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KINGSWOOD IN FOCUS 2020-21 | CULTURAL INCLUSION
CULTURAL INCLUSION A few years ago I was approached by a pupil with some questions about their identity. They had experienced a situation that led them to ask questions about who they were and where they fit in within the School community - this was the motivation behind the first cultural discussion group. Also, action can be taken towards making changes based on the outcomes of the discussions. This has had a school wide impact and led to some major cultural and practical changes to our school community.
Lily in Year 11 said;
A
t this point the focus was largely on racial identity and culture but over the years this has developed into something where the aim is to be totally inclusive. We would meet during activity time and pupils would discuss their experiences and share their cultural knowledge, all pupils were welcome to either share or simply listen and learn. Back then the numbers were relatively small with about ten attendees from across the year groups coming along each week. Today, the group has established itself as a wholly inclusive discussion group that is a safe space for discussions on a wide variety of topics, most recently we discussed neurodiversity as well as cultural appropriation. The format of the group has also changed in the last two years and
we now meet online which has meant we have reached a much wider audience which, in turn, means we have a wider scope for discussion. The overall aim of the newly named Cultural & Inclusion Discussion Group is to provide a forum for pupils to openly discuss issues that they are passionate about. It allows pupils to have their voices heard by staff as well as each other. Pupils are invited to chair discussions based on what they want to talk about or comment on the issues being discussed. They can do this by typing in the chat or unmuting their microphones when invited to. Another aim of the group is to challenge views and perceptions which allows members to have a deeper level of understanding as they see topics from a different perspective.
“When I chaired the cultural discussion group I talked about neurodiversity which includes things like autism, OCD, ADHD and dyslexia. And it was really important for me to be able to have that platform where I was able to articulate things that I’m passionate about… I really struggled with coming to terms with my diagnosis, as I got diagnosed really late in life, so, if I was able to offer any kind of support or just let people know, who are going through something like that that they're not alone… that is really important to me because I wish I had something like that when I was struggling with it. I also like how supportive everyone is no matter what year group they are in. Everyone is so respectful and ready to learn and because everyone is so ready to learn and share their experience it is an educational and really interesting group to be a part of.”
Some of the topics covered this year have included: The Experience of being ‘Mixed race’, Youth Mental Illness, and The impact of
