What is Reparative Inclusion?

 

We all have a need to feel valued and appreciated yet our behavior, as leaders and as individuals, is not always aligned with this aspiration. There is a growing sense of loneliness and polarization that affects our personal and professional lives. Reparative inclusion offers leadership coaching, collaborative team building, and interactive workshops as a means of rectifying this situation. 

​

Who Needs Reparative Inclusion?​​

 

Leaders

Successful leaders know that implementing a culture of inclusion can dramatically increase innovation, productivity, employee satisfaction, and retention.  Having the intent to be inclusive is a necessary first step, but if others do not feel a sense of acceptance and belonging, then the environment is not yet inclusive. 

​

Reflecting and improving collaboration and communication skills enhances one’s own leadership while at the same time improving relationships and inspiring the best results from colleagues, employees, and board members.  Inclusive and compassionate leadership combats employee burnout, high turnover, and team friction. This type of leadership that leads to higher productivity and a positive outlook in the organization.

​

How is it achieved?

This is a process of reflection.  One needs support to hold a mirror up to personal and organizational obstacles that block advancement. Leadership Coaching in a Reparative Inclusion framework is a personalized approach to behavioral change. It is a systematic, goal-focused, action orientated process that leads to sustainable results.

​

Communities & Groups

Teams cannot function effectively when members do not feel included and valued. When an inclusive mindset is adopted and civil discourse implemented, people from both sides become invested in the success of the other and realize that when every individual succeeds, the entire community becomes stronger.

​

Communities are becoming fragmented in ways and to an extent not previously seen.  A plethora of articles and observers ratified this trend but come up short on solutions.  Our ability to be inclusive is in need of repair, and skills combating the “us and them” mentality should be available for teams large and small.  

​

How is it achieved?

Reparative Inclusion workshops are based on an understanding of adult learning. They are interactive and include time for personal reflection. We teach skills such as listening with open curiosity and empathy, civil discourse, increasing social skills,     and engaging in healthy arguments where the goal is to learn rather than convince or reach a consensus.  Skills also include an increased understanding of another’s perspective or lived experience, pluralism, interdependence, an intercultural mindset, and an increased ability to tolerate difference.

​

Individuals

On an individual level, marginalization can lead to feelings of loneliness, low self-esteem, and increased mental health issues. Learning inclusive relationship skills can educate family members about the value that everyone contributes no matter their circumstances or divergent opinions.

​

As New York Times columnist David Brooks writes in How to Know a Person, “We live in an environment in which political animosity, technology dehumanization, and social breakdown undermine connection, strain friendship, erase intimacy and foster distrust.”   The U.S. Surgeon General’s 2023 report echoes this concern by stating that “the lack of social connection poses a significant risk for individual health and longevity.”  Positive change can start with a single individual. 

​

How is it achieved?

Coaching for Individuals in a Reparative Inclusion framework is a personalized approach.  Goals can include reestablishing ties with an estranged loved one, finding a way to discuss politics/current events when family members have strongly held views, or exploring internal resistance to diverse ideas or diverse groups.

​

Youth-Serving Organizations

Schools, summer camps,  and other youth serving organizations strive to be welcoming and inclusive.  It is important that professionals working in these environments have the skills to model and teach civil discourse and an appreciation for diversity. 

​

The social dynamics of a school environment have always been difficult for children to navigate. Social media has exacerbated that difficulty exponentially. Teaching and implementing reparative inclusion at an early age can boost confidence and reduce mental health issues later in life.

​

How is it achieved?

Specific workshops for professionals working with youth include: Youth Mental Health First Aid training, advancing disability inclusion and reparative inclusion workshops focusing on how to teach youth to listen with open curiosity, empathy, civil discourse, and understanding another’s perspective. Disability inclusion and reparative inclusion workshops are designed specifically for professionals and for children and teens