The BABS Diversity and Inclusion (D&I) sub-committee are gearing up for the release of the most comprehensive membership survey in BABS’s history in 2022.

As keen barbershoppers ourselves, we know a lot about the makeup of BABS members. Whether you’re belting a post on lead or bobbing along singing a walking bass line, the passion for the craft rings true, clear as day. But as D&I is a long-term project for BABS, we realised as a group that we needed some kind of baseline, so in a year’s time, or 10 years’ time, we could compare results and see how far we have come as an organisation.

The results will also help the group more immediately, allowing us to set goals and priorities for 2022 based on the data we collect.

The survey was written in combination with LABBS and R31 Sweet Adelines, making this a UK wide initiative, and will be sent out to BABS choruses at the end of January.

It is completely voluntary, and of course, all answers will be anonymous. To further protect member’s anonymity, choruses will not be able to access individual choruses’ data (including their own). We will share our general findings later in the year, as well as clarify how the data has helped shape our priorities and goals. We know that diversity and inclusion is more than numbers, it’s about people and a community coming together to create spaces which are safe and constructive. It’s about how we view ourselves and others and learning and growing together.

We aim to pair our findings with observations, anecdotes, and members’ experiences of being a part of BABS, to create a holistic picture. In doing this, we hope to have a clear idea of where we are going as we all travel along this journey together.

The survey will be sent out on the 29th January 2022 so please keep an eye on your inbox!