The Society of Young Publishers have released the results of an Inclusivity Survey that asked members and non-members alike to help make the SYP community fairer, more diverse and inclusive. Following these results, the SYP have created five focus points for the Society to act on going forward into 2019.
The Survey had a total of 79 participants including eight non-members. Participants were asked about SYP events, the overall inclusivity of the society and the changes participants would benefit from. The results showed that 77% of participants would benefit from more digital content, 72% believe the SYP is an inclusive society and 84% of participants felt welcome at SYP events. However, the survey also brought to light that changes are needed to be made to reflect a more diverse committee, to make SYP events more accessible and to make the benefits of the SYP more visible.
In response to the results the SYP are implementing the following changes:
• An Inclusivity Coordinator will join the UK committee in 2019
• There will be an annual Inclusivity Survey to monitor feedback and progress going forward
• Ticket prices for SYP events across the UK will be standardised
• The UK committee will sponsor a number of tickets to bi-annual conferences each year
• There will be a Q&A with committee members to increase transparency.
There will also be an effort made to widen the type and amount of SYP digital content.
As part of becoming a more inclusive society the SYP have supported #BookJobTransparency in 2018, pushing for companies to reveal their salary bands on job adverts. The Society have also already offered five sponsored tickets to their upcoming bi-annual Autumn Conference, taking place on 10th November. In addition, the SYP will be creating a variety of digital content at this Conference including live tweeting panels, broadcasting live streams on Facebook Live and creating Instagram stories under the #SYPConf18 in an attempt to bring the conference to those unable to attend.
Ain Deheb Bensenouci, SYP UK Chair, and Sophie Waddy, UK SYP Vice Chair, said:
“We are grateful to the SYP members and non-members who took the time to give us their feedback. The SYP is committed to being an open and inclusive society, and we hope that by appointing an Inclusivity Coordinator from 2019, we will be able to put aside more time and resource into focussing on this goal.”
The SYP plans to move forward with their findings to make a difference not only as a society, but also as an active part of the publishing industry. More information, including an infographic, can be found on the SYP website.