Making spaces safe is vital for inclusion. Here’s how to do it.

The spaces we live and move in are so vital to our feelings of safety, belonging, and how resilient we can be. As an equality and inclusion coach I had overlooked this… and it got me punched at a networking event.

Understand what privilege is, what it isn’t, and the ways in which is shows up in ourselves and our workplaces.

Allyship is a verb. It’s about action. But sometimes we can forget that choosing not to do something is also an act of allyship. The work in allyship is about understanding when our voices are and are not required, and knowing that we have the influence and platform to elevate the voices that matter.

How do we speak up when we see or hear something we feel is wrong? This is always a tricky one to navigate. We understand more, and we want to step up as an ally. But how do we do this? There are a number of ways, and the simplest I have found can be split into two groups. Calling In and Calling Out.

Pretty much everyone who is not disabled will, at some point, take part in something that is ableist. In this article we can bring awareness to the ways in which ableist language and behaviours present in our lives, and take steps to remove them!

I don’t observe the Islamic faith, or any faith for that matter, and my knowledge of religious identity is definitely lacking. I want to share with you the steps I have personally been taking in the past 10 days to listen, to educate myself, and to prepare myself as an ally. Because I believe that our right to live peacefully and in safety, in a way of our own choosing is too important to do nothing. Image credit: The Guardian.

3 ways to be anti-racist TODAY! We live in a world now where simply not being racist is not enough to turn the tide. We must move to a position of being actively anti-racist to make real and long-lasting change possible.

Most white people believe that racism is simply a case of not liking Black or Brown people, saying offensive things, or belonging to certain racist groups or organisation. And yes, these things are racist. But words and actions of this manner are not the entirety of racism. Here’s what you need to know to be an active ally and stand up against racism.

Ageism. It’s time we talked more about the “ism” that will impact ALL OF US. There’s no escaping it, regardless of our gender, our skin colour, or our physical abilities. Because like it or not, from the day we are born all of us are ageing, and yet ageism is so often overlooked when it comes to addressing discrimination.

As with all things that are rooted in real and meaningful change, there can also be an opposite side to allyship, and one we must be prepared for if we are to stay the course when it comes showing up for others who are different to us. Because remember: Allyship; it’s not about us.

Everyone makes mistakes, but not everyone knows how to give a genuine and meaningful apology. Now you can learn how to make it count, every time.

Today it was always my attention to write about emotions, and how we can often experience a lot of them as we do our work as allies to other communities. And yes, there is a lot of joy to be found in standing in solidarity with others or using our knowledge and privilege to educate and amplify the voices of others. But there are also A LOT more icky ones that arrive for us too, such as guilt, shame, defensiveness, resistance, anger, and fear. So much fear!

Biases. We all have ‘em. ALL of us. But what exactly are they and how do we notice when they start to influence our thinking and our behaviours?