Inclusions
We recognise that hitch-hiking, as the core activity of our group, could present barriers for various groups of students. We are committed to minimising these barriers, and creating a space which is not only diverse, but inclusive and fosters equality.
Bummit Committee are committed to creating a safe environment free of bullying, harassment, victimisation and unlawful discriminaton, promoting dignity and respect for all, and where individual differences of all participants are recognised and valued.
The PDF below gathers the Inclusions Policy for Bummit in 2022/2023.
We recognise that hitch-hiking, as the core activity of our group, could present barriers for
various groups of students. We are committed to minimising these barriers, and creating a
space which is not only diverse, but inclusive and fosters equality.
Bummit Committee are committed to creating a safe environment free of bullying,
harassment, victimisation and unlawful discrimination, promoting dignity and respect for all,
and where individual differences of all participants are recognised and valued.
This includes differences in:
● Age,
● Race,
● Ethnicity,
● Gender identity or expression
● Student status (Any registered student at The University of Sheffield can participate
in Bummit – whether they are part-time, full time, actively studying, taking a leave of
absence, on a placement year or year abroad. Members of the public cannot take
part for insurance reasons)
● National origin,
● Physical and mental ability,
● Political affiliation,
● Religion,
● Sexual orientation,
● Socio-economic status,
and other characteristics that make Bummit participants unique!
Equality, Diversity and Inclusion for Bummit
What do these terms mean?
Equality means fairness. Bummit will not treat anybody less favourably because of their
personal characteristics as outlined above.
Diversity means respecting, recognising and celebrating our differences. Bummit aims to
create an environment that has a wide range of mindsets, backgrounds and characteristics,
which allows for an empowered culture of creativity and innovation.
Inclusion means creating an environment that is actively welcoming and accessible to all
University of Sheffield students. To become inclusive we must be aware of our unconscious
biases and examine the barriers that particular groups face when taking part in Bummit
activities.
Bummit Committee pledges to:
1. Educate and train all committee members about their responsibilities.
All committee members are required to attend a Bummit training session. This will include
information about the responsibilities we all have in maintaining an
inclusive environment in our compulsory committee training.
2. Maintain a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for bullying, harassment and
discrimination.
Committee members as well as participants WILL be held liable for acts of bullying,
harassment and discrimination. This can entail being banned from all future Bummit events
as well as being reported to the Students Union and, where appropriate, the police.
Participants will be made aware of the definition of discrimination and what it can include in
safety talks.
3. Minimise peer pressure and compulsory drinking culture
We commit to organising socials, twice a semester, which do not encourage the
consumption of alcohol and are not hosted in bars, pubs or clubs, and promoting these
socials to the same extent as those involving alcohol.
We will facilitate alternative activities at our Baby Bummit end destination and our Big
Bummit midpoint and end destination for those who do not wish to attend the bar/club. By
facilitate, we mean that we will enable people to find others who would also like to arrange
an activity that evening, for example in a group chat, which will be clearly advertised in
advance.
We will include a section in all safety talk presentations about peer pressure, what it is, and
remind people to respect each other’s boundaries.
4. Establish a formal complaints procedure.
Please use this form to lodge any formal complaints about incidents which may occur during
Bummit trips or socials:
https://forms.gle/k8PJEtM8UwD4pjpe8
This form can also be found in our Instagram bio.
Any complaints will only be shared with the EEI Officer (Asha), the Chair (Grace) and Lucy
Coull, our SU staff representative.
5. Have specific committee members dedicated to the implementation of this
policy.
Our EEI officer Asha is available to contact at eei.bummit@sheffield.ac.uk.
During Bummit trips there will be four committee members dedicated to supporting
participants. Participants will be informed of who they are prior to the trip’s departure.
6. Encourage all feedback from participants, positive or negative.
Please use this form to give us any positive or negative feedback you may have for Bummit,
including the trips, socials and fundraisers we organise, as well as any miscellaneous advice
you might have. We very much appreciate any comments.
This form will be emailed to participants after Bummit trips as well as linked in our Instagram
bio.
***The above form is currently unavailable due to technical difficulties but will be back up and running ASAP!***
7. Consider local attitudes to race, sexual orientation and gender identity when
selecting Big Bummit destinations.
8. Provide tailored support and advice to students from marginalised
communities:
Provisions for DISABLED STUDENTS
– Please see this document on hitchhiking with a health condition or disability:
Disability Advice Big Bummit.docx
– Also available is a HitchWiki guide on hitchhiking in a wheelchair:
Hitchhiking in a wheelchair – Hitchwiki: the Hitchhiker’s guide to Hitchhiking
– Our registration form includes questions about disability, we will provide the
opportunity for participants to discuss their disability and needs with us in order to
support them as best we can.
Provisions for INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
– Visa guidance
– International Students can go to the International Support Office in the SU for help
with their applications.
– We can provide additional fundraising support for international students.
– Its possible to access £25 subsidy to international students who buy a ticket to help them
cover the costs of their VISA
Provisions for STUDENTS FROM A LOW SOCIOECONOMIC BACKGROUND
– We are committed to keeping the costs of Bummit as low as possible and all money
raised from ticket sales is needed to cover the costs of the hostels, meal and other
aspects of the trip, in order to fundraise for our charities.
– We will provide guidance on how to minimise costs for Bummit with the cheapest
routes, hostels and cities, in our information talks as well as the Bummit Bible.
– We will provide additional fundraising support for students from a low socioeconomic
background.
– We are trying to introduce a delayed deposit system, as well as encouraging people
to use cheques. This means that people do not lose their deposit money until the
deadline for fundraising.
– We provide a £25 subsidy for students who receive a bursary or a scholarship in
order to minimise the barriers to participation for students from a lower
socioeconomic background. We publicise this scheme through our social media and
emails.
Provisions for BIPOC STUDENTS
– We will commit to specific anti-racism training on top of our Committee inclusions
training
– We will monitor the experience of BIPOC students as part of our post-Bummit
evaluation questionnaires and gather data on where we could improve their
experience
– We are applying for grants to improve our anti racism training and improve provisions
for BIPOC students
Provisions for LGBTQ+ students
– We will research destinations and avoid visiting countries with anti LGBTQ+ laws
such as Hungary or Russia.
– We will only book LGBTQ+ friendly clubs/venues for nights out.
Provisions for WOMEN AND MARGINALISED GENDERS
– Our insurance states that each team must include at least 1 member who was
assigned male at birth. We are aware that this could cause problems for transgender
and non binary students, but we are currently unable to negotiate a change in this
area whilst retaining insurance cover.
– We will provide 2 rooms in the midpoint and endpoint hostels which are for women
and marginalised genders only.
– We will ask participants to notify us if they wish to stay in one of these when
completing registration paperwork.
9. Review the Bummit Inclusions Policy annually.
We will review the inclusions policy by:
1) Sending a survey to participants about their experience of the policy so they can give
anonymous feedback to give to the new committee.
2) Comparing the policy to new knowledge and legislation on EDI issues.
3) Meeting with the SU liberation officer to get their feedback on the policy.
4) Updating documentation annually
Concerns and suggestions
If you have any questions or suggestions regarding this policy, please don’t hesitate to
contact our EEI Officer Asha Rai at eei.bummit@sheffield.ac.uk or message us through
Instagram or Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/Bummit