Inclusivity is essential in any environment:  workplaces, schools, or public activities. Everyone wants to feel included. It’s a unifying force for humans. People want to be a part of something, whether it be a club, activity, or a group of peers.

Junior Truc Bui was about a year old when she moved to the US. “Since I moved here from Vietnam, it was kinda hard going back and forth from communicating with my parents and [the] people here,” Bui said. “I ended up feeling excluded and stuck by myself in the middle.” 

Bui found challenges in the language barrier in her life. “It’s hard being bilingual because I didn’t know [much of] English or Vietnamese. [I was] just stuck there trying to communicate in the best way possible, but [I couldn’t].”

Inclusivity can be considered as a “second home.” It’s something or somewhere that one considers “safe.” National University describes inclusivity as “people across varying identities are [valued] and feel valued, [feel] welcomed, respected, included, represented, [and heard], [and feel like they] fully belong, [and] can be authentic, [as well as] contribute to the collective, and have a voice.”

There are a variety of factors that make people feel like they’re being excluded. These can include disabilities, cultural differences, religion, or ethical beliefs. Such factors impact a person’s ability to feel like they belong. 

Language barriers not only affect a student’s ability to feel included, it can also affect their academic performance. Dynamic Language, a communication service that translates and interprets languages, states that “a student whose first language is not spoken at school may struggle to understand instructions and grasp concepts in the classroom and may need extra time and support to complete tasks.”

Cultural differences among students can also affect a child and their education. It can make them feel insecure about their background and want to change it in order to fit in with others. According to The Drexel University School of Education, “not only does creating greater multicultural awareness and inclusion help students with different backgrounds and needs succeed, but it encourages acceptance and helps prepare students to thrive in an exponentially diverse world.”

The importance of inclusivity goes beyond education. It also greatly impacts a person’s mental health. BetterHelp, a company that seeks to provide therapy for those in need, describes social exclusion as “situations in which someone is rejected, overlooked, or neglected in a society setting.”

Exclusion can lead to mental health issues such as loneliness, anxiety, depression, cognitive decline, memory problems, and poor sleep quality. Physical impacts include obesity, high blood pressure, heart failure, and a weakened immune system.

It doesn’t have to be this way. We can strive to help those around us feel like they belong. If you ever see a new student, invite them to sit with you, and make them feel like they’re a part of the school community. If you see a person being excluded from an activity, invite them to join you and your friends.

As cliche as it might sound, treat others the way you’d like to be treated: most of us don’t want to be alone. Invite someone to sit or hang out with you if they’re by themselves: maybe you’ll even make a new lifelong best friend.