BelongingPath Framework Overview
A universal, practical framework to understand why exclusion happens and how everyday belonging can be strengthened.
The BelongingPath Framework was developed by Sonal Kulshreshtha and Avani Kulshreshtha (2024), drawing on sustained field engagement and programme design experience in inclusion and livelihoods.
What BelongingPath Offers
BelongingPath is a clear and practical way to understand why exclusion happens and how it can be addressed in any everyday space — a meeting, a school, a workplace, a community group, a Self Help Group, a hospital, or a public programme.
It brings together behavioural patterns, structural norms, and lived experiences into a simple architecture that helps people notice exclusion early, respond intentionally, and strengthen belonging over time.
A key focus of BelongingPath is to make systems consciously aware of exclusions and subtle discrimination that are often treated as “natural” — such as who speaks more easily in meetings, whose time is assumed to be flexible, who sits closer to power, who carries caregiving responsibilities, or who lives further from the centre of activity.
The framework is built around four foundational components. Everything else in BelongingPath supports or
applies these four:
- Exclusion Markers – who is most at risk of exclusion, and on what basis.
- Why Exclusion Persists – the deeper, reinforcing drivers that keep exclusion in place.
- Four Pillars – the conditions that need to be strengthened for people to truly belong.
- Action Pathways – the levers that help shift behaviour, culture, and systems.
What BelongingPath Does
BelongingPath helps people and systems to:
- See exclusion that usually stays invisible or unspoken.
- Understand why certain groups remain on the margins, even when access expands.
- Notice the earliest signs of unequal treatment in everyday interactions.
- Build inclusion through small, steady improvements rather than one-off events.
- Strengthen belonging without creating heavy or complex processes.
What BelongingPath Avoids
BelongingPath is deliberately different from many traditional “inclusion frameworks”. It avoids:
- Putting responsible individuals for systemic or cultural barriers.
- One-size-fits-all checklists and tick-box compliance.
- Complex assessment tools that burden frontline teams.
- Identity-based labels that freeze people into narrow categories.
Instead, BelongingPath focuses on behaviour, structure, culture, and lived experience — the places where
exclusion actually occurs and where belonging can be rebuilt.
Main components of the BelongingPath Framework
These four components work together: they identify who is at risk, explain why exclusion continues,
describe what belonging requires, and outline how change can happen in a grounded, practical way.
Core Components of BelongingPath Framework
These four components work together: they identify who is at risk, explain why exclusion continues, describe what belonging requires, and outline how change can happen in a grounded, practical way.
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eXCLUSION Markers
Traits, positions, or circumstances that increase a person’s likelihood of being sidelined even when systems appear open or neutral:
- Physical attributes
- Personality traits
- Contextual positioning
- Situational markers
They answer: “Who is most at risk of exclusion, and why?”
description: Exclusion Markers
Exclusion Drivers
Exclusion drivers explains why exclusion continues even when access seems to have improved:
- Sensitivity gaps and biases
- Exclusionary systems
- Social / cultural norms that normalise unequal treatment
- Internalised apprehensions
They explain: “Why does exclusion continue, even when no one intends”
Description: Why Exclusion Persists
Four Pillars
Essential conditions that allow people not only to be present, but to truly belong:
- Equal Access to Opportunities
- Dignified Treatment
- Respecting Personal Agency & Voice
- Realising and Recognizing Worth
They answer: “What needs to be strengthened here?”
Description: Four Pillars
Action Pathways
Practical levers to shift everyday behaviour and institutional practice to ensure true inclusion:
- Policy reforms
- Capacity building
- Cultural transformation
- Accountability and consequences
They answer: “What can we change, starting now?”
Description: Action Pathways
How the Four Components Work Together
BelongingPath works through a simple, repeatable cycle that can be used in any setting:
- See the pattern. Identify exclusion markers; notice who is missing, unheard, interrupted, or hesitant.
- Understand the roots. Ask which drivers (biases, norms, systems, self-doubt) are maintaining this pattern.
- Locate the breakdown. Determine which pillar is currently weakest for that person or group — access, dignity, agency, or worth.
- Act with intention. Apply the right pathway (policy, behaviour, culture, accountability) to strengthen the weak pillar.
This sequence helps any team or institution move from accidental exclusion to intentional belonging,
without losing sight of the human experience at the centre.
A Framework Designed for Everyday Use
BelongingPath is not meant only for workshops, audits, or special initiatives. It is meant to guide
everyday decisions and interactions in many kinds of spaces.
Community & SHG Spaces
A typical SHG meeting, a VO or CLF discussion, or a neighbourhood gathering — noticing whose risks,
livelihoods, and voices are taken seriously and whose are quietly sidelined.
Organisations & Workplaces
A daily team discussion, performance review, or planning meeting — seeing who is invited to contribute,
who gets feedback, and who is stuck at the margins of visibility or growth.
Schools, Sports, Health & Services
A classroom interaction, a sports selection trial, a hospital queue, or a service delivery point —
asking who is included, who is overlooked, and what can be strengthened to build belonging.
Common Questions About the Framework
Q1. What is the BelongingPath Framework?
A simple way to see where inclusion breaks down—and how belonging can be strengthened.
Q2. How is it different from traditional inclusion approaches?
It looks beyond who is present and focuses on how people experience access, dignity, agency, and worth.
Q3. How do exclusion markers and pillars work together?
Markers show who may be sidelined; the pillars show what needs strengthening.
Q4. Where can the framework be used?
Anywhere people interact—teams, organisations, public systems, or community spaces.
Explore the Framework in Depth
You can enter BelongingPath from any of the core components and then connect to the others as you go.
The links below offer a simple way to continue.
Exclusion Markers |
Why Exclusion Persists |
Four Pillars |
Action Pathways
You can also see how the framework is applied in different spaces on the
Applications page, or visit
Where Exclusion Shows Up
for a closer look at everyday moments where belonging breaks.