Community Contribution 3

Diversity and Inclusion in PLN

I think diversity and inclusion can contribute to a PLN by exposing us to perspectives that challenge the limits of what we already know. As an international student studying psychology, this has been an important part of my learning experience. Before coming to Canada, I was used to a culture where expressions of feelings could sometimes be more hidden or subtle. Being exposed to a different cultural environment where I encountered more open discussions about emotions has made me more comfortable with sharing and communicating. It also made me realize how much culture and language can shape how we understand and express our experiences.

I experienced this again in one of my psychology diversity courses, when our instructor invited an Indigenous guest to share her knowledge. I remember her talking about learning from her father and across generations through activities such as sailing and knitting, and about the connections among family, community, and the environment. What stayed with me was the idea that we are interconnected and that what we take from nature, we also give back. Her perspective also expanded how I thought about psychological support beyond the individual-focused approaches I was more familiar with.

This connects to Bartlett, Marshall, and Marshall’s concept of Two-Eyed Seeing, which emphasizes recognizing the strengths of different ways of knowing and learning to use different perspectives together. More similarly argues that inclusion should value what people uniquely bring rather than trying to make everyone the same. 

For me, this is what diversity and inclusion can contribute to a PLN. A diverse PLN can expand my learning beyond one culture or one psychological perspective. More importantly, inclusion means being open to those perspectives and allowing them to continually challenge, refresh, and expand my own understanding.