What efforts are we actually taking to include every person, everywhere?
The session started with presentations by two key speakers: Paul-Gilbert Colletaz (Red Umbrella Fund) and Bram Langen (COC Nederland). The session was facilitated by Nina Guillerme, consultant at Diverse and Inclusive consulting.
Striving for inclusivity
Paul-Gilbert Colletaz elaborated on the work of Red Umbrella Fund. He shared how their global participatory grantmaking mechanism is led by and for sex workers, working in the spirit of ‘Nothing About Us, Without Us.’ In their work, they have principles to live by, such as geographic diversity, lived experience diversity, and different experiences with marginalisation. By means of self-conscious reflection on who is at the table and who is not, they try to be inclusive in a way that does not create competition.
Bram Langen spoke about the work of COC Nederland, an LGBTI organisation in Netherlands. Bram has seen a continuous process of inclusion within their own movement, expanding representation by looking at intersectionalities. He explained how COC is led by the Inside-Out Principle: any change comes from people themselves. Furthermore, COC focuses on power relations, ingrained patterns of dealing with power, and is moving towards decision-making by doing more participatory grantmaking on a country level. In their programmes, they provide LGBTI organisations and people with a seat at the table and ensure that other intersectionalities are involved. An important point Bram made: we need to remind people to not speak for others.
We need to remind people to not speak for others.
A learning process
After the inspiring presentations of Paul-Gilbert and Bram, there was room for some discussion. Some wondered how organisations working for a broader group of people can become more inclusive in their work. Bram mentioned here that it is significantly important to link to groups and activities in those countries one is working in – ask them, and try to reach out. Such connections are the starting point to identify the things that you are dealing with and to identify the areas in which you can come together.
In break-out rooms, participants exchanged experiences and best practices with regard to inclusion in their own programmes and organisations. Several points were discussed here, such as the importance of adapting to local contexts, awareness of the spaces that one finds oneself in and the need to step back, as well as the importance of having an eye for internal inclusivity. The main conclusion from the presentations has been that inclusivity must be understood as a learning process.
Inclusion will never be reached, it’s a continuous process of learning and creating awareness, and being open for reflection.
Main Take-Aways
- People themselves know best about what they need. Applying principles such as Inside-Out and Nothing About Us Without Us, and understanding that the contexts we work in are more complex than we think is important.
- Inclusivity is about entering representativity at all levels of the programmes. As Paul-Gilbert explained, everyone should ask themselves the question: who is not at the table? Do not speak on behalf of others and make space for the voices that are representative of their own needs.
- Really commit to shifting power and funding streams. NGOs have to reflect on their own power position and leadership and create the will to shift that without getting a receipt – it’s a matter of trial and error.
- We must keep on learning from each other. Reflect on how to become inclusive, even though the inclusivity level will never reach 100%. Striving to be more inclusive asks for efforts from the entire organisation, including funders and alliances. Promote the conversation among your partners and try to create a space for communities to be part of the learning trajectory.
The second LNOB webinar has been a pretty interesting conversation, emphasizing the need to continue exploring various voices, experiences and ideas. Let’s keep on learning from each other and strengthen our solidarity to ensure further inclusivity. See you at the next session!