The Cooperative Association INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP CO-OPERATIVE was successfully dissolved on October 23, 2023 at 3:31 pm Pacific time. The Cooperative Association has been struck from the register and dissolved, and ceased to be an incorporated cooperative association under the Cooperative Association Act.

When I think about our Inclusive Leadership Co-operative, I think about how we did so much good work together from 2012 on. I am remembering back to our ten year celebratory weekend in August 2012 which became my retirement party. The day after the party, a group of us met and used the way of council process facilitated by Lori Austein to chart a way forward for Inclusive Leadership. One of the immediate outcomes of that meeting was that we worked out an agreement with Cowichan Intercultural Society so we could bring the words “Inclusive Leadership” to form a new organization that was focused on helping our community be an inclusive and welcoming environment based on respect for diversity.

For me, the highlights of continuing to develop Inclusive Leadership education within the Inclusive Leadership Co-operative, were for sure the facilitator training weekends, the gatherings and the Inclusive Leadership Adventures. Our 2019 ILA was simply wonderful. I am so appreciative too of the work Raj and I and so many others did to develop and make use of our Inclusive Leadership online course. The interconnections we developed with over 500 emerging Inclusive Leaders around the world – especially in Africa – have been so rich and were supported so well by the monthly Heart to Heart Cafes. I am also remembering our year of exploring how to raise a new generation of people who can make it easy and enjoyable to guide others in Inclusive and welcoming directions.

As I look to the future of Inclusive Leadership education, I know that each one of us who have been involved in Inclusive Leadership will continue to change our selves and our world one relationship at a time by applying whatever we integrated into our lives from our experiences with Inclusive Leadership. We will all continue to help all our relationships in our families, schools, workplaces and wider communities be safe, respectful, equal, enjoyable and enriched by the magnificent diversity of our incredible planet and universe.

Much love to you and everyone in our Inclusive Leadership community.

Linda Hill, co-founder

Bridging Schools to Community Through Inclusive Leadership

This video was created by Linda Hill, Gillian Berry and Lindsay Beal for a workshop, Bridging Schools to Community through Inclusive Leadership, presented at the World Federation of Associations of Teacher Education in July 2023. It is a beautiful description of the early days of the Inclusive Leadership Co-operative, the students who propelled its development and the impact of bridging schools and communities in this way.

Inclusive Leadership has been researched, developed and cultivated within the traditional territories of Cowichan Tribes, on Vancouver Island, BC since 2002. Cowichan Intercultural Society hosted the development of Inclusive Leadership from 2002 to 2012 through a decade of highly successful, inter-generational and intercultural community-building projects. In 2013, Inclusive Leadership Co-operative (ILC) was established.

ILC’s experiential, intercultural, inter-generational curricula have been developed through ongoing Participatory Action Research, applying the Inclusive Leadership Building Bridges steps of networking, gathering, building (relationships, community, skills, and awareness), action planning and follow up. Our Core Inclusive Leadership Skills are: Skills for connecting with differences, Skills for communicating with compassion, and Anti-Discrimination Skills for standing up for inclusion and diversity.

From 2013 – 2023, ILC offered diversity education workshops with such groups as: Cowichan Intercultural Society, Cowichan Tribes and House of Friendship, local municipal government, local school districts, Canadian Mental Health, Organizing Against Racism and Hate Network on Vancouver Island, Leadership Vancouver Island, BC Brian Injury Association and others.

Hello, Inclusive Leaders!

It brings the Board of Directors great sadness that we cannot connect in a more personal way during the pandemic. Personal connection, learning together, and sharing our creative, inclusive gifts are truly the heart of who we are as an organization.

At the September 6^th Board of Directors meeting, we considered next steps for ILC as the world deals with the next wave of COVID. We approved continuing to hold the monthly H2H meetings online.  With regret, we agreed to put on hold the online course, Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential, until such time that we can provide the appropriate level of support to all participants.

During the past 18 months, we’ve continued to meet as a Board and we’ve remained committed to the Co-operative. We’ll continue to explore ways to support the ILC Mission: To bring people from diverse backgrounds together to nurture and mentor Inclusive Leadership development in ourselves, our communities and our world. The Board welcomes your ideas!

Our AGM is planned for mid-November, and after that, the Board will meet quarterly for the remainder of the fiscal year (March 31, 2022) or until COVID is a thing of the past.

There will be some turnover on the Board at the 2021 AGM. We encourage all ILC members to consider serving on the Board of Directors, bringing your skills, experience, and creativity to the Board ‘table’. The Board meets on Zoom, so you can live anywhere in the world and be part of ILC!  

If you would like to communicate with us, we welcome your feedback.  Some ways to stay in touch are:

• Post on the Inclusive Leadership Online FB Group.
• Share a paragraph or two about your Inclusive Leadership work in the community and send it to the ILC Coordinator. You can find the contact information on the website, https://inclusiveleadershipco-op.org/.  We’ll post your update to the ILC website.
• Attend the ILC 2021 AGM. The date, time, and Zoom link will be sent to all members in the near future.

We shall continually monitor the COVID situation and keep ILCers updated. We look forward to being able to gather in person sometime in the future.

Stay safe, stay well, and please stay in touch with the ILC. Thank you.

In November 2019, the Inclusive Leadership Co-operative was one of many organizations that hosted an independent community meeting to explore ways to build a better B.C. for people with disabilities and provide feedback for the Provincial Accessibility Legislation. Following is information about the act being proposed for legislation.

Dear Partner:

We are pleased to let you know that the Honourable Nicolas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction recently introduced the Accessible British Columbia Act. If passed, this proposed legislation will set British Columbia on the path to a more accessible and inclusive province for people with disabilities. In particular, the proposed legislation will allow government to establish accessibility standards to support the identification, prevention, and removal of barriers to accessibility and inclusion.

For more information about the proposed legislation, please visit: the accessibility legislation web page where you will also find a plain language overview of the legislation and an ASL video overview.

We want to express our sincere thanks to the thousands of British Columbians who provided input on the development of the proposed legislation. Public engagement and consultation will remain a priority as government develops regulations and standards to address the barriers people with disabilities face.

Yours sincerely,

Accessibility Secretariat
Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (Victoria, B.C.)

My connection to the Inclusive Leadership Cooperative goes back almost a decade.  Our family moved to the Cowichan Valley from the Nanaimo area in the summer of 2012.   At the time our four youngest children included three BIPOC children. Perhaps because of this visible diversity in our family (or maybe just knowing we would love the connection) a local friend suggested I bring the kids to the Multicultural Leadership Group.  This was an amazing after school weekly gathering held at a church hall, and hosted by the Cowichan Intercultural Society from 2002 to 2012.   We soon became regular attenders and it was one of the most welcoming elements of our new community.  It was multicultural and multigenerational and we did indeed find a home there.   

Attending an Inclusive Leadership Cooperative week-end gathering was hugely inspiring. I (usually along with a couple of my kids) attended events at the Cowichan Lake Education Centre and at OUR Ecovillage.  Getting together in these weekend events, sharing food, education and experiential activities was a powerful way to connect and learn from one another.  Although dates seem a blur to me now (the aged brain not being what is was), I find myself in a photo of the Annual General Meeting of the Inclusive Leadership Cooperative in August of 2014, and  eventually I joined the Board of Directors.  The vision and mission of the organization aligned with mine and I was grateful to have found them and be part, in a small way, of something with such potential for changing lives and beyond.  

To give context to my life, I spent a year in the Cote d’Ivoire in 1976/77, living and working in a diverse community. I came home with strong views on the injustices of the world (my parents lived in a 4 bedroom house with a pool and ate meat every day – this was in distinct contrast to how I had lived in Africa) and there is no doubt this experience was foundational in my desire to live differently.  

Fast forward and I married and my partner and I became parents to birth children as well as adopting from the foster care system. Becoming parents is a learning curve for most folks; adopting children with diverse heritage, experiences and needs proved an even bigger one.  

I know that we learned as we went along: to quote Maya Angelou “Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.”    

Along the way sometimes when the system didn’t provide what was needed for our kids we helped make it happen.  An example of this is the Coco Cafe in Cedar, BC.  The Coco Cafe is the direct result of the efforts of some local families who started meeting in 2004.  We were seeking opportunities for our children with disabilities who were quickly becoming adults to have supportive work environments in our community.  Eventually, in 2011 the Coco Cafe opened in Cedar, as a cooperative with the goal of providing socialization and work opportunities for our adult children with developmental disabilities.  The Cafe is still alive and well, meeting original goals as well as being a hub in the community for people to come for coffee and a meal as well as expanding to do catering all over the central Island.  Being a small part of the creation of this social enterprise makes me recall that famous Margaret Mead quote “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world.  Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has”.

Being able to effect change in the world, whether in your own family, neighbourhood, town, country or even across the world is an incredible gift.  

The Inclusive Leadership Cooperative offers that opportunity to those who are willing to participate and learn. Sadly the pandemic has put a halt to face to face gatherings which are indeed incredible ways to share our experiences with one another.  Hopefully these will be able to resume in the future.  

Meanwhile, those who have not already taken the online Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential can do so at any time.  It’s a great way to learn and you can do it from anywhere.  

Just imagine if we can, our world(s) as more inclusive and connected.  Believe it if you can.  

Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential (DYILP) online course team:

Position/Role: Administrator – Liaise with ILC Coordinator to keep the course enrolled and
running smoothly.
Tasks: Register new students and follow up with them; create certificates of engagement and completion; update the site and/or learning material.
Commitment: 2 hrs / week
Experience: Inclusive Leader with previous ILC experience such as DYILP or weekend
workshops.
Familiarity with database software and website management is an asset. Some training
provided. Willing to learn as you go.

Position/Role: Mentor – engage with students on the discussion forum. 2 hrs / week
Experience: Inclusive Leader with previous ILC experience such as DYILP or weekend
workshops.
Training provided.

Position/Role: Migration Project Lead – Our Thinkific site needs to be updated to a “new theme” by April 5, 2121, using the Thinkific migration tool. Liaise with the ILC Coordinator and DYILP Administrator and possibly Thinkific support staff.
Commitment: approximately 4 – 5 hours for completion
Experience: Experience with websites is an asset. No training available. Willing to learn as you go.

Resource Development

Position/Role: Grant Team Member – collaborate with ILC Coordinator and other team
members to search and apply for appropriate grants.
Tasks: Search for grants, determine ILC eligibility, liaise with funder, co-write applications. Team meetings on Zoom.
Commitment: 4 hrs / week for 6 months (may vary week to week)
Experience: Inclusive Leader with previous ILC experience such as DYILP or weekend
workshops.

Position/Role: Fundraising Team Member – collaborate with ILC Coordinator and other team members to create a fundraising activity.
Tasks: Plan, prepare, execute a fundraiser.
Commitment: 2 – 6 hrs / week for 3 – 6 months (may vary week to week)
Experience: no experience necessary.

Practice Group Project

Position/Role: Co-Facilitator – collaborate with ILC Coordinator and other team members to
coalesce all materials from first two pilot groups and modify into a third pilot.
Tasks: Weekly Zoom meetings. Using the curriculum and materials on Thinkific and Website Toolbox discussion forums, plan, prepare and execute and evaluate the 3^rd ILC Practice Group pilot. Create the announcement and enroll participants.
Commitment: approximately 20 hours to plan and prepare, and another 20 hours to facilitate and evaluate.
Experience: Inclusive Leader with previous ILC experience such as DYILP or weekend
workshops.

Email List / Mailchimp Project

Position/Role: Data Entry – collaborate with ILC Coordinator to compile emails into the master list in preparation for Mailchimp migration.
Tasks: Using Excel enter contacts in Master List. Optional expansion of role: Access ILC Mailchimp account and migrate data for various mailing lists. Tutor the ILC Coordinator on Mailchimp.
Commitment: approximately 5 – 10 hours to create master list, and 2 hours to train
coordinator.
Experience: Microsoft Excel (or training provided). Mailchimp (or learn as you go).

ILC – Nigerian Chapter

Position/Role: Nigerian Chapter Team Member – Liaise with ILC Coordinator, Board Liaison and Nigerian Inclusive Leaders to provide information, peer support and learning opportunities to new and experienced Inclusive Leaders in Nigeria.
Tasks: Zoom meetings and other activities to be determined by the Team.
Commitment: 1 – 2 hours / week.
Experience: Inclusive Leader with previous ILC experience such as DYILP or weekend
workshops.

Hunkering down, avoiding close contact with people outside the home, socializing via screens have become daily routine. We are still learning about living this way. It’s not necessarily automatic yet, and likely will never be automatic behaviour. This morning I learned that long held habits die hard. For years I’ve woken up and in my half-sleep, made a pot of English Breakfast tea for my husband and myself. I stopped doing this in April when my husband quit caffeine. I make my tea and his dandelion ‘coffee’. This morning seven months of behaviour was amiss when, in my half-sleep and on auto-pilot I started spooning out the tea as if I were making a big pot to share. “What am I doing?” I thought as I caught myself in the act of an old ritual. Old habits die hard and new habits are hard earned.

All this is coming to mind as I and the Inclusive Leadership Co-operative and people all around the world are thinking about the new year, after the December break. With the vaccine for COVID-19 in our midst, tantalizingly close and whispering the promise of safely stepping out, embracing friends and sharing spaces, we are at risk of launching ‘auto pilot’ mode. I know our old ways of 2019 stretch back thousands of years, and are merely repressed, not gone, just like making a pot of tea to share. So how will all of this impact plans for our coming season?

I’m thinking of balance. January is a classic time to restore balance. Isolation for some might have led to a lack of stimulation. For others shifting work to home and online screen time with colleagues has led to reduced eye movements and burnout. We’ve adopted changes to stay safe during a pandemic and we are still adapting to those changes. As we discover what is good, what is too much and what is missing we can reorganize our daily routines to be a healthy balance of stimulation, rest and recreation for body, mind and spirit. If you are looking for your screen time to be both stimulating and social, I highly recommend ILC’s two online learning opportunities.

Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential

An introduction to the four pillars of Inclusive Leadership can be found in Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential. With the adjunct discussion forum, this course engages us in researching our own experience so we are learning and discovering our potential at the same time, building community in a cohort of participants.

Click HERE for more information on Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential, or contact me: inclusiveleaders @ gmail.com (remove spaces when emailing)

Developing Your Communication Skills

If you are already introduced to Inclusive Leadership through the Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential, or a weekend workshop, then Developing Your Communication Skills will be a great way to strengthen your Inclusive Leadership potential. As co-op members learn and grow in their skills, the ILC provides opportunities for emerging facilitators. Join new facilitator, Betty Doherty and veteran, Raj Gill in this interactive course.

“This is great, will definitely make effort to be part of it.” ~Peter O.

Click HERE for more information on Developing Your Communication Skills or to register contact Betty & Raj:   raj.gill @ telus.net bdoherty1 @ telus.net (remove spaces when emailing)

The Inclusive Leadership Co-operative has volunteer openings and these will be posted in the coming week. This is another way that balance can be maintained or restored. Being engaged in meaningful action either working collaboratively on a project, or working independently on tasks that help make a worthy organization function well might fit perfectly with your new year plans. Stay tuned for the next post.

Lindsay Beal,

Coordinator, Inclusive Leadership Co-operative

It’s not an easy time to have a vision of the future because we are in great flux all around the world. Even the world with it’s once predictable rhythms is in great flux . Near the end of 2018, Inclusive Leadership Co-operative had a vision for the following two years, and we have seen its manifestation in beautiful ways. So here we are approaching the end of 2020, in a changing world, with members who care about influencing this change toward Justice with Integrity, Peace and Respect.

We often see, when a team has a sound and practiced plan, they form a huddle just before putting that plan into action. It’s a way of affirming connection, ensuring cohesion and raising energy so the plan unfolds smoothly and enjoyably.

Some of us might be in a position to rise high above our lives within the workings of the Co-op, as an eagle with it’s acute vision, scanning the field below to identify which direction to fly. Some of us would rather bring the tools and resources we know so well, and huddle to affirm one another in the ways each is living, learning and leading inclusively in each one’s community. Either way, you’re invited to come and share what you see in ILC, what you hope to offer, or what you request, and perhaps together we will formulate some next steps for the ILC community.

Saturday, November 14th, 9:30 – 12:00 noon Pacific Standard Time, on Zoom.

What to do to participate:

• Register right away with this link: ILC Visioning Huddle
• When you get an email confirmation with the meeting link, add the event to your calendar.
• Bring paper and a marker or two to jot down notes, or to enhance compassionate listening.
• Arrive 5 minutes early to “hang up your coat” and smile at others.
• Let others know if you cannot stay for the whole time.

IL Co-op Members in Action

Announcing the inclusive and allied programs that Inclusive Leadership Co-op Members are offering in their communities.