Harmony Week and beyond: 5 strategies for going deeper
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You’re likely already using these five strategies—if not, consider adding them. If you are, take a deeper look—there’s always more to learn.
At the school-wide level, strong professional development, community engagement, and an inclusive curriculum are key. If these are in place, ensure your school community understands and connects with them. Even if co-created, the bigger picture isn’t always clear to everyone. Map out and communicate a cohesive, ongoing anti-racism program that goes beyond one-off events. When students, families, and staff recognize their role in it, the impact is greater.
- Listen to Australian singer songwriter Josh Pike (pictured) as he reflects on his intercultural competence. In his moving 2021 TEDx talk, ‘My children aren’t white but I am. How should I confront racism? he shares his personal experiences.
- We all have implicit biases. Discover yours by taking a test at Project implicit from Harvard University. High school teachers may also encourage their 14–17-year-old students to explore Project Implicit Youth.
- Explore our FREE online professional development courses, which cover key aspects of intercultural understanding. View course summaries here and register to access all courses here.
- Our FREE online professional development course Cohesion in diversity: Transforming curriculum provides advice about how to transcend tokenism in your programs. Using the work of J.A. Banks, examples include how a Harmony Day program can be transformed. Download the image above as a pdf here.
- Priya Vulchi and Winona Guo (pictured) delivered their first TED talk, ‘What it takes to be racially literate’, in 2017 – the year they graduated from high school. Their inspiring presentation is sure to spark meaningful discussions.
- Watch the three-part ABC documentary ‘The school that tried to end racism’. Suggested classroom activities are provided for each episode.
- Explore our FREE online professional development courses. Cohesion in Diversity: Developing cultural awareness, features resources for discussion prompts. Cohesion in Diversity: Dialoguing on controversial issues, provides practical strategies for structuring classroom dialogue.
- Family engagement has long been a priority for schools, yet time constraints make it challenging. Harmony Week events can unite school communities, but what are their lasting benefits? Budge and Parrett’s (2022) diagram offers a thought-provoking perspective on deepening connections. Explore their insights in Educational Leadership (Vol. 80, No.1).
- Learn more about Cultural Exchange programs at Racism NoWay.
- Our FREE online professional development courses explore family engagement, community group and inter-school partnerships. View course summaries here and register to access all courses here.
- Go beyond the school gate and connect to community anti-racism initiatives from organisations such as Amnesty International, Reconciliation Australia and the Asylum Seeker Resource Centre.
- In the classroom, invite your students to participate in an Australia-wide, (K-12) poster, short film and song writing competitions. (Entries close 12 April.) Download the flyer here. For more information visit Moving Forward Together.
- Our FREE online professional development course – Cohesion in Diversity: Transforming Curriculum includes ways to facilitate student participation in active citizenship.
About the Author
Kathleen (she/her) is a former primary school teacher. Her family came to Australia from Scotland and Ireland in the late 1800s. She was born on Mandandanji country in Roma and now lives and works on Kabi Kabi country on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland.
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Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Copyright
Metadata © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Together for Humanity (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Together for Humanity is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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- Topics: Cultural diversity, Bullying, racism and discrimination