History of Social Inclusion

Social Inclusion and mainstream arise out of a history and out of a history of ideas.

Government think-tanks in the late 1990s and early 2000s had a key role in developing current thinking and practice around social inclusion. The envisaging of 'social domains' relevant to people's lives arises from these seminal ideas. The role of mainstream bridge builder is also developed around the concept of mainstream as a pathway for mental health recovery.

Social Inclusion goes back even further. A single act of defiance by Rosa Parks in 1955 in Alabama Mississippi. A black woman refusing to give up her seat on the bus to a white person, thereby defying the segregration laws. A key moment that lies at the heart of the civil rights movement, not just for the United States but for equality and social inclusion everywhere.

Equal opportunities, diversity, social inclusion and fairness are now commonplaces, enshrined in the way we strive to live and work today.