How can you create an inclusive environment in your community? (2024)

Be open to listening and engaging with people. Don’t assume and make judgments. Ask questions and be curious about what you don’t know. Be thoughtful and respectful. Don’t make it about you feeling like a good person. Do it because it’s right and because it’s one of the times in life that we can truly make an impact in the world. Step up.

Respect each other at all times. Listen and comprehend.I have said to my 4 kids and will continue to say to my 4 grandchildren. God has given us two ears and only one mouth, I believe there is a message and that is to listen vs talking.

As a parent to a child with a disability, I’m acutely aware how exclusive our communities are. Right now, inclusion is an afterthought at best, and completely forgotten more often than not. To get to a truly inclusive society, we need to stop trying to put people and needs in neat little boxes and begin from the understanding that all societies, all communities, are made up of people with different needs, different perspectives and different cultures. We need to stop trying to make things one-size-fits all and start embracing the concept success comes from creating environments where everyone feels welcome and enabled to be who they are.

As a Brown girl from the South Asian community there are many barriers we need to start breaking to create an inclusive environment for every girl and woman. I believe the first steps are the conversations we have at home, round the kitchen table with our fathers, grandfathers, brothers and uncles. These conversations lead to education, educating our peers and siblings on the modern day wants and needs for every girl and woman. I am the first female in my family and extended family to openly talk about menopause which led has to openness, understanding and a space for me to have good days and bad days as part of my menopausal journey.

Communication and collaboration mean accessibility. People ultimately want to feel heard and seen (safety). Once that is accomplished, there is a firm foundation set for an inclusive environment.

Communication and collaboration help everyone feel included by making sure different viewpoints are acknowledged and respected. Working together creates an environment where everyone can contribute, fostering a sense of belonging for all.

When, as a leader, we feel something should be done to help the success of your team advocate! This is thought to reflect the leader being “needy” by some. If you feel like your team needs something chances are your peers feel the same way but are afraid to speak up.

To create an inclusive environment you not only need to open up your mind but also your hearts to people of different backgrounds. Understanding them will help you set aside any unnecessary biases against them, this will help create a connection of trust. And once you are successful in the process of understanding them, you can help others to do the same. This will make it easier to create a more inclusive environment.

This is my favorite. We should celebrate what makes our community members and teams unique. We should lift one another up and celebrate their accomplishments.We can make others feel included by sharing our own stories. We can be role models for others.Let's encourage one another to be the voices of support, compassion, and inclusion within our communities.

By making sure you are including the most marginalised and the smallest voices.If you ignore one group no matter how small you are not inclusive or celebrating diversity.

Doing all the necessary steps like the ones mentioned above are great but what really creates an inclusive environment and community is that during times of adversity or difficulty people don’t stop being inclusive and start backtracking.Lets take a look at the situation in Gaza for a second, before Oct 7th organisations were creating inclusive programs to support POC, were celebrating religious holidays, were talking about inclusion for all but as soon as the genocide began to unfold in Gaza, organisations moved away from faith inclusion, remained silent on what is happening, failed to support colleagues during this time and it revealed that many of the inclusive actions were indeed performative and selective.

Self-reflection is an important component here. We ALL have biases whether conscious or unconscious. It’s important to recognize that and be willing to acknowledge and work through them. This work is often uncomfortable yet necessary for us to make meaningful progress in our communities. Allow yourself to be vulnerable enough to admit your own growth opportunities to others who are willing help and support your learning. Doing this helps us work IN community as we work ON community. On the other side of that is us becoming the change we want to be, breaking down biases and barriers one at a time.

Sure it's hard to initiate something, but what's harder is to sustain it. The key to sustainability is consistency and commitment towards your goals.Don't make inclusivity a day or a month thing. Make it a norm, a culture, a everyday thing in your life. Introduce related policies, foster a culture of respect for all and provide your support.Not only in workplace but even beyond it!

If the above steps are implemented with top-down sponsorship (company culture) effectively. This automatically secures self-sustainability by default, rendering the step of "repeating & sustaining" efforts unnecessary, as diversity, inclusion, & belonging become integral norms & source of pride within the company = Being at the table, Having a voice at the table, AND crucially, Having your voice heard at the table.

Very few things happen organically, so having a method and strategy to create inclusive communities is key. Organizations will need to commit their resources (e.g. a team of people) to champion and grow the community over time. We are social animals and the influence of our peers can be enourmous, so I say throw your resources at training a team and see community grow over time.

Empathy. Do your best to understand other peoples’ perspectives….and while this may seem reductive—be inclusive by actually being inclusive—invite different people to things. People that don’t share your same background—invite them to coffee or happy hour. Sharing experiences such as these are invaluable in building relationships—and take the time to know people different from you.