As all the issues around black lives matter have unfolded, JCI UK has made mistakes in how we have communicated with members and our followers. We got it wrong in our initial post and we apologise unreservedly for the understandable ongoing upset and offence our lack of action and communication has caused. We can and will do better.

Thank you to everyone who has spoken up and shared their thoughts and advice with us. For the avoidance of any doubt, JCI UK believes black lives matter and we are committed to anti-racism.

So what can you expect from us now?

Signposting to educational resources

There are loads of great books, podcasts and videos out there to learn more about Black history, white privilege and becoming anti-racist. We will be collating these and sharing out to help everyone to self-educate.

Amplification of Black voices

We have so many amazing Black people within our membership and we will be interviewing some of them over the next few weeks. We’ll explore their lived experiences and ask how everyone can become better allies. 

Healthy and open debate

JCI trains and promotes debate across its global network. We’ll be putting those skills to good use as we consider various perspectives on this issue. The beauty of having such a diverse, engaged membership is that we can all learn from each other, find common ground and work together to create positive change. 

Promotion of local projects

Chambers across the UK are already taking action on the ground which is fantastic to see. We’ll ensure these projects are shared nationally and encourage further collaboration between chambers. If you have any ideas, please share these with your local President. 

Diversity and inclusion

We’re working on long term plans and policies to ensure racial equality is built into everything that we do. To do this we’ll not only work together across the UK but with our partners in JCI Europe, JCI HQ and the UN. We will of course keep you posted as these develop and we’re always looking for volunteers to get involved. We are already ensuring, for example, that Black people are actively involved in our social media and communications.

If you have any question or suggestions, please let us know by commenting on this post, or directly contacting your local President or National President, James Lambert.

We look forward to getting to work on tackling this hugely important issue.