The benefits of being out in nature, particularly for mental health, are well-researched and reported. But there’s a gap that many people may be less aware of in the West: the racial gap.
For September’s Diversity Dictionary word of the week series, we went on an exploration into race-related mythologies and experiences: Reverse racism, white-passing and identity politics. These are terms that are misunderstood, misused, and can cause confusion, even provoke a sense of feeling attacked.
Cancel culture, echo chamber, woke, oppression olympics. These are all terms that have gained popularity in the past five or so years, and while they may have started life as phrases intended to create a sense of unity, community or accountability, their effect is the opposite.
Cancel culture has become the expected knee jerk reaction to anyone who says or does the wrong thing. But cancel culture doesn’t have to be the only way. Here’s how American singer-songwriter took accountability and action when the disability spoke up about an ableist song lyric of hers.
In the northern hemisphere, as summer approaches, companies take it upon themselves to remind people that they need to get in shape, to get ‘beach-body-ready’, to shed the pounds to be desirable. This is an unhealthy message for anyone, and particularly for anyone dealing with eating disorders. This is why we made eating disorders our focus for June 2022.
It’s no overstatement to say that the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted how an entire generation thinks about work. It’s given people the chance to reprioritise and realign with their personal values. And along the way, there have been mass movements that centre people over profit.
DEI. EDI. DEBI. JEDI. There are so many acronyms out there to describe the work of diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, justice and more. But with the alphabet soup, does the meaning of these individual words sometimes get diluted or lost? Maybe.
March is here! Which means we’re all gearing up for #InternationalWomensDay. But why does such a day need to exist? Because of the Patriarchy. #DiversityDictionary
Allyship. It’s a word that’s growing in popularity. But what does it mean? Put simply, allyship is when a person of privilege works together with a marginalised group for a more equal world. Marginalised and privilege are the two key words in that sentence.
Welcome to our first #WordOfTheWeek roundup for 2022! Our theme for this year is Joyful Sustainability. Because joy is often at odds with sustainability. We want to reframe the relationship between the two words, and share how we will be embodying joyful sustainability as a team this year.
Welcome to our first #WordOfTheWeek roundup for 2022! Our theme for this year is Joyful Sustainability. Because joy is often at odds with sustainability. We want to reframe the relationship between the two words, and share how we will be embodying joyful sustainability as a team this year.
As we approach the end of the year, it can be easy to get swept up in festive cheer and for the social issues that we hear about throughout the year to be swept under the rug. Yet many want to be seen to be ‘doing the work’, without actually doing the work. Cue December 2021’s #DiversityDictionary theme.
This week on the #TOBcommunity spotlight, meet Imriel Morgan. The CEO of Content is Queen, a podcast community for emerging creators on a mission to empower and amplify underrepresented voices.
Question: could you easily articulate the difference between prejudice, discrimination, unconscious bias and stereotype? These four words have distinct meanings, yet often get used interchangeably, which means the work of diversity, equity and inclusion often becomes confused and lacking in aim.
In the #TOBcommunity spotlight, we’d like you to meet Sulaiman R. Khan. Self-described as a work-in-progress and Disabled entrepreneur working in the creative industries to ignite, invest in, and amplify Disabled creativity across the world.
October is Black History Month in the UK, and we're honoured to have partnered with Kim Loliya who runs Black Psychotherapy, for October's #DiversityDictionary series.
This week on the #TOBcommunity spotlight, we would like to introduce you to Lauren Fernandes, a freelance graphic designer, and co-founder of Young Black Psych. Young Black Psych is a social enterprise company specialising in spreading awareness and providing useful, easy-to-use resources for young people’s mental health within the BME community.
This week on the #TOBcommunity spotlight, we would like you to meet Zachi Brewster. Zachi is an abortion doula + creator of Dopo Support which provides holistic support before, during and after abortions for all abortion experiences. She also wears many other hats including being a trustee at BiPride UK, a Telefriending Volunteer at Opening Doors London and a Co-Facilitator at Safe Spaces for Black Women. No matter what she’s working on, Zachi’s work aligns with her personal mission to improve reproductive and sexual health services for all.
On the #TOBcommunity spotlight this week, we’d like to introduce you to Vicky Pasion. A recording artist, entrepreneur and activist who has captivated audiences since a young age - from London’s West End, as young Nala in ‘The Lion King’, to the 02 Academy. She’s also the co-founder of Gifted, By Nature - a production team and community, rooted in consciousness, creativity and compassion.
This week on the #TOBcommunity spotlight, we’d like to introduce you to Becky Hoh-Hale. Becky is the creator of the Ingat Ingat Exhibition, which celebrates East and South-East Asian people who came to work for the NHS circa 60-70s. She’s also the Founder & Creative Director of A Most Curious Wedding Fair - the biggest indie bridal event in the UK.
This week on the #TOBcommunity spotlight, we’d like you to meet Simon Alexander Ong (he/him), a life coach and business strategist. He also partners with community-led initiatives to develop the leadership potential of the Chinese diaspora equipping young people from low-income households with the tools and resources to transform their lives and careers. Oh, and Simon’s debut book ‘Energize’ is also on the way!
This week on the #TOBcommunity spotlight, we’d like you to meet Janet Oganah (she/her), a former barrister and founder of Janet’s List - a curated platform for independent UK brands by Black women and women of colour.
This week’s #TOBcommunity spotlight is on Isabella Silvers (She/Her), an editor at Hearst, and owner of ‘Mixed Messages’ a weekly newsletter on mixed-race identities. No matter her outlet, Isabella makes sure inclusion is at the heart of all that she does.
This week’s #TOBcommunity spotlight is on Taimour Ahmed (He/Him), the founder of Expert By Experience - a volunteer-led anti-imperialist platform that creates a dialogue around mental health in South Asian communities.
The theme for August 2021’s Diversity Dictionary was ‘Urban Planning’ , where we explored how cities have come to be and their relationships with humans, the environment and systemic oppression.
This week’s #TOBcommunity spotlight is on Juspreet Kaur, the founder of Kaur Health. Kaur Health offers Holistic Nutrition Coaching and Natural Family Planning for hormone-free contraception, conception and general body literacy. They also work with the grassroots Sikh collective NSYF, and is the founder of Kaur Faction.
Our Diversity Dictionary theme for August explored body image - to empower us all to shift our understanding and perhaps even our relationships with our own bodies and appearance.
This week’s #TOBcommunity spotlight is on Suyin Haynes, the new Editor-in-Chief of gal-dem (former journalist at TIME magazine in London and New York). With all of her work, Suyin is committed to telling stories, changing narratives and diversifying the British media landscape.
This week’s #TOBcommunity spotlight is on Navi Ahluwalia who is the Assistant Editor at POPSUGAR UK and Co-Founder of Platform LDN. With all of her work, Navi uses her platforms to shine a light on the South Asian community.
In the lifelong commitment to allyship and inclusion, there will be times when you say or do something wrong. Here are four things our founder Leyya learned from getting it wrong, and how to move forwards.