Diversity & Inclusion

This course is designed for those who want an introduction to the broad area of social justice. The modules of this course will take you on a journey to question and understand your own biases and attitudes towards diversity and inclusion. If you want a broad introduction to the culture of inclusion and acceptance and ready to be challenged to see the world from different perspectives this course is for you.

At the end of the course participants will have an understanding of the different groups within a diverse society. They will have the resources to challenge discriminatory ideas and contribute to the development of an inclusive culture in their environment. 

Each participant will be awarded a Certificate of Participation. 

• Ability Awareness

This short introduction will help you understand the difference between the medical model of disability and the social model of disability. You will be introduced to the concept of universal accessibility and gain an insight into the contributions of people with diverse abilities to the success of communities. You will also gain some tools to help progress a culture of Inclusion.

• Breaking the Binary

In this lesson we will unpack biological sex, gender identity, gender expression and sexuality and explore the gender binary and gender diversity. The session will also cover challenges and issues faced by the LGBTIQ+ community and strategies to challenge homophobia, transphobia and heteronormativity.

• Cultural Diversity

This lesson introduces a new understanding of culture and provides a starting point to understanding, acknowledging and nurturing cultural diversity. You will gain an insight into the issues of current understandings of cultural competence and training models around cultural diversity.

• Mental Health Awareness

This short introduction to mental health will discuss the prevalence and impact on mental illness. You will be introduced to some of the common mental illnesses and develop an insight into their symptoms. We will also look at some of the effective treatments for mental illness and introduce the concept of self-care for resilience and wellbeing.

• Unconscious Bias

This short introduction to unconscious bias will help you understand the neuroscience of bias. You will develop an understanding of the impact of privilege and learn what unconscious bias is, how it works, why it exists and how to recognise and manage the impact of unconscious bias on our behaviour.

Instructor: Arif Ongu

About Arif 

Arif is a diversity and inclusion professional passionate about cultural change and genuine inclusion. After 20 years fighting (non-violently) against injustice and prejudice in the community and mental health sector, he has spent the last eight years focusing on accessibility and inclusion and on training for organisational culture change.  Arif implements a wide range of training for academic and professional staff at the University of Technology Sydney (UTS), including cultural diversity, disability awareness, sexuality, gender and bodily diversity and unconscious bias.  Arif is an accredited Master Instructor for several Mental Health First Aid courses. To date Arif has trained over 250 staff in Mental Health First Aid at UTS.

In addition to this work at the university, Arif provides training and related consultancy services for corporate and government organisations.