Diversity Activities: Anti-Semitism and Religious Discrimination Workshop
The diversity activities that comprise 2020 Dreams Anti-Semitism and Religious Discrimination workshops counter this harmful effect by introducing young people to the concept of discrimination and engaging in thought-provoking debates and absorbing role-plays, focused on promoting understanding and challenging misconceptions.
Our children are growing up in a world where information is more abundant and accessible than ever before. This has many benefits for their education, but there is also a dark side: the voices of extremism and bigotry are heard loud and clear through social networks, online comments and even the mainstream media, sometimes drowning out the opposite message of tolerance and inclusion and twisting young, impressionable minds towards adopting hateful and warped views about the other.’
If your school looking for an effective and up-to-date way to fulfil its equal opportunities duties while enhancing student learning in line with the National Curriculum, 2020 Dreams can deliver a workshop for you. We can also adapt diversity activities to support anti-discrimination programmes in non-school institutions such as Young Offenders Institutions or children’s homes.
Key Statistics*
- From 2017 to 2018, police recorded 52,528 hate crimes.
- 82% of these were defined as ‘race hate crimes’ and 6% as ‘religion hate crimes.’
- 2017 to 2018 saw an increase in all categories of hate crime.
- 49% of hate crimes were reported to the police.
*From the Home Office: London, 2019.
Exploring Prejudice and Finding Solutions
Anti-semitism is just one form of prejudice that leads to discrimination in today’s society. 2020 Dreams workshops will introduce students to concepts such as prejudice, discrimination, bigotry, antisemitism, culture, race and religion, and explore why we separate people out in terms of their religion, race or cultural background and how we can work towards looking beneath labels and appearances and understanding our underlying similarities.
Diversity activities include role-plays, effective tools for developing empathy and overcoming our natural egocentric tendencies, and open, objective forum-based debates where children are given the time and space to ask the questions that matter to them and discuss their own experiences.
Diversity and the National Curriculum
The government specifically refers to issues of race and religion in the National Curriculum notes on Citizenship. By the end of their secondary education, students are expected to be taught about the “diverse national, regional, religious and ethical identities in the United Kingdom and the need for mutual respect and understanding.”
2020 Dreams diversity activities in our Anti-Semitism and Religious Discrimination workshops can go a long way to meeting those aims. In addition, our engaging debates will help children to develop the “skills to think critically and debate political questions.” This is particularly important in today’s society with religious and cultural tensions now prominent in the news.
In addition, this 2020 Dreams workshop can be customised to fit in with other elements of the Curriculum. For example, Key Stage Two children are expected to learn about the Holocaust and examples of non-European society in History.
Although there is no specific Citizenship element for Key Stage 1 children, 2020 Dreams can adapt our diversity activities to start sewing the seeds of acceptance and respect from primary school. The content of our workshops will also cover some of the requirement for schools to teach religious education at all key stages.
Experienced and Sensitive Facilitators
Religion and culture is a sensitive area and every city, town and region will have its own specific challenges with regards to integration and diversity. Our experienced facilitators will act sensitively at all times, carefully designing diverse activities that avoid increasing any existing tensions or causing pupils to feel uncomfortable.
To find out more about our Anti-Semitism and Religious Discrimination workshop or the related Islamophobia workshop, please don’t hesitate to call us on 0800 4714983 or email us at hello@2020dreams.org.uk
