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It’s a misty morning in Genk on Monday 13 October. Pupils from Sint-Jozefinstituut and Onze Lieve Vrouw Lyceum are gathered for a three-day training course on Inclusion and Diversity in Education in Genk. Like their counterparts in Arnhem (click here to read the report), the 14-year old pupils of these Genk schools have a vague idea of what these broad terms mean, but they are thirsty for more. However, before starting to explore complex themes like inclusion, diversity, discrimination, racism and others, it is essential to start knowing one another. “Do you all know each other?” Kees, one of the trainers, asks the group. They all look at one another with curiosity, but it is clear that some of them know each other very well: we have identical twin and triplet brothers in the group! We’ve started with the first exercise: demonstrate a gesture and announce your name. Fortunately, the brothers have different hobbies so we’ll try to remember their gesture to get their name right. Eduardo plays guitar, Pieter plays cello, and others play instruments as well. “We can start an orchestra here!” says Kees. “An INDIE orchestra!” say I, with a bit too much enthusiasm (the idea might sound nice but let’s stick to our in-school projects for the moment). One of the next ice breakers was to tell what you thought was unique about you, and it is quite amazing to discover the number of different hobbies these kids have: “I think I’m the only one who collects cufflinks”, says Davide. Indeed! And they all have their uniqueness within the group. Funny things also happen, such as when one of the triplet brothers proudly says, “I think that I am the only one who has six brothers and sisters”, forgetting that his brothers were also in the circle. Everyone bursts into laughter and we are only starting the day: one of the next exercises is speed dating! Onze Lieve Vrouw pupils form an inside circle and Sint-Jozefinstituut pupils surround them, each pupil from one school facing another from the other school. The purpose here is not really to seduce the other but to learn about each other’s experiences: “Tell about your experience in a foreign country, about your last holiday. How did you feel? Did you notice any cultural differences? How did you deal with it?” asks Femke, our second trainer. “I remember people living in poverty because of communism”, says Antoine, “People running around you to get one piece of bread”. “But I have also seen that you don’t need to be rich to be happy”, adds another. “But what about cultural differences?” insists Femke. “In some countries you don’t need to get a ticket at the post office or at the butcher”, says Janne. “In Indonesia, they put flowers in your plate”, adds another pupil enthusiastically. They even talked about the differences between the Dutch and the Belgian people. “Outside circle, move to the right!” shouts Femke before it gets nastier (Dutch and Belgian people love to make jokes about one another). We’ve still fallen into the “We and Them” scheme, but this is something we all tend to do, say both trainers with honesty, and I can only keep nodding, albeit sadly. Lien approves: “If a new person comes to the class, we stand like ‘us’ the class, against ‘them’ the new pupil’”.
During this Young Leaders’ training course, we want the pupils to move further and to talk about specific issues in the context of their school. Are there particular groups in the school and in class? How is the contact between them and these groups? Are there any exchanges between the different groups? From what I gather, there are clearly divisions within the school, and it is not only about ethnic, cultural and religious differences: “You got the nerds!” says Janne, joined in laughter by almost all her fellow pupils. At a more personal level Marlies bravely adds, “People make fun of me because I have red hair”. Diversity definitely needs to be celebrated in all its forms. After some ice breakers and speed dating, the sessions became more skills focused: cooperation, argumentation and negotiation, holding a meeting, preparing and running an interview, presentation… skills the pupils will all need to actively participate to the realization of the in-school projects, but also in their future lives. The experience is also different from what they do everyday in school: the trainers are different from the teachers and the programme is more interactive than in class. “But don’t forget that we are using a different way of working because of the themes we are dealing with and the projects you need to be prepared for”, says Femke, “We are not teaching you mathematics, so it’s normal that we ask for more interactivity. There is not one better way of working than another, they are just different”.
During these three days, Gert-Jan, Joël, Janne, Rabia, Marlies, Louise, Eduardo, Javier, Thamara, Laura, Antoine, Jochem, Davide, Mehrave, Brenden, Lien, Katrien, Arnould, Pieter, Thomas and Ruben, supported by their teachers Griet, Dirk and Olga, who also actively participated in the different sessions, all learned to know more about each other, know one another better. It is now time to work together on the in-school projects and bring more and more pupils on board. After all, isn’t it all about inclusion?
Canan Marasligil
At the Young Leaders Training in Genk, Belgium
13 - 15 October 2008
Click here to see the complete training programme
Thank you to our trainers Kees Hoogendoorn and Femke Gordijn.
A special thank you to Griet van Thienen, Dirk Wantiez and Olga Reinquin for their enthusiasm and participation to the training course, and to Nathalie de Bleeckere, our partner at the Flemish Ministry of Education, for her support and her participation to some of the sessions.
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