The “I Am Me” conference aims to uplift those with uncommon lived experiences revealing their true stories - unvarnished and real
lesego.makgatho@inl.co.za
Covid-19 has had a major impact on our daily lives, in different ways, and with marginalised groups feeling deserted and hopeless due to the new or old behavioural patterns and trends that we see in our society when it comes to treatment.
The LGBTQIA+ community and people living with disabilities are amongst the groups that feel left out more than ever before in terms of opportunities, inclusion in the economy, participation in society, etc.
Modern Community Foundation, a CSI division of Modern Centric Holdings, saw the need to uplift these groups through a two-day conference dubbed, I Am Me, later this month. The aim is to uplift those with uncommon lived experiences revealing their true stories - unvarnished and real.
Speaking to Sunday Independent, Business Support Manager of the Modern Community Foundation, Dylan Mgobhozi said they decided to do this as an organisation because they advocate for people with uncommon lived experiences.
“While Modern Community Foundation has only been in existence for a year, we have witnessed the injustices that marginalised people face both in their communities and in the world of work. We then came up with a conference to bring two communities together in one place, to have one common discussion on transformation, diversity and Inclusion,” he said.
Mgobhozi said in the spirit of “un-othering” the ‘’other”, the Foundation aims to use this platform to draw back the velvet curtain and empower those with uncommon lived experiences, “and ensure that we see a radical implementation of transformation and inclusion policies that affect both Persons with dis-Abilities and LGBTQIAP+ individuals”.
He said they would the conference to gain insight into policies affecting people living with disabilities and the LGBTQIAP+ community, so that they can then drive initiatives throughout the following year to address the learnings from the event.
The conference will have a diverse group of speakers, who are all industry experts in their own right.
“We cannot come up with prototypes that will uplift these communities until we understand exactly where the immediate needs are. This impact-driven initiative further aims to recognise, support, and empower our targeted beneficiaries by unpacking topics and themes that seek to aid the inclusion of persons with disabilities and LGBTQIAP+ individuals into different communities and spaces,” he said.
The I Am Me two-day conference is set to take place on November 25 & 26 at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Sandton with an aim to host over 150 beneficiaries, with over 30 speakers who are all experts in their fields.
In terms of participation, Modern Community Foundation is calling on the targeted communities (PWD and LGBTQIAP+) to take time to come and make sure their voices are heard.
They will also be running a competition on the day via their social media platforms and giving away prizes for people who sign on to be a part of the virtual conference since this is a hybrid conference.
“To stakeholders who want to start implementing real change in terms of transformation, diversity and inclusion and are looking for a platform to learn from subject matter experts - this is a conference for them,” Mgobhozi said.
Attendance is free of charge, and the link to RSVP is up on the foundation’s events page, at www.MCFoundation.org.za.
Sunday Independent