The door opened for Beyond Boundaries: Redefining Inclusivity Across Generations conference April 5 at 10 a.m., 3 N Federal Highway in Dania Beach, and the venue quickly filled with about 50 people. School clubs such as International Club and The Hope Box Club displayed boards to highlight their clubs to attendees. Food and drinks were also available for attendees throughout the event. After the room filled up, the conference truly began at 10:30 a.m.
Junior Cara Xie, one of the main organizers of the event, opened the conference and welcomed the first guest speaker, Dr. Kelly Clark. Dr. Clark focused on issues regarding masculinity and spoke largely about the study of American sociologist Eric Anderson regarding inclusive masculinity among high school students and issues with toxic masculinity. She spoke about how many boys followed the traditional narratives of football captains but also had titles like theater directors, and how this bridging and belonging between different identities could come together.
Dr. Clark proceeded to go into detail about bridging and belonging, inspired by the work of American law professor John A. Powell. She encouraged the audience to think of ways to encourage bridges from group to group. Some ways to bridge clubs for example, included inviting new people to join, finding connections with other groups and collaborating with other groups.
Next up was Andre Khan, Vice President of TD Bank and board member of Boys and Girls Club. Khan shared his expertise on inclusivity of marginalized groups in the workplace, and the importance of financial literacy. He emphasized the importance of providing marginalized groups equitable access and help for financial growth and literacy. When speaking about inclusivity, he shared his thoughts on the definition of the word: “It means to provide access, more importantly to different groups, to growth of wealth, whether it is generational or not,” Khan said.
He also praised the impact of the Boys and Girls Club, where he has been a board member for five years. Khan expanded on this club’s role in improving graduation rates and in helping people come together to share their knowledge and in encouraging young students to take key steps to create positive changes in society.
“The goal is to have these kids come out of their clubs, graduate, go to college and have access for things we might take for granted,” Khan said.
Before passing on the microphone to the next speaker, Khan left the audience with his final thoughts of the importance of inclusivity, not only in the workplace but in day to day life. “Inclusion is a word that is not going away, it’s something that sits in your heart…If we lead our hearts and our minds, you all will go very far,” Khan said.
Following Khan, Maria Harrison took the stage, sharing her work in the program Orange Bowl, and the organization’s efforts to support youth programs, food insecurity, major sports events and creating opportunities for children from all backgrounds to succeed in sports and potentially earn college scholarships. Harrison went in depth on how Orange Bowl has developed various initiatives to help the community. One example of this would be the donations of football equipment for young athletes to support their athletic journey and give them the opportunity to play and grow.
The final speaker, Sarah Akita, focused more on her personal journey and how it led her to create her non-profit, Angel Watching Over Me (AWOM). In honor of her late father, Akita was inspired to start AWOM, an organization founded by Akita to provide relief support for those who have lost loved ones across the nation. When giving advice to her audience on how to start their own business or nonprofit like her, Akita said to love your work, and be bold enough to take the first steps. “If you are doing it for the money, you are doing it for the wrong reasons,” she said.
Through her work as a celebrity stylist she is able to fund her projects, and as her non-profit grows, she continues to encourage others to ask for help and speak up when they don’t feel seen or heard. As she spoke of her own struggles while dealing with the loss of her father, she said “People will save you. Ask for help… speak up. If you don’t feel seen, you won’t feel heard, and you will end up alone.”
Overall, the conference served as a powerful reminder of the importance of inclusivity in the modern world and how support can foster positive change in schools, workplaces and in our own community.
Junior Meiling Ravero introduces the first speaker Dr. Kelley Clark who attended virtually and spoke about ideas of toxic masculinity and toxic inclusivity. “I really liked what Dr. Clark said, especially when she spoke about ways to bridge different people together. I think her ideas can be very helpful for helping clubs grow,” sophomore Stella Agratchev said. (Photos/Nina Vieira)
