Practice Inclusion

The Impact of Inclusion

Individuals with the experience of living on low incomes have important experiences to share. Employers, decision-makers, and community leaders can learn from the experiences of people who live on low incomes and make changes within their spheres of influence. Hearing stories directly from those with experience inspires others to take action. Ensuring that people who have these important experiences to share can participate fully requires thoughtful consideration. The voices of people living on low incomes strengthen the purpose and outcomes of the CHALLENGE.

How the CHALLENGE practices inclusion

The Quality of Life CHALLENGE includes people who have experience living on low incomes in decision-making and activities through inclusion, shared leadership, and communication.

Shared Leadership
The Community Action Team is a working group of the CHALLENGE whose members are action-oriented and have experience living on a low, limited or fixed income. They are dedicated to making change in BC's Capital Region.

Their mandate is to create ways for people who have experience living on low, limited or fixed income to participate in and influence the Quality of Life CHALLENGE.

Raising Awareness
The Inclusion Policy was developed by the Community Action Team to ensure people living on low incomes are supported to participate in the CHALLENGE. The policy is shared with community groups to deepen their understanding of the barriers to participating in community.

The Poverty Experience is a facilitated workshop that moves participants through a series of questions and answers in a scenario. Participants consider how they would resolve the challenges to participating in community from the perspective of someone living on a low income. The characters and scenarios are fictional, though the scenario is drawn from real experiences that people living on low incomes have faced.

I came away with ideas of what I could do to make a difference
- Poverty Experience participant

I didn't just hear what the challenges were…I felt it.
- Poverty Experience participant

I could see how the barriers added up. Separately they might be manageable but together they seem overwhelming.
- Poverty Experience participant

Communication Policies
Quality of Life CHALLENGE publications present data alongside the voices of people experiencing the issues. The presence and strength of real life experiences bring the data to life and make the impact of the publication more powerful.

How to Practice Inclusion

Everyone has a role to play to ensure inclusion and enhance quality of life.

Community Organizations

• Invite the Community Action Team to facilitate a Poverty Experience with your neighbours, co-workers or community.
• Implement an inclusion policy in your place of work and volunteering.

Employers

• Invite the Community Action Team to facilitate a Poverty Experience with your neighbours, co-workers or community.
• Implement an inclusion policy in your place of work and volunteering.

People living on low incomes

• Attend a Quality of Life CHALLENGE event.
• Participate in CHALLENGE focus groups.
• Join the Community Action Team and participate in its projects.
• Edit draft Quality of Life CHALLENGE communication materials.

Tell us what you have done to practice inclusion.