IPIA 2023: Hear from the young producers working behind the scenes…

With just two weeks to go until our Inclusive Practice in Action (IPIA) 2023: Global, Inclusive Leadership event on the 23rd March, we asked three young people working behind the scenes – Milli-Rose Rubin (Comms & Content Producer), JR Graham (Event Producer) and Daniel Leckerman (Inclusion & Access Producer) aka our Wired4Music young producers, to share their thoughts on global, inclusive leadership, and what it means to each of them.

An event full of textured stories

Everybody’s perspective on leadership is different, and dependent on many variables – such as environment, family, friends – and circumstances of living, both whilst growing up and at present.

The IPIA team have been having discussions in informal and conversational ways, absorbing all-new ways of thinking about and looking at leadership. The beauty of having a team from various strands, is that we have collectively brought our individual experiences to creating this event from the very beginning. This has positioned us all to think in new, and critical ways about how we can insure that IPIA 2023 will be an inclusive and comfortable space for everyone.

Daniel Leckerman (they/he) – Inclusion & Access Producer

Leadership is influence

John C. Maxwell

I think we all have a responsibility to help uplift and support each other and our values.

Oftentimes it feels like we’re a speck in the universe, and as we grow up in society, we learn that being in a bubble can give us this sense of security and ability to begin to comprehend our existence. But really if we’re so small in the grand scheme of things, why not cut yourself some slack?

We put labels on people, judge instead of observing our feelings, paint this picture of an ideal self that we’re constantly trying to climb to, as if who we are at present is unworthy. The busyness, monotony, and conventionality of everyday life can make beautiful things that matter seem insignificant and limit your self-acceptance and happiness.

What steps can we take to elevate our consciousness and rise above all these social constructs and feelings of dissatisfaction?

I think it comes down to mutual respect, self-care, affection, having deep connections, and recognising humanity and how our differences and similarities can help us learn to coexist, not to divide us. It’s our individuality that shows how adaptive, creative, and diverse we are. Coexistence with others and within our own identities. We do at times compromise these aspects of who we are because we fear not being accepted, so we try to fit into a mould, but that isn’t healthy or what unites us.

I believe the leading factor centres around gratitude and manifestation. Combine this with following your passions and being creative and expressive, striving to be unapologetic, I truly believe that will stand you in good stead.

So, what does any of that have to do with leadership?

Let me flip the question on its head… What does leadership have to do with responsibility, coexisting, self-acceptance, consciousness, and gratitude?

Leadership should embrace and fortify values, diversity, and relationships. As a person who has a neurological disability, is LGBT+ and Jewish, I appear in underrepresented communities and face discrimination. My creativity comes from music; I love writing, playing, and listening to songs. As creatives especially, I feel like we all have a responsibility to use our platform to promote inclusivity and address issues, be that locally or in wider communities, and that includes raising awareness of the barriers that we face, and amplifying the voices of those that are marginalised.

To me, inclusivity is transparent through representation, and I think that is a good determiner. Supporting people’s access requirements and making them feel welcomed. Wanting to create a space that supports yourself and others to thrive. Embracing and accepting each other’s identities i.e. coexistence, and making connections with people from all walks of life, ages, and backgrounds, is a huge foundation to global, inclusive leadership.

Milli-Rose Rubin (she/her) – Comms & Content Producer

Credit: @gstillmoment

Global leadership to me is not about idolising one figure, nor putting anybody on a pedestal. Global leadership to me is about the small habits that we implement into our own lives, for our own personal development, that then transcend into impacting others on a major scale (however that may look to an individual). How we carry ourselves day to day during the mundane, interacting with new people with good intentions may sound minor, yet it is those words, it is those conversions that stick.

For me, it is all about balancing personal development with working collectively to make the world a more inclusive space to be expressive.

To be Inclusive

To me, this has so many strands of definition. That is the point. It does not have a definition. It is an ongoing principle that is constantly evolving and opening new conversations about what it means to be inclusive. In a variety of complex contexts, to be inclusive truly is to feel safe and heard in whatever space it is that you may enter.

Motherhood leadership

My mum is one of the leaders that I look up to. Leadership is subjective and for me, the way I have been exposed to different lessons facilitated by my mum growing up, has impacted my perspective today. My mum, being a fellow creative, has instilled in me that nothing is ever linear, and that success is not measured in money nor figures. This has helped me follow my own creative passions, and to stay present in enjoying the process.

Motherhood –

I have always had a close relationship with my mother, and as a child, I have seen how the “leadership” role has evolved. Inevitably, the role of a mother requires a level of change and “good example”, but this does not come without its own immense pressures. It is natural, from a child’s perspective, when you are young to assume those in authoritative roles will do the right thing. The shift as you get older, is the realisation that they are learning as they go as well. For children, it can be at times, a bitter realisation to digest. As I have entered the early years of adulthood, the internal work to establish who I want to be as a “leader” and good role model, for myself and others, has been an emotional but rewarding process (much like motherhood).

I think the message here is that despite the roles that we fall into, we are all equally, learning as we go…

JR Graham (he/him) – IPIA Events Producer

I believe the next generation of global leaders will be nothing like we’ve seen before and I’m excited to see how we transition into a more inclusive society.

The fundamental characteristics of leadership are rooted in the 5 C’s; confidence, crew, culture, communication, and change-maker. The people I regard as successful leaders possess all of these attributes and before taking on a new leadership role, I always begin with these core values.

I think the idea of global leadership can quickly become daunting because we think we need to change the world. Although those intentions may come from an honest place, I find it easier to think practically on a small scale. I’m an advocate for making a difference in the places that matter most, i.e. local communities, family/ friends, schools/ colleges and charities. I believe global leadership starts here, as we can directly impact the lives of those around us and inspire a global movement through the positive changes we make.

Peace is not unity in similarity but unity in diversity.

Kofi Annan

In order to become a global movement, inclusivity should be the heartbeat of everything we do. As a music artist, producer and songwriter, I’ve been fortunate to have collaborated with talented individuals from various walks of life. From global music collaborations to working with B.A.M.E (black and minor ethnic) female artists, to providing underprivileged young people with their first opportunity to create their own music in a studio, inclusivity is essential to fairer representation and equal opportunities in society.

Join us for IPIA 2023!

If you want to be a part of the change and the discussions surrounding Global, Inclusive Leadership, come and join us on the 23rd March 2023 for our Inclusive Practice In Action (IPIA) event 2023: Global, Inclusive Leadership.