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Monday morning, nine o’clock; twenty-four pupils from Arentheem College (Middachtensingel) and Arentheem College (Thomas à Kempis) are gathered in a large and spacious classroom in Middachten, Arnhem, to participate in the Young Leaders’ Training on Inclusion and Diversity in Education. These two sister schools, located in different parts of Arnhem, offer pupils different levels of education. All participating pupils, the Young Leaders, come from the third year and are aged 14-15. They are all different but they have at least one thing in common: a strong thirst for learning and trying to understand what’s happening around them! Marieke, Jeroen, Figen, Ahmed, Lia, Robèrt, Samira, Mick, Mette, Ian, Tinka, Lisette, Lies, Susan, Kim, Anne, Yulan, Jollien, Debbie and Jeffrey didn’t know each other when they started the training session on Monday 24 September. Day one therefore mainly focused on learning to know one another before starting to work hard on Inclusion and Diversity in Education.
“But what is exactly this INDIE project? Why are we doing it? What will be our role?” are only a few of the questions the young people asked at the very beginning of the training session. It isn’t always easy to answer all their questions but without a doubt it’s great to see how much they want to know before they get completely involved in the project. I’m already impressed by how seriously they take it all. Expectations vary from one pupil to another and we have three days to prepare these enthusiastic and passionate young people to work altogether to spread the INDIE word throughout their schools.
Besides learning to know one another, it is important to know what the terms Inclusion and Diversity actually mean. Our trainers, Kees Hoogendoorn and Yvor Boer, specialists on Intercultural Dialogue, have asked the Young Leaders to take a step forward. Through an adapted version of the exercise “Take a Step Forward”, taken from the Manual for Human Rights Education with Young People (Council of Europe), they have asked pupils to take on the role of a person that they were assigned. The roles include “white male doctor”; “person in a wheelchair”; “illegal immigrant”; and “yourself”. Everyone stands in a line and take one step forward whenever they can answer “yes” to a statement about opportunities in life read out by one of the facilitators. Whenever they have to say ‘no’ they stay put. And that’s how we move from a role play to a very rich discussion about discrimination, racism, prejudice, diversity and inclusion. The link between the exercise and the everyday situation in school has been easily made: “When you enter our schoolyard, you can see the division: the foreigners are in one corner, the Dutch people in another” says Mette as the entire group nods in agreement. “When you’re a foreigner, you first meet foreigners and then only, you eventually move towards Dutch people” adds another, sadly. The Young Leaders leave the first training day with a lot to think about.
Having spent the first day discussing and sharing our doubts, wishes and concerns, on the second day we are ready to focus on providing the Young Leaders with the skills they will need to contribute actively to the in-school projects that their schools are going to work on during this academic year. How better to start than with a cooperation exercise with a competitive element? In two groups, the pupils are asked to put up a list of the key success elements for cooperation and then put it all into practice: blindfolded and all mixed, they have to form a perfect square with the long rope they are all pulling … Funny, challenging and certainly a necessary preparation for the next exercises in which they are asked to come up with a mini-project about diversity and inclusion to be realised in their schools, and to conduct interviews with Janine Wijn and Frits Roelofs, the teachers responsible for the INDIE in-school projects, who have kindly agreed to play the game. At the end of the two intensive days, it is time to go home and think about the presentations for the next day.
One by one, the Young Leaders stand up in front of everyone to talk for two minutes about their feelings, wishes, comments and any other issues they want to share about INDIE. I have to tell you, these young people have a lot to say and to teach us! “We don’t really mix” says Lia, “it’s really weird because skin colour doesn’t matter! This is why it is important to introduce INDIE in our school.” Marieke adds enthusiastically that “working together will help celebrate diversity.” “It’s important that pupils can be themselves at home and in school” says Yulan, “I think it’s good that INDIE will stimulate the students but also the teachers. No one should be ashamed of who they are!” And all of them are carrying the same message: we cannot change the world but we can start doing things in our school, thanks to INDIE. And most importantly, they all believe that development and change should occur in how they learn and in how and what they are taught. Figen confesses to the group at the end of the three days’ training: “Thanks to these three days, I have worked with Dutch people and they are actually very nice! Honestly, I know it sounds weird, but I’m always hanging out with Turkish people in school”. She even brought a friend with her for the afternoon session: “Can she stay?” Well of course she can! All students interested in Inclusion and Diversity in Education are welcome to help our Young Leaders take one step forward! I have also learned a lot from these young people during these three days, and thanks to them, my belief in the project has been reconfirmed. And one thing is for sure, we can only go forward if we all work together!
Canan Marasligil
At the Young Leaders Training in Arnhem
22 – 24 September 2008
Click here to read the complete training programme
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