are expressing something deep within human nature: the need to be treated justly, to belong, and to trust that rules apply equally to everyone.