is founded on the belief that everyone of us can play a part in creating a more compassionate society through our effort to make every individual seen, valued, and heard regardless of their identity. Nearly all of us would have experienced episodes or situations when we are different and are excluded. For many, these are rare experiences that do not have a significant impact on our lives. But for others, being excluded could be part of their everyday life. They are not fully seen, valued, or heard as they lack access to opportunities to participate fully in society. They lose out economically, socially, politically and are more likely to experience poor health, loneliness, and poor self-esteem.
We can make our society a more inclusive one by acting together today. You can start by taking action today to make your school, your workplace, your community, and your world more inclusive. Think of a family member, friend, schoolmate, colleague, or someone in your wider community who has been excluded. Take a pledge on how you will take action to make them feel more included in the next one year and ensure that you follow through with your actions. Together, we can make the world a kinder one for everyone.
According to the World Bank, many individuals and groups are unable to participate fully in society due to a wide variety of reasons including legal structure, labour markets as well discriminatory or stigmatizing attitudes, beliefs, or perceptions. They can be disadvantaged based on social identity as well as innate uncontrollable factors spanning dimensions including gender, age, location, occupation, race, ethnicity, religion and disability.
