Belonging #StartsWithAName
SWAN is a Movement Powered by People Helping It Take Flight
How can you belong in a place where people can’t say your name?
That’s the premise of Version 1’s #StartsWithAName campaign. The Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging (DIBs) team at Version 1 asked employees to do something simple: put the phonetic pronunciation of their name on their e-mail signature as Aoibhe (pronounced Eefa like FIFA without the F⚽!) Cantwell, our Head of Legal and Diversity, Inclusion & Belonging suggested.
But your name is so easy to pronounce! Probably, but only for people where you come from. When looking for submissions to Version 1’s name pronunciation video, a colleague who felt their name was a no-brainer was perplexed at first — very willing to help out but baffled as their name was easy to say in their mind. However, when you reassess your name with your diversity lens in hand, it can dawn on you that your name is not so simple in a country miles away.
