Yogahood Australia unequivocally stands in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and with Australia’s First Nations people. We recognise the pain, suffering and injustices caused by systemic racism both overseas and in Australia. We recognise that People of Colour have long endured racial inequities and that the global awakening we are observing is long overdue. 

 

We recognise that before we can hope to see healing, we must accept that Australia’s history includes long-standing injustices against the rights of First Nations people. We must also recognise that  institutional racism is still a lived-reality that many members of our own community experience on a daily basis. 

 

We are proud to say that inclusion and increasing diversity in the yoga world are at the heart of the work that we do. Our mission has always been to provide accessible yoga to marginalised and at-risk communities and we remain committed to challenging the status-quo within the yoga industry. We are pleased to have diverse representation at both the executive and board levels of our organisation. But there is more that we can do.

 

We  have committed to the following actions and we will continue to strive to continually reflect on how the work we do positively impacts the communities we work with:

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• We will implement a cultural awareness/diversity training component into the teacher-training program;

• We will draft a Statement of Principle which all volunteers, executive members and board members must sign, and which will form part of the onboarding process for the organisation. 

• We will draft and implement anti-discrimination policies, which every volunteer, executive members board members must sign before continuing their work with us, and which will form part of the onboarding process.

• We will continue to focus our services to support groups that promote and provide multicultural inclusion in the community.

 

We know that many people within the Yogahood Australia community have been deeply affected by the Black Lives Matter movement and we want you to know that we care, and that we will always stand with you.