Why I am a Vocal Advocate for Diversity, Inclusion & Mental Health.

May is the month for mental health and our 6 high schoolers from 4 different cities have come together to work on the issue of diversity, inclusion and mental health. Together they are deepening their knowledge about LGBTQIA+ rights and the impact on mental health. As part of an assignment all of them were given a task to work on the topic “Why they are advocates for Diversity, Inclusion and Mental Health”. Their essays were deep with thought provoking questions. Scroll to read.

“We are no longer strangers to phrases like diversity, inclusion, and mental health. We all know what these phrases mean according to the ‘Oxford’ definitions. Do we, however, understand the true ‘meaning’ of these words? The vast majority of us do not. I’m not even sure what they imply. However, these expressions, in my opinion, imply acceptance. Mental health is one of those topics that everyone readily discusses, but we are hesitant to admit that we may be mentally unfit when it comes to ourselves.

Variations are the core of diversity. But, as a culture, do we embrace differences?

We talk about thinking outside the box, but in the end, we go for the safe option. Finally, but certainly not least, there is the issue of inclusion. People who are “different from us” are not included in our group. A few examples that we can talk about and which are very relevant today are LGBTQI+, people with disorders (psychological/physical), etc.   We want everyone in our immediate group to be ‘normal.’ Who are we to say what constitutes normalcy and what constitutes abnormality? As a result, I Kovida Aggarwal attempt to speak up and name myself a ‘Vocal Advocate for Diversity, Inclusion, and Mental Health’ in order to educate myself and those around me that everyone is distinct and beautiful in their own way, and to include people who are marginalized from society as people who harm society.”

What is diversity?

“We’re all different. And sometimes, these differences can lead to discrimination – either directly or indirectly. One gets treated less favorably by the people they are surrounded by. Discrimination goes far beyond blatant harassment where sometimes it include micro aggressive behavior towards those being discriminated against. Inclusion means to be acceptable to people of all genders, races, castes and sexualities. It means to put aside the individual differences and see one as “human” rather than what color their skin is.” says Misri.

So, what’s the difference between diversity and inclusion? Diversity is recognising the differences between employees, their identities and their backgrounds. Inclusion is wholeheartedly valuing and embracing these differences and treating everyone like a human.

As the saying goes, “We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children”, and perhaps it is in the hands of the younger generation, in our hands, to set things right and end toxic practices that affect the mindset nurturing as well as hinder true societal progress. Whilst advocating for mental health, diversity and inclusion I find a sense of purpose that lies beyond the four walls of my school and classes. I feel more like an individual rather than one of the students while contributing towards the betterment of the world, even though it’s on an incredibly small scale. I get happiness and a sense of satisfaction from contributing to society. I feel triumphant when I can make a difference and when I can help the planet and its people progress towards creating a safe space for anyone and everyone. Moreover, I believe that our generation has been blessed with technology to promote social causes to a larger audience in a few easy steps. I think we are really empowered through technology and the internet is a great leveler. Ignorance cannot be our excuse because information is nanoseconds away for us. We have to do it. Bringing about social change is an urgent requirement and I think we should know that we have no choice. We have to fix a lot of things and they have to also know that we have more power to do so then the previous generations, that this time silencing us is not going to be easy.”

As a kid I, like many of my peers didn’t know about the queer community or the importance of mental health.

“Why is she so scared to speak?”

“What do you mean they can’t read that?”

“ You’re depressed? Oh man up!”

We didn’t acknowledge the diversity in the world because we were told that it wasn’t normal. We accepted the gender binary as that is all we’ve been told. If we heard the word ‘gay’ you could see the shock in our eyes, our incredulous looks saying, “Did they actually say that out loud?”

 Disrespectful questions were casually thrown around without much thought.

“ You’re gay? Nah it’s just a phase, you’ll grow out of it.”

“He’s wearing a skirt? Yeah he’s probably gay.”

“Okay, but what actually is your gender?”

I saw queerness in the books I read, the movies I watched and most importantly in my friends. Then I thought to myself, “ There’s nothing wrong about any of this, why don’t people see what I see? ” I saw the worry in my friends’ eyes and the fear they felt in coming out to their parents. That instilled some fear in me too. Would my parents see me as something wrong if i told them i was queer? I understood not to take mental illnesses lightly. But many people around me do not

I am a vocal advocate for diversity and inclusion because I see the stigma and discrimination faced by marginalised communities. I see the prejudices people hold. I see the lack of awareness and ignorance shown towards queer people, and people who are courageous enough to be open about their mental health. I support and respect them, which is also why I will raise my voice to help defend them.”

“Diversity, inclusion and mental health are significant factors to consider when discussing minorities and ways to boost their acceptance. It is equally noteworthy to recognise that the three are interconnected and represent ideas a lot of the general public may deem too complex. Thus, in this essay, I shall illustrate how these ideals are essential in bettering us as a race and why I am a vocal advocate for these principles.

Diversity, whether that be in fictional works of art or real-life workplaces, is imperative as it changes people’s perceptions and helps in eliminating stigmas and prejudices. By incorporating the representation of a wide range of people, diversity humanises minorities.

Inclusion is vital as humans, by nature, are social animals. They will mingle with others of the same species for the survival of the body and mind. Inclusion boosts the mental health of members of underrepresented groups as they are shown that they have enough fundamental value to interact with privileged groups.

If diversity is lacking, so will inclusion, and ultimately, the mental health of marginalised groups will decline upon being excluded and alienated from their peers. Everyone should have the basic human right to a healthy mind, along with the means to treat and prevent its decline.

Therefore, I am a vocal advocate for diversity, inclusion and mental health as promoting these ideals will allow us to enhance the status of ostracised minorities.”

“Advocacy, to me, is like an important catalyst that you can use to change the world. A better understanding of it would be to think of it as a powerful weapon that you can wield. Advocates are unsung heroes, they raise, and bring to light the problems faced by communities and actively work to change laws, policies and obstructions which work to act as an obstacle for these communities barring them from basic needs

I am a vocal advocate, as I have been in the position where my mental health was not up to par to how it should have been, and advocates, specifically mental health advocates helped make it better in their own way. Reading about their stories, which showcased their vulnerability, helped me feel less alone. Being a vocal advocate I get to learn as well as garner awareness about , oppression discrimination, privilege that one might hold and how you could use it social justice issues, and combating these issues on a personal level.

Being an advocate for diversity gives me a chance to engage in multicultural events and gives me the opportunity to meet different people. Like aforementioned, an advocates work helps to change policies laws, to me it’s being a part of something bigger than myself,

The more awareness that you increase about the topics, you are able to remove the stigma of the conditions. I am an advocate because I know how it is like to be on the receiving side of the spectrum and how much the vulnerability and support meant to me,and I would love to do that and help even one person.”

Diversity and inclusion are about recognizing, respecting and valuing differences based on gender, physical ability, and sexual orientation. We are all well aware about the literal meaning of these terms however many miss out the sensitivity and emotions behind them. This lack of understanding leads to discrimination and exclusion on various levels such as bullying and harassment.

Being a vocal advocate requires you to accept and respect one for who they are and not judge them based on their sexual orientation or the fact that they have a mental illness. Even though India is progressing in terms of their beliefs and views there is a majority of the population that is caught up in the old conventional thought process and are unable to break themselves free of those ideas to gain a better understanding regarding the sensitivity of the issue. I look at myself as a vocal advocate for diversity, inclusion and mental health not only because I respect one for who they are but also because I support them in their journey of accepting themselves and being accepted by the society through spreading awareness among others and eliminating stigmas around the issue.

The project: Questioning and eliminating limiting societal norms to equip all genders with healthy attitudes toward each other and the ability to shape their own lives.The project aims at increasing awareness of diversity and mental health and a research project on ‘How to make schools inclusive.’ If you are interested in working on social change projects, check our programs here

TFG Tribe: Keionna Chouhan, Grade 11 Rustomjee Cambridge International School Mumbai, Misri Shah, Grade 12 Navrachana International School, Vadodara, Kovida Agarwal, Grade 11 Shiv Nadar School Noida, Kriti Gunashekaran, Grade 11 Vidyaniketan School Hebbal, Vritti Kohli, Grade 12 Step By Step School and Ambreen Sidhu, Grade 9 Strawberry Fields High School Chandigarh.