On Thursday, 19 May 2022, the second TED Members Group Discussion of the year, organised with the support of BancaStato, took place at Impact Hub Ticino. "Inclusion Revolution" was the event's theme, which created an active debate among participants in a relaxed and informal atmosphere.
The evening began with the screening of a TED Talk video: "Inclusion Revolution by Daisy Auger-DomÃnguez, Diversity and Inclusion Strategist. After the screening of the video, participants engaged in a constructive debate, expressing ideas and visions through open conversation.
Fear, courage, self-awareness, initiative: these were some of the key words that emerged, summarising well the discussions that took place last night; words that were also accompanied by a need for solidarity and alliance to ensure an inclusive corporate and social ecosystem.
It is precisely from the analysis of the cultural and educational context that the conversation started: we have always been educated to do and not to be, men are men, women are women, and their respective masculine and feminine sides must be masked otherwise, one is not 'man' or 'woman' enough. And so, until we free ourselves from conditioning and cognitive biases and welcome the multiplicity within us, we will not be able to see the diversity in others. Similarly, we often communicate using 'labels' and appellations that create division and contribute to feeding these cognitive biases: we label refugees and migrants as 'non-EU citizens', and we use the generic word 'disabled' to describe 1 billion people with different types of disabilities. Words which exclude instead of include.
True inclusion, on the other hand, is built through daily acts of solidarity and alliance between those who recognise that they enjoy a privilege and those who are the object of exclusion, equally through strategic plans, clear objectives, measurable actions and iterative processes to learn from mistakes: only this transforms an ideal into concrete and lasting results.Â
In recent years, our economic and social system has evolved positively: we are now all more aware thanks to the many awareness campaigns and public measures, but still far from a truly inclusive and just system. Each of us can, and must contribute to the improvement: of the State by putting in place more tools that allow all people to make their path and take the first step towards a cultural change; each of us must make an effort and nurture the will to study, to explore the different. Many people do not reflect on their condition and that of others; they wait for something to change or rage against the system.
These themes emerged during the conversation involving entrepreneurs, students, and professionals from the corporate, public and non-profit worlds.
The conversation was facilitated and fuelled by:
Donatella Zappa, Director at Area Società Cooperativa;
Gabrio Previtali, Group Leader and Project Leader, Labour Section, URC;
Marialuisa Parodi, Co-Director and Co-Founder at Equi-Lab;
Paolo Badano, Director at Genny Factory SA;
Tiziano Luccarelli, Sustainability Lead at Kickstart Innovation and Co-Founder Impact Hub Ticino.
The TED Members Group Discussions are organised thanks to the support of BancaStato, which we sincerely thank. Thanks also to MoneyMag, Media Partner, for this event.
What are the TED Members Group Discussions?
TED Members Group Discussions are recurring, informal events in which participants watch together a TED video on the most topical and urgent issues for the community and discuss them openly, seeking solutions and confronting each other in an effort of collective intelligence. Impact Hub Ticino organises four events a year, touching on topical and inspiring issues for the local community.