Advocacy, values, and why some courses include donations

In disability, social justice, and behaviour support spaces, the traditional charity model is deeply flawed. Many of the issues these organisations respond to should not exist in the first place. They are the result of systemic failures, rights violations, colonial histories, and the ongoing impacts of capitalism on people’s lives, bodies, identities, and access to care.

In an ideal world, organisations providing legal support, advocacy, or essential services would not need to exist at all, because people's rights would already be protected.

We do not live in that world.

Some organisations, however, operate in ways that are meaningfully different from traditional charity models. These are organisations that are grounded in lived experience, accountable to the communities they serve, and explicitly attentive to power, history, and context,  including colonialism, racism, ableism, and structural inequality. In practice, their work often looks less like 'helping' and more like removing barriers, redistributing power, and supporting collective agency.

For some Seven Dimensions Consulting courses, a fixed amount from each enrolment is donated to a small number of organisations whose work aligns with these values. Each course is linked to a specific organisation, and when courses are purchased as a bundle, a single combined donation is made.

This is not framed as charity, nor as a substitute for systemic change. It is a pragmatic, values-aligned choice within an imperfect system, one that recognises both the limits and power of individual action and the importance of materially supporting work led by and accountable to those most affected.

Not all courses include donations. Some are priced to reflect the depth of labour involved, and some are offered freely to prioritise access. These decisions are intentional and context-specific.

Advocacy takes many forms. I'm realistic about my own capacity. As a neurodivergent person running a small, values-led practice, large-scale organising or constant public advocacy isn't sustainable for me. What is sustainable is sharing knowledge, creating accessible education, and redistributing a small portion of income to organisations doing vital work on the ground.

For me, education is central. This is one way those values show up in practice.

Who We Support

  • Asylum Seeker Resource Centre

    Founded in 2001, the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC) is Australia’s largest human-rights-based organisation supporting people seeking asylum. The ASRC provides food, housing, health services, legal assistance, and employment pathways, while also engaging in policy advocacy and public education. Its work is grounded in dignity, self-determination, and lived experience, with a strong focus on addressing the structural and political conditions that create displacement and harm in the first place.

  • The Westerman Jilya Institute for Indigenous Mental Health

    Jilya is an Indigenous-led organisation founded by Dr Tracey Westerman, Australia’s first Aboriginal psychologist. The institute focuses on Indigenous-led education, training, and systems change across mental health, education, and human services. Jilya’s work emphasises culturally informed, evidence-based practice and workforce development, with a strong focus on accountability, cultural safety, and improving outcomes for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples at a systems level.

  • The Australian Conservation Foundation

    Founded in 1965, the Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF) is one of Australia’s longest-standing environmental advocacy organisations. ACF works on climate action, biodiversity protection, and environmental justice, with a strong focus on the links between environmental harm, economic systems, and social inequality, including the disproportionate impacts of climate change on marginalised communities.

  • Reframing Autism

    Reframing Autism is an Autistic-led organisation working to promote a neurodiversity-affirming, human-rights-based understanding of autism. Its work focuses on advocacy, education, and systemic change, challenging deficit-based and medicalised narratives while centring Autistic lived experience, autonomy, and inclusion across policy, practice, and public discourse.