SPEAKER

Khadija Gbla

 

About the presentation

In this guest presentation, Khadija will be discussing how neuro-affirming practices is not enough in addressing inequities and ensuring safe inclusive environments for neurodivergent people.  

Khadija, will further emphasise how neuro-affirming practices must be intersectional to address and make visible the additional barriers and injustices that neurodivergent people, who represent marginalising points of identities often experience.

Lastly, Khadija will also discuss how individuals, practitioners, and services, can centre and foster intersectional, neuro-affirming, inclusive, safe practices and environments, that enable people to have a sense of belonging and thus empowering them to be their true authentic self.

About the speaker

Khadija Gbla is multi hyphenate, high profile, passionate and inspiring Afro Indigenous person. She is a neurodivergent and disable award-winning human rights activist, model, inspirational speaker, writer and mentor. She has displayed great courage and determination in achieving her aspirations of giving women, youth and minority groups a voice at a local, state and international level. Khadija utilises her powerful and inspired voice to advocate for structural change and everyday simple actions we can all take to achieve true equality and inclusion for all people. 

Khadija Gbla was born in Sierra Leone, spent her youth in Gambia, and as a teenager put down roots in Australia. Khadija was just 3-years-old when the war broke out in her country, Sierra Leone and 10 years later they attained refugee status and resettled in Adelaide.

Khadija provides advocacy, training, coaching, mentoring and speaking on domestic and family violence, sexual health, racism, female genital mutilation, human rights, gender equality, intersectionality, inclusion and diversity, bias, mental health, disability, NDIS, migrants and refugees and cultural diversity and so much more through her cultural consultancy, Khadija Gbla Cultural Consultancy.

Khadija is the lead voice and campaigner on Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) in Australia. She runs a not for profit organisation ‘Ending Female Genital Mutilation Australia’ which works to protect Australian girls from FGM and to support survivors of FGM.  Khadija provides training for professionals, advocacy and community education for practising communities in Australia.  Khadija is also a TEDx speaker with close to 3 Million views on her talk, “My mother’s strange definition of empowerment”.

Khadija is currently coordinating Covid and flood relief for remote Aboriginal Communities. 

https://www.gofundme.com/f/you-can-help-isolated-and-atrisk-communities

She has represented Australia in the international arena at the Harvard National Model United Nations, Commonwealth Youth Forum, Australian and Africa Dialogue and the Commonwealth Heads of States Women’s Forum.

She also sits on the LGBTIQA+ Minister’s Advisory Council, the Autism SA National Advisory group and is an International Day of People with Disability 2024 Ambassador. 

Khadija has been recognized through numerous awards for her vision and leadership, including 2024 Women and Leadership Australia, 2019 Instyle Magazine, The Advocate for Acceptance Human Rights Award, 2017 Cosmopolitan magazine women of the year finalist, 2016 Women’s Weekly and Qantas Women of the Future finalist, 2016 AusMumpreneur Rising Star and Making a difference – non-profit Award, 2014 The Advertiser South Australia’s 50 most Influential Women, 2013 Madison Magazine Australia’s top 100 inspiring Women, 2013 Amnesty International Human Rights Activists to watch out in 2013, 2011 State Finalist Young Australian of the Year – just to name a few.

This event is open to individuals, from all disciplines and working in all sectors, who are based in Australia and interested in diversity and mental health.  

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