Our Values
The Diversity Collective is guided by a clear set of principles that shape how we work — with organisations, with practitioners, and within the systems we seek to change.
These values are not symbolic. They inform our decisions, our partnerships, and the way power, knowledge and responsibility are held across our work.
What We Stand For
We call in, not call out.
Conversations about power, privilege and exclusion can be challenging — and often uncomfortable. That discomfort isn’t avoided, but it is held with care.
We pay attention not only to what is being said, but how it is said, and who is positioned to say it. We’re not here to shame or admonish. We’re here to facilitate your learning and create a safe learning environment to engage in ethical dialogue, educate and empower.
Calling in means extending grace. It means believing people can learn, grow and do better — and creating the conditions for that to happen.
We pay the rent.
We acknowledge that all of our work takes place on stolen land. Inclusion work in Australia must acknowledge this reality and actively support Indigenous sovereignty.
We do this by embedding ongoing contributions to Pay the Rent and creating access pathways for First Nations people. This commitment is built into how we operate — not added on — and is shared across the collective.
We elevate under-represented experiences.
We work to ensure under-represented experience is visible, valued and resourced — not marginalised or tokenised. Our collective brings together facilitators, educators and creatives whose expertise is shaped by lived experience and professional practice.
Our model exists to amplify that expertise responsibly, ensuring practitioners are engaged as leaders in the work and fairly compensated for the knowledge they bring.
We find strength in diversity.
Learning is strongest when it is shaped by multiple perspectives and experiences. We design our work to bring diverse voices into the room — not as an add-on, but as a foundation for better understanding, decision-making and outcomes.
Access pathways, scholarships and flexible pricing are part of how we support this in practice, particularly for people facing structural or financial barriers. Diversity is not a box to tick; it is essential to meaningful learning and stronger communities.
We acknowledge privilege.
We understand identity as complex and intersecting. Privilege does not erase effort or hardship — but it does shape access, visibility and influence.
Our work supports individuals and organisations to recognise how power operates, and to use privilege consciously and constructively. We focus on agency, responsibility and action — not guilt.
We believe social justice includes environmental justice.
Social justice and environmental responsibility are inseparable. We make conscious choices about how we operate — from the products and vendors we engage, to how we reduce waste and promote sustainable practices.
Inclusion is not just what we teach. It’s how we show up — across people, systems and the environments we share.
How Our Values Shape Our Work
Our work is intersectional by design. We recognise that inclusion efforts that address issues in isolation risk reinforcing harm elsewhere. Our practitioners are supported to work across complexity — not simplify it — so interventions reflect real-world conditions rather than abstract categories.
Our approach is grounded in tempered radicalism.
We work within systems to change them — holding firm to human rights and lived expertise, while engaging organisations with care, strategy and accountability. This means we don’t dilute the work to make it comfortable, nor do we rely on shock or shame to force change. We focus on impact that lasts, not disruption for its own sake.
For Organisations
Working with The Diversity Collective means engaging practitioners who hold these values in practice. Our work approaches difficult conversations with care, centres lived expertise, and focuses on building capability and responsibility — not blame or defensiveness.
For Practictioners
Joining the collective means becoming part of a values-aligned community. We work with practitioners whose approach reflects shared commitments to calling people in, elevating under-represented expertise, and contributing to inclusion work that is ethical, grounded and accountable.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does 'calling in' mean in practice?
Calling in is an approach to addressing harm that prioritises learning, accountability and repair over shame. In practice, this means holding difficult conversations with care — paying attention to how they are facilitated, who is positioned to speak, and the conditions needed for people to engage, reflect and change. Our work creates spaces where questions can be asked and responsibility is offered without fear or shame.
How does The Diversity Collective support Pay the Rent?
Support for Pay the Rent is built into how we operate. Through our Collective Fund, every engagement contributes to initiatives that support the return of land, resources and power to First Nations peoples. This reflects our view that inclusion work in Australia must actively centre Indigenous sovereignty.
What do you mean by 'leveraging privilege for good'?
Privilege refers to the absence of obstacles that others may face by virtue of certain aspects of their identity — whether that’s race, gender, ability, class, or other factors. Privilege shapes access, visibility and influence — often without being noticed by those who hold it. Rather than focusing on guilt– after all, we didn’t choose the colour of our skin! – we encourage people to recognise their privilege, power and access and use it constructively.
This might mean amplifying marginalised voices, challenging exclusionary practices, or using access and influence to create more equitable outcomes.
How do your values influence which practitioners join the collective?
Values alignment matters as much as expertise. We work with practitioners who share our commitment to calling people in, centring lived expertise, and approaching inclusion work with care, humility and accountability. This ensures the work is led ethically — and held consistently across the collective.
Values Aligned?
If our values resonate with you, we'd love to connect — whether you're an organisation seeking a values-driven approach to DEI training, or a practitioner looking for a collective that shares your principles.
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