I have a confession to make - for most of my life I was completely unaware of white privilege because I was born into it. I grew up with people from various different cultural backgrounds and only ever saw them as equals, but that doesn't mean that their experience of growing up in Australia was equal to mine. I took it for granted that flesh coloured bandaids matched my skin tone, that the people in the television shows I watched looked like me and that most of the books I read were about people just like me. I wish someone had explained this to me when I was younger. 

​The following information is from an article called 10 Things You Should Know About White Privilege (https://www.sbs.com.au/nitv/article/2016/10/13/10-things-you-should-know-about-white-privilege).

White privilege means that you are born into the racial 'norm.'
A privilege where you can;

• Turn on the television or open to the front page of the paper and see people of your race widely represented.
• If you wish, you can arrange to be in the company of people of your race most of the time.
• If you buy “flesh” coloured items like band-aids or stockings, they will more or less match your skin tone.
• If you were able to use the original suite of emoji's, the 'thumbs up' or 'peace sign' hand gestures represented your race.
• You can easily can find picture books, greeting cards, dolls, toys and magazines featuring people of your race.

Being born white means that you were born into a system that validates and reaffirms that you are socially included - and being socially included, is a very valuable privilege.

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I have a confession to make - I love funky socks. I buy them but then I'm too self-conscious to wear them. This year I have decided to wear my funky socks and not care what anyone else thinks. What would you do if you didn't care what other people thought? Be brave and courageous. Be you!

June is Mindful Month at Smiling Mind. You can sign up for free at https://www.smilingmind.com.au. All you have to do is complete a short survey (2 questions). According to the Smiling Mind website, some of the benefits of mindfulness include:

• reduced stress and anxiety
• sense of calm
• manage your emotions better
• improved concentration and productivity
• develop compassion and connectedness
• improved quality of sleep.

So what are you waiting for? Sign up now! Did I mention it's free? Even if you don't sign up to Mindful Month, you should at least download the Smiling Mind App. It is free and has lots of guided meditations and mindful activities.