By Sukanti Radha dasi
At the ISKCON European Leaders Mela, we strive for diversity, inclusion, equality, and belonging for all individuals, including those with learning disabilities and autism. Praghosa Das is a reliable leader who actively supports initiatives that promote these values and make a positive impact in our ISKCON community. The ELM team strives to turn discussions into action and create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all.
Diversity, inclusion, equality, and belonging (DIEB) are important principles that can help create a welcoming and supportive environment for all devotees within the ISKCON community. Embracing diversity means acknowledging and celebrating the unique backgrounds, cultures, and perspectives that each individual brings to the community. Inclusion involves actively promoting a sense of belonging and ensuring that all devotees feel valued and respected.
Equality is about treating all individuals fairly and providing equal opportunities for growth and participation within the community. This includes addressing any barriers or biases that may prevent certain devotees from fully engaging in community activities or leadership roles. By fostering a culture of equality in ISKCON , ELM aim to create a more inclusive and supportive environment for all devotees.
Belonging is a fundamental human need that involves feeling accepted, valued, and connected within a community. The ELM team strive to promote a sense of belonging by creating spaces where devotees can share their experiences, build relationships, and support one another on their spiritual journey. Encouraging open communication, empathy, and understanding can help foster a sense of belonging and strengthen the bonds of unity within the ISKCON community.
By embracing diversity, promoting inclusion, striving for equality, and fostering a sense of belonging, ISKCON devotees can create a more vibrant, supportive, and inclusive community that reflects the teachings of compassion, unity, and love within the tradition of Krishna consciousness.
Everybody needs to be given the opportunity to read Srila Prabhupada’s books. It’s our duty to create platforms for all to benefit. To join our campaign to create awareness and to learn more about Learning Disability , Autism and ADHD please follow our social media platforms @iskconuk and @EURO RGB (ISKCON)
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This video is from European Leaders Mela 2023
Living in Community means to leave behind all the conditional expectations and pre-conceptions we all have. WE have to empty ourselves to help to create Community. Things such as Prejudices, Ideology, Theology and Solutions. The need to Heal, Convert, Fix or Solve. And most of all the Need to Control. All of these points and principles are natural barriers to establishing Community where all members are equal and conflict avoidance is absent. Community is based on conflict-resolving, something particularly difficult to establish and maintain. Most Communities exist within a state of falsity. Aiming to fix and control all the associated problems with Community is in itself another barrier to establishing transparency and Community. Especially as leaders this is a fundamental area of manipulation and maneuvers. But it will not help establish Community. Community is not established by authoritarian leaders, but paradoxically to be an effective leader in Community means to sit back, doing nothing, waiting, letting it happen. The need to control is rooted in the fear of failure for a leader. " Life is not a problem to be solved but a mystery to be lived." In other words leadership in Community is everyone. Its an inclusive dynamic. Its not a leader vs others. In Community we are ALL leaders.
The best leaders are the biggest servants.