From outside, the physics community is often perceived as elitist and only for very clever people, most of whom prefer to work alone. Those of us within the physics community know that physics is a highly collaborative and international discipline, where people have to work closely with others who may look and sound very different. And yet, demographic statistics suggest that a number of groups have historically been, and continue to be, under-represented in physics – not everyone is thriving. 

This colloquium will draw on a range of physics educational research to firstly explore why this is important – in a time of significant cuts to funding and uncertainty about careers, why does the Equity, Diversity and Belonging stuff still matter? Secondly, the question of what are the characteristics of a physics community where everyone can thrive will be discussed, followed by some suggestions of how, together, we might help to build such a community.