Inclusion

Hi all, 
         I hope that everyone is well. Firstly, please can I take the opportunity to thank you for taking the time to read this. If I may, I would please like to share a few thoughts with you on Inclusion, something that I, as I'm sure many of you are, am very passionate about. 

I am very fortunate to have been involved in a couple of projects in recent months, which have afforded me the opportunity to really think about inclusion, what it looks like to me and what it feels like to me.  I know, as I'm sure many of us do, what it is like not to be included, how it feels, how it stays with you long after everyone else has moved on.

I was recently tasked with explaining what inclusion means to me. Now, please forgive me if you disagree with the following, but to me inclusion means opening to everyone, ensuring that everyone has the opportunity to participate if they wish too. When we  do this the possibilities are endless, the learning opportunities we all have, the life-long memories that can be created, the smile that brightens up someone's day, the friendship that lasts a lifetime.

To me, inclusion is not about noticing the difference, it's about celebrating the individual's in the room. We are all unique and we all have something positive to offer, we just need the chance to show this. As I said, I feel privileged to play my part in trying to move thinking forward. It won't be easy, we need to work towards so many things such as making sure there is a diverse range of voices around the table when key decisions are made and that those voices are the right voices. However, I believe when those voices are heard, when inclusion truly exists, the opportunities for everyone to flourish are amazing because I am fortunate to know this first hand and this is what inspires me to keep going. 

If we don't open our minds to true inclusion, we risk missing out on so many great things. We all have a part to play and I'll do my best to play mine. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this.