At YHA, building an inclusive culture isn’t just something we talk about, it’s something we live every day.

Our vision is to embed equity, access, diversity and inclusion into everything we do, ensuring “all means all”. This guides how we recruit, train, support, and grow our people. We’re proud that 93% of our team have shared their EDI data. This helps us make smarter, more focused decisions.

We’ve made big strides in inclusive recruitment, growing applications from ethnically diverse candidates from just 6% in 2021 to 46% by the end of 2024, exceeding our 35% target. We also set out to attract more candidates with disabilities, and we’re now seeing 6% of applicants identifying as disabled, a strong figure given wider UK employment data.

Right now, 21.66% of our workforce are from ethnic backgrounds, and 6.48% identify as having a disability. These numbers matter, but what really matters is how people feel working here, and that’s where culture comes in. Of those from ethnic backgrounds, 76% said they are proud to work for YHA. Among employees with disabilities, 73% reported the same, strong indicators of belonging and inclusion.

Being a charity with minimal funds available to drive EDI changes, we’ve had to be creative. We’ve developed specific EDI bitesize training that’s easy for everyone to access, built a central EDI intranet page, and launched an annual Recognition & Awareness Events Calendar to celebrate key dates and drive learning. All managers have completed Inclusive Leadership training and are sharing it with their teams through regular “Team Talks.” We’ve earned an Autism Friendly Award at one of our flagship hostels, using this learning to improve access across our network. We take part in RACE reporting and are exploring other ways to strengthen our data transparency.

We listen to our people, through employee surveys, onboarding, and exit interviews, so we know where we’re doing well and where we need to do better. We’re also setting up EDI staff networks to bring lived experience right into our decision-making and we are embedding equality impact assessments to ensure every decision considers inclusion. Inclusion at YHA is about everyday actions and long-term commitment. We’ve created a space where people feel seen, heard, and valued, and we’re just getting started.