Susie Wise teaches and coaches leaders in innovation, equity design, and inclusive storytelling at the Stanford d.school. She wrote this book to make what she sees as a simple, obvious case: belonging is a fundamental human need and a central goal of equity work. In this compact manual, small enough to serve as a field guide, she equips everyday leaders with practical design tools to build cultures of belonging in the communities that matter to them.

Wise emphasizes that while belonging is a felt experience, the conditions that shape that feeling can be designed. How we invite people in, arrange spaces, define roles, create rituals, and structure systems all signal either belonging or exclusion. You cannot force belonging, but you can intentionally shape the context to make it more likely to emerge.

“Belonging is the invitation to be your full self, however that looks. It is the opportunity - no matter who you are - to learn, live, and love, to be honored, encouraged, and allowed to develop as you and as part of the group that develops and celebrates your identities, needs, and contributions.”

BOOK: Design for Belonging. How to Build Inclusion and Collaboration in Your Communities

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