A community should be a place that we can be ourselves, for this to truly happen communities needs to be inclusive, diverse, and equal.

An inclusive community understands and respects differences, such a but no limited to:

• age
• caring responsibilities
• cultural background
• disability
• educational level
• ethnicity
• gender expression
• Intersex status
• religious beliefs
• sexual orientation

Let’s empower and educate everyone to understand what inclusion is, by creating opportunities for communities to engage with advocates, like SAFE in the South West a program that aims to raise awareness of diversity, and challenging attitudes of homophobia, biphobia and transphobia in schools, community services, organisations, and the wider community.

We need to be promoting capacity not only in the community but also in our workplaces. Examples of inclusion in the workplace would be, for people with all abilities to be able to navigate around a business as an employee/customer or visitor easily. Information should be accessible in a way that is understandable by all.

Kylie Thulborn summed up inclusion in the community beautifully with two words “Community for Community”.  Kylie passionately spoke art, creativity and music being a universal language, and how important this is for building inclusion. A great example of this is the Find your Voice All Abilities Choir, that have performed at our very own Port Fairy Folk festival, and at Australia’s Got Talent. This is inclusion through the arts at its absolute best.

The Great South Coast has so many amazing arts, culture and wonderful stories that can all be found on the Story Towns podcast, take the tour like the 2021 Leadership Team did.

Thank you to our guest facilitator Alma Besserdin for her insights into workplace diversity, inclusion, and unconscious bias. Thanks also the Kylie Thulborn, Co-Founder Find your Voice Choir, Sparklez Hernan, Brophy Family and Youth Services, Ethan Bloom and Gareth Colliton Teacher/ Executive Producer, One Day Studios (LGSC Alumni).

Tania Penny, 2021 Program Participant