More than 800 students and almost 90 teachers receive anti-racist training in their educational centers, within a project of the Juntas collective in the same direction, the Cabildo and the University of La Laguna (ULL). So far, it has reached 13 schools and institutes with the aim of spreading throughout the island. The workshops to be held in the classroom have a participatory intercultural approach and cyber-racism prevention. They are intended for students of Primary, ESO, Baccalaureate and training cycles.
This week the number of 818 students who have received some of the training since the beginning of the course has been reached. Fundamentals have also been taught during these days to 88 teachers from the institutes of El Médano and Granadilla de Abona, as well as the Ampa of the IES Magallanes, in San Isidro. These last two actions are developed as part of the implementation in the southern municipality of the strategic framework for intercultural coexistence Tenerife live diversity. In addition to these centers, the initiative has been in the CEIP Guajara, in Fasnia, and in the municipality of Los Realejos.
The course starts, at least in theory, with greater preparation and awareness for intercultural coexistence in the classrooms of Tenerife. That is the meaning of the training offered by Boards in the same direction, the insular strategy for the promotion of that coexistence. Its implementation has the support of the Cabildo and the ULL, through its General Foundation and the Tenerife Immigration Observatory (OBITen).
Awareness spaces.
The objective is to create awareness spaces towards the recognition and appreciation of the cultural diversity present on the Island. The means to achieve this are two workshops. One on the participatory intercultural approach and another focused on the prevention of cyberracism. In both cases adapted to each educational stage, childhood, youth or adults. One piece of information should be highlighted: of the 292,542 foreigners registered in the Canary Islands in 2020, 45.1%, 132,027, resided in Tenerife.
intercultural dialogue.
The first of these workshops offers tools to promote intercultural dialogue, good coexistence in diversity and social cohesion. All this with the application of a participatory intercultural approach that contemplates a comprehensive gender perspective and is based on Human Rights. In addition, it contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) of the 2030 Agenda.
Cyberracism.
Training in prevention of cyberracism, within a digital context, is aimed at conceptually understanding what prejudice, stereotype, discrimination, racism, cyberracism, hoax and rumor or misinformation are. In addition to raising awareness about the importance of detecting and managing these terms to learn about the existing instruments to contrast information.
The students.
More than 800 students have received these workshops. Ainhoa González Escudero and Kai Kalman Berger are two of them. Both Ainhoa and Kai agree that “it is a different way of learning, it is as a team and not by writing, but by talking and listening to each other. Also, we don’t just learn about Europe.”
The teaching perspective.
Marta García is a professor of Geography and History and coordinator of the Heritage axis of the IES Ichasagua, in Arona. She values: «In Juntas we have found a strategy to give guidelines to the students of the lower courses, which are the least adapted to the collaborative dynamics of our IES». In addition, she points out that “with her help, each course we get them to improve in coexistence and respect for the diversity of our environment, two basic things in the society that surrounds us that will help them to be better people.”
From the Town Hall.
For the insular counselor of Employment, Socioeconomic Development and Foreign Action, Carmen Luz Baso, “it is essential to work together with educational centers so that future generations internalize that interculturality benefits us”. She adds: “Without counting on them, we cannot expect progress in eliminating prejudices that contribute nothing to coexistence in a society as diverse as that of Tenerife.”
University.
The rector of the ULL, Rosa María Aguilar, points out that “in order to generate new solutions to the challenges posed by society, it is essential to invest with a view to generating knowledge and supporting its transfer”. She underlines; “If the value of cultural diversity in education is not addressed, it will be difficult for us to shape a future time made up of equal and inclusive communities.”
