Dear Colleagues,
National Census Recruitment:
I would be most grateful if you, please, distribute this information widely.
The 2011 Census will offer a wide range of fixed term employment opportunities ranging from full time managerial positions, to supervisory positions, to roles working in the field interacting with the public. Contract periods range from a couple of weeks to several months.
Capita, the company that is managing the Census seriously wishes trans people to apply for these jobs. The firm commissioned GIRES to run a focus group of trans people to discuss its plans before embarking on the recruitment process. It is willing to send its representative to meetings of trans groups. Please let me know if you wish to take up this offer. Also, tell me of your personal experiences if you apply and I will pass this information on, anonymously if you wish.
Specific details of jobs available may be viewed on the Census website:
https://ig11.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_census01.asp?newms=info1
All roles require flexibility regarding working hours with the requirement to work up to 8pm in the evening and also weekend working. The majority of roles will be physically demanding, working outside and dealing with the public within your local community. You will need to be able to manage your workload effectively in order to meet set timescales and as a result, it will not always be possible to work in fine weather.
Prior to starting work the Census Team will ensure that you have the knowledge and skills required to complete duties and responsibilities. As a result, you will undertake a blended learning package specific to the role prior to starting work for which you will receive payment.
At the moment, the recruitment priority is for area managers. To date, there has been just one application from the Trans Community, and the recruiters are keen to do their best to ensure representation across all strands because it will not only make the Census exercise representative of the local population in England and Wales, but will also assist in ensuring that all people are correctly enumerated. Below is a summary of the Area Manager role.
As an Area Manager you will be responsible for managing and co-ordinating the census operation in an area averaging 500,000 people. The primary focus of your role is to ensure the maximum number of people return their census questionnaires (complete coverage). Initially you will focus on establishing links with local authorities and community groups within your area and engage with specific target populations. You will also focus on publicity and media liaison work, for which media handling training will be provided. You will be the primary contact for all local media enquiries in your area and will act as local media census spokesperson when appropriate. Once you enter the operational period of the census your role will become more focused on managing your team of Field Staff. Your team will have up to fifteen Census Co-ordinators (COs) who manage teams of up to fifteen comprising of: Census Distributors (CDs), Special Enumerators (SEs) and Census Collectors (CCs). You will be responsible for ensuring the health and welfare of your team and overseeing any disciplinary, grievance and dismissal procedures. To help you carry out this work to a high standard you will receive detailed instructions and training. Capita Resourcing will be responsible for the recruitment of your team.
Period of Employment, Hours and Pay
This post is expected to be full time from 2 August 2010 to 10 June 2011. Payment will consist of: a basic hourly rate of £14.55 to be paid throughout the period of employment plus reasonable and necessary expenses (supported by valid receipts, wherever possible), to include reimbursement of travel costs within work area (but not from home to work area).
Kind regards, Bernard Reed
Trustee, Gender Identity Research and Education Society (GIRES)
http://www.gires.org.uk
Southwark
Tuesday August 12th
Trans/ Transgender discussion evening
23 people took part in the discussion
This was the first trans event in Southwark, the LGBT Community Development Worker, Dax Ashworth, made some notes during the evening and this is some of the points that he managed to capture. All speakers spoke from a personal perspective.
Chair
Diana Taylor
Diana is official Trans-Advocate and Member for Diversity and Equality with Pride London
Speakers
Persia West
Persia has been involved with training and public speaking, with a focus on self-development within organisations for more than twenty five years, in the UK, Japan and the USA. She has a particular knowledge and experience of gender issues in the workplace, which includes lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. She has recently been a trustee of both The Gender Trust, the national charity which deals in transgender support and information, and of Spectrum, the Brighton & Hove LGBT Forum.
Denise Anderson
Denise is a founder member of Spectrum London, a trans support group based in North London. She is also the London representative for the Gender Trust, a UK transgender charity. With a passion for trans rights and issues she is actively involved both in support and raising awareness for the trans community.
Roz Kaveney
Roz was a core member of the Midnight Rose collective. She is perhaps best known for her critical works about pop culture: Reading The Vampire Slayer - The New, Updated Unofficial Guide To Buffy And Angel, From Alien to the Matrix: Reading Science Fiction Film,Teen Dreams: Reading Teen Film and Television from 'Heathers' to 'Veronica Mars and Superheroes!. Roz is a regular contributor to the Independent and The Times Literary Supplement. She appeared as one of the numerous commentators in the BBC television documentary (May 2008) about the idea of parallel worlds as used in science fiction. She is also a founding member of Feminists Against Censorship; a former deputy chair of Liberty, the National Council for Civil Liberties; and a transsexual rights activist .
Persia West
Persia spoke on how being trans is about how others see us and how we see ourselves. People have a sense of belonging to male and female, trans brings a level of uncertainty.
Persia likened trans to being a traveller on a journey trying to find ‘what I am’ not ‘who I am’.
People can react to trans people by what they see as most tend to see the male markers and people tend to identify the masculine.
Female to male can come from butch lesbians but male to female rarely comes from camp men.
There can be a victim mentality within the trans community and there can be problems of dealing with who we are secondly and dealing with reactions from others first.
Denise Anderson
Spoke about her early years and how she didn’t know what was going on. Had lots of male markers growing up such as being into Formula 1.
There is a perception that all trans people get on and spoke of how when training that labels can be difficult for people to take in and even more so the labels for the trans community where the spectrum of people is wide and diverse.
When at work and training, as in life, hopes that people see the person first, before the ‘trans person’.
People may look at trans people differently because we may not fit in to the ‘norm’.
You get to a point in your life where you find a balance and you can project more confidence.
Diana Taylor
Spoke of how for her the situation was clear, ‘ I knew who I was, I knew where I wanted to be and the rest was just a process to go through’
On responding to a question: Suicide rates for within the first year of transition can be high (32%). Problems that are in a person’s life post operation will not go away post operation.
Roz Kaveney
Lots of people never get to the first stop, to discuss their situation.
Spoke of how when she was growing up thought that they were going to be a writer and that trans is one of her identities. As a child of the 1960’s there was little information out there and searched for a word to describe how she felt about herself and was lucky to find a trans community in Manchester.
Growing up it was positive to have a mentor who was a trans woman as well as writer. It is easy to get into a space where you only think of your gender identity and people can get lost in that space and loose other parts of ones self, the other identities.
Lots of ‘shrinks’ don’t appreciate the trans community getting together to support each other as they may talk about how to deal with ‘shrinks’. However one part of being a writer is hanging out with other writers.
Life as a trans woman has been a wonderful opportunity.
Now, it is easier to transition and the surgery is better and the police are now our friends.
Denise Anderson
Normality is changing for young people as ‘normal’ changes from generation to generation.
Diana Taylor
There was lots of support from the trans community to Roz for the incident at Pride regarding the toilets
When asked of who inspires them, some of these traits in people were mentioned
- People who listen
People who push my buttons
People who I work with
Immediate community around me
Stephen at Press For Change
Persia West
Peter Tatchell