Twenty five amazing champions of diversity and inclusion from around the world are in the midst of our two-month online Inclusive Leadership quest “Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential. Together we are exploring and discovering our potential to transform our communities by developing leadership skills for embracing diversity. Ordinary people such as you and me can lead extraordinary lives by learning Inclusive Leadership skills for living, learning and leading in our diverse communities. By learning, practicing and applying skills for embracing diversity, we can transform ourselves, our families, our schools, our work-places, and entire communities in inclusive and welcoming ways.  This post explores what six of these new Inclusive Leaders are discovering.

Muhammad Almahroof is a secondary school teacher in Niger state, Nigeria who engages his students in peaceful environmental advocacy. Their work planting and nurturing over 70 trees is also a metaphor for Muhammad’s advocacy for peaceful co existence between adherents of diverse faiths. “My inter-ethnic birth and inclusive upbringing mixing with people of diverse backgrounds made me liberal and open-minded. I will keep pushing for the day when all Nigerians have equal opportunities to lead wherever they find themselves. I am grateful to be part of this wonderful opportunity to learn from each other about Inclusive Leadership.”

Patti Lucas is a sign language interpreter in an inclusive Grade six classroom in Alberta, Canada: “This course is bringing me a new awareness of diversity on my journey through life. Purposefully doing the various experiential learning activities in this course is making me feel more present in relaxing in diversity. We are all beautiful in our own uniqueness and we all have valuable wisdom to offer each other in many different ways, shapes and forms, even if we can’t see it on first sight.”

Temo Sasau is from the Fiji Islands, located in the heart of the South Pacific. He is an organic farmer and advocate for people living with HIV, people living with disabilities, gender equality and social inclusion. “This course is eye opening to my role as a bridge-builder in my community. I am on a journey from being a person who loves to do things on my own to becoming someone who tries to identify opportunities to contribute to what others are doing. Building Bridges is not a solo activity but requires me to be engaging, connecting and monitoring continuously. To build bridges I need people; you, my family, my co-workers and the friendliness and support of Mother earth and all the living things that I share space with.”

Jan Atkinson from BC, Canada is a parent in a blended family and a passionate board member for several organizations that are striving to address violence and support survivors of sexual assault.“I am raising my children on the premise of inclusion. We make sure everybody is included no matter their differences. In this course, I am really enjoying learning about other peoples backgrounds. I am also really enjoying the journaling activities because it allows us to reflect as opposed to react. Reflecting on certain situations I have encountered in my life is difficult but acceptance has made it easier!”

Mohammed M Kelleh from Liberia is a human rights activist, social worker, humanitarian, and the founder of Basket of Hope Charity Organization for Children and Women in Liberia. “My passion is working with women and children who are the most vulnerable in my society. We provide education materials to support 50 orphan children whose parents died from Ebola in 2014-2015. I find this course based on sharing and exchanging our experience to be one of the greatest online study opportunities ever. My values of integrity, knowledge, leadership and collaboration are my guiding star. By developing my Inclusive Leadership skills for practicing my values, I can lead men and women, boys and girls to diversity and inclusiveness; where there is no room for child marriage, rape, domestic violence, child labour, classism, discrimination, intolerance, and other abuses. One of the skills we are practicing is empathy. Empathy helps me to communicate my ideas in a way that makes sense to others, and it helps me understand others when they communicate with me.”

Sarita Dutt from Labasa, Fiji works for an inclusive International Development project that aims to leave no one behind in education, health, and emergency responses. “This Inclusive Leadership course aroused my interest because I want to enhance my skills for facilitating training on gender equality, child protection rights and social inclusion. What a wonderful journey exploring the diverse leadership roles we play in our families and communities! Each module is linked to one another, and our thoughts deepen when we engage in activities one by one. My action plan has really started to take shape. I am so proud to be part of an empowering and motivating team of people who are learning so much from each other about making a difference in this diverse world.”

Two online versions of Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential are available to champions of diversity and inclusion from around the world. Learn through videos, experiential education activities, journaling, a discussion forum, and optional video meetings. Our spirit of generosity pricing gives you a choice of paying what you can comfortably afford: $140, $70 or $35. Anyone who faces financial barriers can apply for a full sponsorship by emailing inclusiveonline@gmail.com

The Self Guided version of Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential is available as soon as you sign up. This version is ideal for individual learners who want to explore at your own pace and for educators and facilitators seeking a dynamic, practical diversity education curriculum to share with groups.

Our next two-month Guided Group Expedition for 20 to 30 champions of diversity and inclusion from around the world will begin in January. This participatory course involves 4-5 hours per week for 8 to 10 weeks.  Email: inclusiveonline@gmail.com for more information and to get on the early-bird registration list.