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A deep dive into the consequences of stigma took us to painful places – anger, hurt, lack of self-worth, not belonging, self-limiting habits, struggles connecting with others and the resulting cumulative impact on mental and physical health. One team member highlighted research undertaken by Psychologists for Change on the psychological impact of austerity. It showed austerity to be the cause of people's distress, yet it was being treated as a mental health problem located within the individual. It’s like telling a disadvantaged young person that they can get on the London housing ladder by cancelling their Netflix subscription. It reinforces the messaging that poverty is a state individuals succumb to, enabling people in power to relinquish any form of responsibility.…

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Values are at the heart of best practice. This important manual offers a successful blend of theoretical understanding with very helpful practice guidance to enable readers to make sense of the complex but vitally important issues. This is an ideal resource for anyone involved in types of work where success depends on effective engagement with people. Available from https://neilthompson.info/shop/ or Amazon

I mentioned in an earlier Lessons for Living that the Avenue Successful Time and Workload Management e-learning course is based on four principles of time and workload management. One of those principles is ‘Invest time to save time’. Unfortunately, busy people often fail to do this. There may be useful ways in which they could save time and energy, be more effective and/or achieve better results with the same resources, but many people will not explore these because they see themselves as being too busy to do so. That is, they don’t invest time to save time. An investment is not the same as a cost – the idea is that you should get that time back, with interest. Abraham Lincoln is…

We’re delighted to launch our new Vision to Reality strategy 2023 to 2026. Guided by the Moonshot Vision, the strategy defines the unique role the National Autistic Society will play in creating a society that works for autistic people. It outlines the beliefs, ambitions and priorities that will guide our work. Whether you’re an autistic person, family member or ally, a partner organisation, a staff member or Trustee, a volunteer at your local branch, a committed campaigner or fundraiser – or perhaps several of these – this strategy helps define a set of shared objectives so we can change the world together. Click here to read more

Corporate support for Pride is rising, but is it authentic or performative allyship? Many companies jump in on Pride month festivities. Whether it’s by sponsoring a float or hosting workshops, we are seeing more take an active role. However, not all go beyond performative allyship and tackle the real, painful workplace discrimination faced by the LGBTQ+ community. myGwork’s latest research on the experiences of LGBTQ+ women and non-binary professionals revealed that 70% experience workplace discrimination. This is higher for those with intersectional experiences from marginalized communities and ethnic minority groups. The research highlighted that 70% had left an employer for failing to provide inclusive and equitable workplaces. These statistics echo the results of other surveys carried out by LGBTQ+ charities like Stonewall, which…

Culture seeks shortcuts. The oldest shortcut is: “Friend or foe?” If we know the answer to that, a whole bunch of time gets saved, and fear is reduced as well. The labeling goes beyond which team, cadre, tribe or village someone is part of. It extends to the ways we demonstrate which box we’ve chosen–fashion, pro sports, even the tech we use or how we speak. The search for safe shortcuts becomes an end to itself. Click here to read more

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