This year we have two incredibly community-focused Awards, Excellence in Inclusion and Excellence in Social Responsibility.
You cannot directly enter these Awards. The way we will select our finalists for these Awards is via entries from each of the other 16 categories.
Why have we done it this way?
These two Awards are a new and unique way to recognise businesses that go above and beyond in making our community a better place to live, and a better place to do business. We want to raise awareness of the importance of inclusive practices and the need to be socially responsible for the betterment of the Shoalhaven.
Assessment & entry
While inclusion and social responsibility are important considerations for every business, and the responses to these questions will be looked at by the judges of all Awards, they are not core assessment criteria for every other category.
So if you are thinking of entering the Awards, but don’t feel you are strong in these areas, please do not let this be a barrier to entry. Quite possibly you are already being inclusive and socially responsible, but don’t even realise it.
Where to go for help
If you are having difficulty finding an answer to the question “How does your business adopt inclusive practices and recognise the needs of a diverse community (including people with disability, and seniors)?” we have enlisted the assistance of the Disability Inclusion Promotions Officer from the NSW Business Chamber.
Sean Willenberg will be able to assist you to find ways that you and your business are already inclusive to people with disability and seniors in the Shoalhaven community.
Sean will be available to answer any questions you have on Wednesday 29th June from 9am to 4pm. You can get in contact with Sean on 02 9458 7928 or sean.willenberg@nswbc.com.au.
Don’t miss this opportunity to get insight as to how you can confidently answer this question and complete your submission for the Awards.
In the meantime, have at look at the NSW Business Chamber’s Disability tip sheets to see if you are already disability aware and confident.
There are a lot of great online resources that can help you better understand what inclusion and social responsibility looks like. The NSW Business Chamber even has a great blog, written by Sean Willenberg.
What is inclusion?
Inclusion means to value and embrace diversity; it is creating an environment where people’s differences are seen as part of the norm, rather than an exception.
What is Social Responsibility?
Being socially responsible means giving back for the betterment of your community. Quite possibly, you are already engaged in socially responsible behaviour and don’t even realise it.
This really great resource from the Our Community group has dozens of examples of socially responsible work. We encourage you to take a look and consider what activity you might already be engaged in that is socially responsible.
Shoalhaven City Council also has some great info on their website about local volunteering programs.
Enter the Awards here – and good luck! Entries close 5.00pm Thursday 30th June.