Diversity

Visit to Poland – 14th -16th January 2012

I felt honoured to have been invited to attend such a memorable visit to Krakow. Though solemn, we shared lots of laughs while planning the future of the diversity project. Thurrock Council and all the officials who supported the visit have given an unforgettable experience to over 40 students and educators. This is the meaning of education outside the classroom.

Furthermore, I would like to say a big thank you to Mr Samson DeAlyn (Corporate Diversity Manager, Thurrock Council) for this responsibility invested in me. I hope that as schools’ coordinator, I will do justice to the Diversity Champions Programme so that the learners and youth participants who went to Auschwitz and Birkenau will realise how important the opportunity was and will work together in their own little way to say “never again”.

We must not forget that the visit was about diversity and that the programme is also about diversity. Just a little walk into Grays town centre for example, would make any anyone  realise the presence of people of various races, creed, gender, faith or sexuality walking down the street: probably Caucasians, Blacks, Tamils, Indians, Chinese, French, Muslims, Catholics, lesbians and gays and so on. Or for another example, at HACH, both the learners and the teachers are composed of people from a number of heritages rather than only one. Almost anywhere in the United Kingdom these days, there is the possibility of encountering a mix of people. Thus, Britain has become a land of plural races and ethnicities, with a multicultural context. Diversity is at the heart of our communities. One way or the other, we are all diverse. Therefore, we must respect our individual differences, and as we know, people's differences can be many and varied. Let us teach our children to embrace and promote diversity. 

What can Diversity Champions Schools do to support the programme?

“Little drops of water, little grains of sand make a might ocean and a beautiful land”

In Krakow, we made plans for the future – that each school will organise an activity that will support the Thurrock Diversity Project. The aim is to put into good use the time spent in Krakow – to organise events which will continue to create awareness. As the appointed schools’ coordinator, I will be organising a conference to which schools in Thurrock are invited to come and showcase their activities and discuss the way forward. The conference will take place on Wednesday 11thJuly 2012 at HACH. This is HACH’s contribution to the Diversity Champions Project. I really hope that you will all be able to participate because we can make a difference.      

Group leaders, please contact me and let me know what you are doing, let us endeavour to communicate with each other and share ideas.

Thank you

Junerose Palmer

J.Palmer@harrischaffordhundred.org.uk

Pictures from: www.google.co.uk/search

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