Diversity Role Models joins Stonewall to expand support for schools across the UK

Diversity Role Models has announced it is joining the Stonewall family in a move aimed at expanding support for schools and young people across the UK.

The agreement will see Stonewall act as the charity’s sole member organisation, providing operational backing, national infrastructure and additional resources to help extend Diversity Role Models’ work in tackling bullying and promoting inclusion in schools.

Despite the new arrangement, Diversity Role Models will continue to operate under its existing name, with its programmes, staff and educational approach remaining unchanged. The organisation will carry on delivering its established workshops, volunteer role model scheme and educator training, which have been used by schools for more than 15 years.

The partnership is expected to significantly increase the charity’s reach, allowing it to deliver its programmes to more schools and communities, including areas it has not previously been able to serve.

Both organisations said the move builds on a shared commitment to improving equality in education and ensuring young people feel safe and valued. Diversity Role Models brings extensive experience in delivering evidence-based programmes in schools, while Stonewall offers national reach and the operational scale needed to support future growth.

Simon Blake, chief executive of Stonewall, said he had witnessed the impact of Diversity Role Models’ work first-hand. “Diversity Role Models has spent 15 years developing a genuinely human and evidence-based approach to tackling bullying and building empathy in schools,” he said. “We are proud to bring Diversity Role Models into the Stonewall family and to help extend this important work to even more schools and young people across the UK.”

The two organisations also have a long-standing connection. Blake previously served as chair of Diversity Role Models during its early years, highlighting what both sides described as a foundation of trust and shared purpose underpinning the partnership.

Christopher Drennen, chair of Diversity Role Models, said the move would enable the charity to build on its existing work. “Diversity Role Models was founded on the belief that every young person deserves to grow up in a school where they feel safe, valued and able to be themselves,” he said. “Joining the Stonewall family gives us the operational strength, reach and support to bring our programmes to even more young people and school communities in the years ahead.”

For schools already working with Diversity Role Models, the organisations said the changes would bring continuity as well as growth, with the same programmes and personnel continuing to deliver support.

The partnership reflects a broader ambition shared by both organisations to create school environments where differences are respected, empathy is fostered and every young person feels they belong.