On January 25, Asian Business Connexions (ABC) will be hosting their first Inclusion By Default Conference in Newcastle.

For over 15 years, ABC has been championing and supporting inclusion and in 2020, they launched the #InclusionByDefault campaign, and this new conference is the next step.

Through a full day of speakers and workshops, attendees will help ABC to co-create the inclusion roadmap for the region and their organisations, joining together to build inclusive growth for the North East.

Within the North East, 27% of adults have reported experiencing discrimination in the workplace and the region suffers from some of the worst social and health inequalities in the country.

Join us at Ramside Hall (Image: Newsquest)

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“What research tells us is the that when employees trust that they and their colleagues will be treated fairly regardless of race, gender sexual orientation or age, they are 9.8 times more likely to look forward to going to work,” says Councillor Nick Kemp, leader of Newcastle City Council.

“The facts are compelling, raising questions about why inclusion is not ingrained in everything we do, in every organisation we work with.”

The Inclusion By Default Conference will feature speeches from  Hamid Motraghi, Director of Health Equity and Inclusion at the NHS ICB in the North East and North Cumbria and Mahnur Roushan, Operations and Volunteer Coordinator at Young Asian Voices.

The afternoon of the conference will be an interactive session based on ABC’s Inclusive Innovation Framework (IIF), developed in partnership with innovation training organisation, Yohlar.

“ABC has always been about creating an inclusive culture, not just in individual organisations but within communities and organisations across the North East,” says Ammar Mirza CBE, founder and chair of Asian Business Connexions.

“Our hugely ambitious endeavour can only happen through collective action and that is why we are calling on everyone to join us.”

• The Inclusion By Default Conference will be held on the 25th January 2024, at the 204 Regiment, Kingston Park, NE3 2EF, between 9.30am and 4.30pm. For more details, please CLICK HERE