Our inclusivity statement
Racism and Diversity
We are committed to actively and on-goingly doing what it takes to not be silent and/or complicit in systemic racism and unconscious bias. We are aware of the white privilege we hold as facilitators and that we still have unconscious bias and ignorance in this issues. We are also aware that the spiritual community and personal development world is by and large dominated by white privilege. We are committed to changing this and we recognise that change cannot happen if only part of the whole is represented and voiced in the circles we hold.
We also recognise that Black indigenous people of colour (BIPOC) may not have the financial resources that white privilege gives and we would not want any BIPOC to be prevented from attending our workshops if that was a factor. Please get in touch if this is the case for you so we can find a way to make our work accessible to you.
We are aware that we can always do more and that it’s a lifetime work, not just a current fashion. Things we are doing on an ongoing basis….
~ Continually educating ourselves and staying aware of the issue
~ Offering a financial support when we can for BIPOC to attend events we run.
~ Aiming to make our circles and workshops more diverse.
~ Developing long-term infrastructure to ensure we’re an anti-racist organisation.
~ Working with Me and White Supremacy workbook by Layla Saad
~ Working with Resmaa Menakem– my Grandmothers hands
~ A member of a peer leadership group whose aim is to continue self education
~ Speaking up on behalf of POC when it arises either in our workshop or in life.
~Attending diversity workshops to continue to learn
~ Collaborating our work with POC to offer education on the subject.
LGBTQ+
We celebrate and honour diversity. We believe every human has the right to choose how they identify and express themselves as an individuals regardless of the gender they were assigned at birth. We welcome LGTBQ+ people to our circles and offer various events in our program that are suitable for everyone regardless of gender, sexual expression, or identity.
Alongside this we also offer private couples’ work for all types of couples no matter your orientation or identity. Our courses for cis women are defined as people born with vulvas who identify as women. We offer a range of courses for couples. Some are specifically tailored for heterosexual and some that welcome all couples no matter how you identify.
Please contact us if you would like more clarity or to know which workshops are suitable for you.
Masculine and Feminine
We use the language of ‘Feminine and Masculine’ in some of our work as a way to point to energetic forces existing in all life including humans regardless of our gender or sexual expression. We understand that these 2 words can have a strong historical cultural connotation and association of a binary view of life. This is not how we use them and we understand that there are more than 2 forces at play in the universe.
We are working towards finding new and different language that supports the changes we seek to see in the world.
In the meantime, if you decide to join a course with us you will need to hold in your awareness the above in terms of how we use language and ensure that you feel comfortable working within this framework of language so as not to experience it as counterproductive while working with us.
As Facilitators
We do not set ourselves up to pretend to know or understand what it might be like for a person who does not identify with the gender they were assigned at birth or the cultural norm.
We also do not present ourselves as experienced facilitators for non-binary people and what they may need in terms of support. Instead we come with a willingness, a welcoming, a desire to support, a listening and humility to learn and to embrace change.
We are open to helping if we can and learning as we go. We are always doing our best to meet the different needs of people while recognising our own limitations.
Physical disability
We do our best to include and work with physical disability, both visible and invisible (both Jewels and Mark have invisible disabilities) Our online event may be more accessible to those with physical disabilities. For the in-person workshops it’s more limiting as the land at EarthHeart is wild forest and this wild untouched nature is what holds the work and is a key aspect.
This means that it’s not suitable for wheelchair users or people who cannot walk more than approx 100 metres without assistance. We don’t have the funds to develop the land to create more options, but we hope to in the future. Meanwhile we are always willing to do what we can and if we can make it possible do please get in touch.
Non Physical Disability and Neurodiversity
Our values are, to do all we can to be inclusive. At the same time we recognise that we may not have the right skills, experience or qualifications to support some people.
Do please contact us if you have a question and we will always be honest about what we can do to support you and what we feel we cannot do. We believe it would be irresponsible as facilitators to offer you our work if we do not have the experience or understanding needed to give you the right support you need.
Mental Health accessibility
The work we offer is not suitable for people who experience any of the following: learning disabilities, mental health issues, or for people taking prescribed medications such as anti-psychotics, or medications for more extreme ADHD/ADD and bipolar disorder. If you have any questions do please feel welcome to contact us and ask questions about your personal needs.
Trauma informed
We are constantly learning and exploring ways we can be more informed about the impact of personal trauma in group settings and doing what we can to give people an experience of choice moment to moment. To also recognise what work might be appropriate to do in the context of a group and what is not.
We will always ask you and invite you into any exercise and support you to feel in your choice so that the work you do with us is transformative and not adding any more trauma. Our work is not suitable for people who are currently working with extreme trauma and we encourage you to first explore one to one work before attending our group circles.