Category Archives: Inclusive Leader Campaign

INCLUSIVE LEADERSHIP EDUCATION IS A TIMELY GIFT TO THE WORLD

As politicians and other leaders join with ordinary people across Canada and around the world in condemning all forms of racism, discrimination, intolerance and bigotry there is growing hope for a world based on the Earth Charter values of integrity, respect, justice, and peace. And, at the same time, facilitators, mentors and participants in our “Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential” Online Course are realizing that Inclusive Leadership Online Education is a very timely gift for us to be sharing with the world.

You are invited to give this practical and hopeful course to yourself and gift this course filled with skills for embracing diversity to others you know who value equality, justice and inclusion as much as you do.

With ongoing enrollment, no-one left behind participatory learning, spirit of generosity pricing, and sponsorships for anyone who needs one, this is an accessible, welcoming all inclusive continuing education opportunity for champions of diversity and inclusion from all walks of life to sign up for anytime they are ready. Click here for a detailed course description and enrollment information.

“The world is addressing the question of bringing racism to an end by changing systems. We must all come to embrace diversity by building bridges to equality – beginning internally and extending to families and friends of friends till the systems are completely changed. Systems can be changed when our orientations are changed.” (Daniel Ojo, Teacher, Street to School Initiative, Nigeria).

We are thrilled that Daniel Ojo and 40 more new Inclusive Leaders from Cameroon, Canada, England, Fiji, Jamaica, Nigeria, and Uganda are in the midst of graduating from our Winter/Spring 2020 ‘Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential’ online course!

Something very wonderful about this group of grads is that most of these participants received this Inclusive Leadership course as a gift!  The ILC is challenging ourselves to welcome at least 30 new participants from 30 places on the planet during the next 30 days and so now would be a great time for you to gift this course to a champion of diversity and inclusion you know.

Relatives and friends are gifting Inclusive Leadership to each other. “My daughter signed me up for this course as a gift. She thought since I have always been interested in learning better ways to communicate and better ways to make the people I come into contact with feel appreciated and acknowledged I would love the content of this course. She was right.” (Alison Clarkson, Retired Professional in Canada).

School principals are gifting Inclusive Leadership to their staff: “I want to see the beautiful online program expand and become a major vehicle for teaching Inclusive Leadership around the world. What better gift can we give our children than to teach them what it means to be inclusive in regard to their fellow human beings and in regard to the world around them? As a first step, I am enrolling all the teachers in my school.” (Beat Odermatt, Founder, Owner and Operator of U-Can International School, Uganda).

Employers are gifting Inclusive Leadership to their employees: “Taking this course for work was to enhance my leadership skills to be a positive influence in our world. I discovered that I can be who I am, believe in myself and that I can make small positive changes. I will be applying these skills to my work environment. I have compiled an action plan to focus my energy.” (Lynn, Support Worker in Canada)

Professors are gifting Inclusive Leadership to their students: “Inclusive Leadership is one of the best initiatives to come along in a very long time. I am encouraging the human rights education volunteers at the University of Victoria to participate as part of their volunteer training.” (Moussa Magassa, Human Rights Education Advisor, University of Victoria, Canada)

Volunteer Co-ordinators are gifting Inclusive Leadership to their volunteers: “My main aim is to equip our young leaders and HIV Advocates to be inclusive in their activities, engagement and be catalysts for change in the area of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion. I am enrolling two volunteers now and more in the months to come.” (Temo Sasau, Advocate and Volunteer Co-ordinator, Fiji).

Individual champions of inclusion and diversity are gifting Inclusive Leadership to ourselves:

“I am grateful to everyone who is part of this great quest for inclusive learning. Thank you all for your commitment to always showing up and allowing me to tap from your wealth of knowledge and sharing your ideas with me.” (Peter Onuoha, Volunteer and Passionate Activist engaged in putting an end to Human Trafficking in Nigeria).

“As a nonviolent communication practitioner and facilitator, I wanted to find new skills and perspectives for working in environments where basic needs are not met or there are belief systems that prevent compassion. I really enjoyed how building communities that support each other is a medicine for discrimination and injustice. I opened my vision of what a leader is and what inclusive leadership can do to empower people and bring together differences.” Claudia Sanchez, Full Communication Practitioner and Facilitator, Colombia).

“Meeting with others on this course has given me strength, companionship and an optimistic feeling about the future of humanity on this planet.” (Arlene Nesbitt, Artist and Volunteer Community Builder, Canada).”

“I am so grateful for this top-notch course that the world needs more of. How about if each and every person in areas such as Uganda undertook a basic course in understanding inclusiveness? Would we learn not to be harsh while connecting with different people? Would this lead to a society where everyone is welcomed?” (Joanita Babirye, Founder and Director, Rainbow Smiles Foundation, Uganda).

For more information and to apply for sponsorships or group enrollments, email inclusiveonline@gmail.com

Inclusive Leadership Facilitation Practice Group: Enroll Today

You are warmly invited to join our March to April online practice group.

We are gathering new and experienced facilitators of Inclusive Leadership from around the world into an empowering mutual mentoring alliance of co-learners and co-facilitators of Inclusive Leadership skills.

Who For: Our Inclusive Leadership Facilitation Practice Group is for Inclusive Leaders who are involved in or want to be involved in:

  • sharing, mentoring or teaching Inclusive Leadership in school and community settings or
  • facilitating social justice or environmental justice education

Continue reading →

Raising the Next Generation of Inclusive Leaders

Galen Armstrong, Organizer, Western Canada, https://www.forourkids.ca/

submitted by Michael Slaby, Lindsay Beal, and Stanley Daniels with encouragement from Kix Citton

Edited by Linda Hill

Inclusive leadership has been something of great inspiration to many of our families: A source of hope. We are grateful to have learned and embraced its teaching and recognized our own potential to lead inclusively with this great program.

Within our own families there is so much we can do to be role models for alternatives to the prevalent western view of leadership that is narrow and hierarchical. Continue reading →

Inviting You On Our Online Inclusive Leadership Quest

Here is an invitation to consider for yourself and share with champions of diversity and inclusion you know.

https://inclusive-leadership-global-village.thinkific.com/courses/discover-1

Did you know that those of us who are deeply concerned about social isolation, discrimination, habitat loss, and climate change are part of a world-wide movement? Did you know our movement is probably 3 billion people strong and growing?

“The real game changers are people and communities…If we are going to solve this civilization crisis, we need to hold hands and collaborate.”  (Paul Hawken, Project Drawdown)

This is where our invitation to Discover Your Inclusive Leadership Potential comes in. Continue reading →

Strengthening the Strengthening Bridges Project

This blog post was collaboratively written by an international team of volunteer Inclusive Leadership Consultants: Seyi Alawuh, Muhammad Almahroof, Bukola Amao-Taiwo, Lindsay Beal, Terri Beaton, Alan Cundall, Harriet Greenwood, Linda Hill, Nola Landucci, Amy Matamba, Tafadzwa Matamba, Janice Milnerwood. Pema Rigzin, and Claudia Sanchez.

The Strengthening Bridges project is generously funded by the Department of Canadian Heritage and Multiculturalism.

Our goal is to build community capacity by preparing new generations of Inclusive Leadership facilitators.

Consulting Team

The project Education Committee (Janice, Linda, Lindsay, Harriet, and Terri) invited Inclusive Leaders to gather online on November 27, 2019 for two hours of Appreciative Inquiry into the ILC Strengthening Bridges project. We are so grateful to everyone who came to our virtual meeting room. The 14 of us who met together live and work in diverse parts of the world with half of us in Canada. The make-up of this online gathering beautifully captured how our Inclusive Leadership community is growing out from our roots on Vancouver Island BC to other provinces in Canada and to Argentina, Colombia, England, Nigeria, Uganda, Zimbabwe and many other countries. We showed up with open hearts and minds to embrace the new and somewhat unusual experience of learning on-the-job to be Participatory Action Researchers and Consultants. Continue reading →

What If We Boldly Push Inclusive Leadership Forward?

submitted by Beat Odermatt, Founder, owner and operator of U-Can International School, Uganda

What if we use the principles that Inclusive Leadership is built on and push forward boldly? 

The development of Inclusive Leadership Education is awesome. I want to see this beautiful online program expand and become a major vehicle for teaching Inclusive Leadership around the world. Continue reading →

You are invited to join the ILC Strengthening Bridges project

Are you concerned about oppression and marginalization? Do you value diversity and inclusion? Have you experienced any part of the past twenty celebratory years of in-person and on-line Inclusive Leadership education?

We are gathering new and experienced Inclusive Leaders into diverse networks and webs of empowering mutual mentoring alliances from around the world.

We are coming together online and in person to learn, mentor, practice, support and encourage each other to cultivate our skills and understandings for facilitating social and environmental justice education.

We are sharing our skills for embracing the diversity in all living beings as gifts that enrich our earth community and human family. Facilitating Inclusive Leadership education transforms ourselves, our communities, and the world.

Feeling curious? Intrigued? Inspired?

Email inclusiveleaders@gmail.com and read on to find out how you can participate in the ILC’s Strengthening Bridges Project. There are so many fulfilling ways to become involved. Continue reading →

Inclusive Leadership is a New Frontier

Submitted by Chapman Msowoya

My name is Chapman Msowoya. I live in Mpika,  Zambia, Africa with a dream to build a society that works for all people regardless of their ability.

I am so grateful to be sponsored by the Inclusive Leadership Cooperative to participate in two online courses. Both are rare opportunities for working towards my vision of creating a communities filled with peace, love and harmony for all people through our unique differences. Continue reading →

Education Assistants as Inclusive Leaders in Classrooms

by Linda Hill and Janice Maxwell

What if you arrive in your classroom one morning to find that everything is the same as it has always been except for one change?  What if no one in your classroom (absolutely no one) is reacting to disabilities and other differences as problems? What if, everyone (absolutely everyone) is now welcoming and accepting diverse abilities and all other differences as valuable gifts that enrich the classroom, the school, and the wider world?

These questions are answered in our new chapter, “Education Assistants as Inclusive Leaders in Classrooms” published in a groundbreaking new resource,

The Role of an Education Assistant: Supporting Inclusion.

Each chapter offers guidance and insight to anyone who wants to become an inclusive and welcoming education assistant or educator of any kind.

Continue reading →

Is Climate Change an Inclusive Leadership Matter?

1 Reply
ILC - footprintSubmitted by Joy Emmanuel

The other day an email circulated with this question in relation to Inclusive Leadership supporting a collaborative community effort to have local government “declare a climate emergency.” Great question and an action that the co-op may want to take. I offer here a few further reflections.

As I write this blog post, I am sitting outdoors tucked into a little wooded area on the property where I live. From here, I have been enjoying getting to know some of the other local residents: a mother duck and her four chicks, the nightly chorus of frogs who sing to me from the pond, I recently met my first tree frog, occasionally I hear an owl hooting, and one day I was treated to seeing the flashing red vibrating head of a pileated woodpecker. It has been a great delight to meet these neighbours.

Some days; however, I wonder about the former residents who are no longer represented in the visible animal population in this neck of the woods. The ones who use to be plentiful but now are rarely seen. The ones who had to leave because there are no nesting sites; no food sources; few watering holes; their seasonal coat has not shed, and their fur is too warm in these hot early spring days.

June 18 - Post b.jpg

Supporting this diverse neighbourhood ecosystem are all the plants and trees that provide food, shelter, homes, shade and meet so many other needs. I am also wondering how they are doing. Last summer was very dry and although we live in a rain forest, this spring we have had a very low rainfall. June 18 - post c

Is climate change an inclusive leadership matter? The Inclusive Leadership Co-op endorses the Earth Charter. Inclusive Leadership encourages us to recognize and embrace diversity in all living beings.   The Earth is our Mother.   The plants and animals are All Our Relations! We are interconnected

Another IL voice adds to the email conversation: “[This concern] is not only inline with the Earth Charter but also inclusive leadership. Climate change will affect marginalized populations much harder than the 1%ers.”

There are so many inter-connections.

One of my mentors I turn to on this topic is Jane Goodall. After many years of being an advocate and voice for Mother Earth, she is often asked: Is there hope? Although she acknowledges it is sometimes hard to be optimistic, in her inspiring book Reasons for Hope, she offers four strong responses to this question:

  1. First, the miraculous ability of the human brain and the potential we have already demonstrated to solve so many challenges once thought impossible.
  2. Second, she reminds us of the amazing resilience of nature if we give her a chance – and a helping hand. She offers numerous stories of how Mother Nature can show us the way. One such example she names comes from right here in the Cowichan Valley! She refers to “a most remarkable forester, Merv Wilkonson” and his work at Wildwood Farm to sustainably manage a 136 acre forest. After “logging” it nine times it still has giant old trees and there are “more animal species there today than when he began.” Wow! So much is possible when we work with Mother Nature!
  3. Third, she takes the view that “hope lies in the new understanding, commitment and energy of young people around the world.” Empowering young people is her contribution to their future and the future of the planet. Inclusive Leadership also upholds this view.
  4. June 18 - post dHer fourth pillar of hope is all the amazing and wonderful people “who have set out to accomplish almost impossible things, and because they never gave up, achieved their goals against seemingly hopeless odds.” I know I have certainly met more than a few inspiring people like this at our wonderful Inclusive Leadership gatherings!

Yes, climate change is an inclusive leadership matter – a concern that is deeply challenging and one that connects us all. Embracing the spirit, the skills, and awareness of inclusive leadership is a place of hope, intent and possibility. Yes, government has a role to play, and so do we all in our own little “neck of the woods” in how we live each day!

May we find our way forward together!