Mission and Inclusion, Diversity and Equality statement

We provide a cohesive voice to our community, covering topics that affect us.

The Full Stop Community CIC aims to bring connections those who identify as childless for any reason. We do this through our podcast and online community space. We champion our peers and our ethos is collaboration, not competition.

Every guest and each presenter, and where ever possible, our suppliers, are also childless to enable us to to identify with each other and assist those on their own path to acceptance.

We aim to provide accessible episodes for those who are childfree (by choice) and colleagues, family and friends of anyone who is childless not by choice. We welcome parents to our audience and aim to be informative so they can stand alongside us with more knowledge and understanding. Our Community is our safe space for childless not by choice designed to bring about connection, encouragement, shared interests and support.

We can learn together.

The Full Stop Community CIC is committed to creating a diverse environment without regard to race, colour, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, or age.

The founders and directors are Berenice Howard-Smith and Sarah Lawrence (based in the UK) and Michael Hughes (based in Australia).

The Full Stop – Inclusion, Diversity and Equality (I,D&E) Statement

This document is a statement of The Full Stop understanding of inclusion, diversity, and equality and what the implications are for us. The definitions, the scope of the concepts, and the suggested implications based on our offering as a childless not by choice CIC.

CONTEXT

The Full Stop’s purpose is to develop, promote, and raise awareness of being childless not by choice globally for the benefit of those who are childless, our peers and society at large.  We recognise that there are different traditions, cultural practices, legal frameworks, and history within and between regions and countries.

We believe that the diversity is a major strength. And, by being more conscious regarding the implications of inclusion, diversity, and equality we will better serve our vision to make childless not by choice people feel better supported and enable those who do not identify as childless to learn from us and feel able to do so without exclusion,

DEFINITIONS

Inclusion, diversity, and equality, are different concepts. Inclusion, diversity, and equality can each be present, or missing in an organisation or team, independently of the other.

Inclusion is an emotion. Inclusion is affected when people feel respected, valued, trusted, safe, have a sense of belonging, and are able to be their best self.

Diversity is difference. Our differences as childless not by choice people include, but are not limited to, abilities, age, appearance, career, clothes, culture, disability, education, ethnicity, experience, gender, health, interests, marital status, nationality, non-parental status, philosophy, political views, religion, sexual identity, socio-economic background, thought processes, tribes and work experience. Some of these differences are permanent and some may change and shift over time. Our differences are what makes us unique.

Equality is treating everyone equally well. In practice this means that if we are to help individuals be, and do their best, we are likely to be treating everyone differently – if only slightly, because we are all unique. Treating everyone equally well, requires us to respond to people, having regard to their differences; not regardless of their differences.

 OUR VISION

Our vision is that the The Full Stop is an inclusive community in which every member feels respected, valued, trusted, safe, has a sense of belonging and can be their true self.

We will

  • Demystify childless not by choice myths with clarity.

  • Welcome all who identify as childless not by choice to our space.

  • To be more confident in demonstrating, through our work. that …

    • everybody matters

    • we are all different

    • diversity adds value

    • inclusion is an emotion

  • To learn from each other regarding the Inclusion, Diversity and Equality agenda by:

    • regularly seeking feedback from members of our Full Stop Community and listeners, with particular reference to any bias that our behaviour may be revealing