Fostering inclusion - listen:learn:engage

Inclusion isn’t rocket science but it takes consideration. 

I’ve have the delight of being one of the founding members of the Women’s Sport Collective, a group of like-minded, passionate women working in the sector who want to drive change and make a difference. 

Being part of this amazing group of women has opened up a huge network of people to me who are more knowledgeable and experience than me in many areas, helping me to learn and grow with every meeting. One such lady is Zahra Khamisa who works at the ECB. 

As a diversity and inclusion specialist, she hosted a webinar to help the Collective better understand the principle of inclusion and learn how to foster environments where others feel included. 

I came away with 3 thought provoking take outs from the session; 

LISTEN – it’s impossible to create an inclusive environment if you don’t talk and listen to the people who are part of the ‘community’ you are trying to build. Whether it’s staff, members, players…ask yourself Why might they not feel included? What makes them feel uncomfortable? What are their experiences good and bad? 

LEARN – take what you have heard and start doing something, and then listen to people’s reaction (start learning by doing – it’s an ongoing process!) You don’t have to always do something, just because ‘that’s the way we do things here’. Challenge the norms, be different, think about what will make someone feel more included and act on it. 

The example was used that work celebrations and socials tend to centre around the pub, but it is often overlooked that for some cultures this isn’t appropriate. 

ENGAGE – we all have a responsibility to make people feel safe and welcome. Think about the big and small things day to day that you can do, and be accountable. Commit to doing something and do it well, review your actions, could you do better? Have conversations with others if you feel their behaviours might be impacting on someone else? 

There’s something to be said about truly putting yourself in the shoes of others. Put preconceived ideas aside, give it some real consideration and understanding, and we can all make life more inclusive for someone!