For the past 10 years, I have had the honour of being part of the team facilitating the ‘Opening Doors’ Social Inclusion Community Leadership Program. Running over six months each year, it provides leadership development to around 20 community members from Melbourne’s east and south-east who are passionate about working towards a more socially inclusive society.
Each year I find myself in the very privileged position of hearing the stories of an incredibly diverse group of people who have experienced their own versions of exclusion. I find myself disheartened and ashamed at what I hear, especially as some of the stories relate to present day experiences in Australia rather than experiences from the past.
At the same time, I am also uplifted, inspired and joyful to be with a group of people who genuinely believe in a better future for themselves and their communities – despite what some of them may have been through.
I am in the presence of those who want to make Australia a better place. People who believe in the power of inclusion, cooperation and collaboration, of finding what we have in common and what we are mutually curious about. People wanting to explore what we can do together that will connect us and move us forward.
How does this way of engaging and contributing come about? How do these people see the positives in situations that I find so concerning?
Where the question in my head is often ‘How can we still have people in our communities that behave in ways that demean and disrespect others?’, their question is more likely to be something like ‘What can we do together that we can’t do apart to make things better for everyone?’
These are the emotionally healthy leaders in our community who step up and take a stand in working together. They make conscious choices about how they relate to, engage and work with others. They lead by example in the way they go about fostering relationships and building inclusion. They look for opportunities to bring communities together and support others to be the best they can be.
We are at a time in history when we are faced with widespread political leadership that feels more like a reality TV show than governing. A time in history when we are faced with more and more people becoming physically and emotionally isolated from others rather than being invited to be part of a community. A time in history when we are faced with increased mental health and wellbeing issues across the country and the globe.
Thankfully it is also a time in history when we have Opening Doors, a program that both reveals and develops authentic leadership and a genuine, unselfish desire to make the world a better place.
Opening Doors is auspiced by Link Health and Community, a not-for-profit community organisation providing a range of medical, health and support services at subsidised cost to improve the health and wellbeing of people in Melbourne’s east and south-east suburbs. Applications for the 2018 Opening Doors program are now open. Click here for details.
Photo by Benny Jackson on Unsplash.com
