Our workshops can be adapted to different levels and years. We have experience with many target groups and can connect well with the students' world (primary, secondary, vocational, and higher education).
The objectives for each workshop are listed at the end of the workshop description. The working methods are always led by a professional.
When do you cross a line?
Boundaries differ per person but can also vary per situation. In fact, a boundary can change within minutes. Many things depend on this, but ultimately it's about what makes you feel comfortable. In this workshop, participants will discuss boundaries during going out and see what influences the boundaries of the actors through a film.
How do you see others?
Everyone sees the world and the people in it differently. But how aware are you of this? And once you know this, how do you handle it? Getting to know your own (unconscious) prejudices is the first step. Through photos of very diverse people (and the conversation about them), students discover their own assumptions.
What's your story?
Discrimination is sometimes intangible; you hear and read a lot about it, but what does it really look like? In this workshop, someone with a personal story about exclusion visits. The students ask questions and engage in conversation. This increases empathy for people who are discriminated against. Various volunteers are used. Fled has the same format but is about the story of a refugee.
How do you approach someone?
How well do you know your neighbours, do you chat with them? Do you also approach people who are different from you, and what do you say? Having an open and respectful conversation is not always easy. However, it can be very rewarding. In this working method, students engage in conversations with people through an interactive game (smartphone, tablet, or laptop needed). How well they can listen and ask questions determines whether they reach the end. The characters in the game each have a story linked to diversity.
How inclusive do you think?
Although we are all different, we share many similarities. However, the emphasis is often placed on differences, which can cause people to drift apart. Diversity and inclusion are terms that are frequently mentioned today; this is also addressed in the workshop. The link with discrimination and micro-aggression is also made.
We are not there yet.
During World War II, extreme forms of discrimination were applied worldwide. Large groups of people were persecuted for who they were. Is it different now? We discuss what happened during the war and think about the consequences. Then we draw the comparison with today, which groups still experience discrimination?
What the WIC did in Groningen
This working method is done outdoors in the city centre of Groningen. Our staff guide the students to places linked to the trans-Atlantic slave trade. Few people know that there was a WIC head office in Groningen and that the city and the surrounding area benefited greatly from this trade.
Including Suriname and the Netherlands, among others.
Curaçao, Bonaire, and Suriname, almost every Dutch person knows these were Dutch colonies. Few people know that the Netherlands had more than 50 colonies during the VOC and WIC era. This working method specifically addresses slavery and the impact of colonialism.
At WAARD, we also develop teaching materials that teachers can use themselves. The different working methods are always explained in the form of a lesson plan, and we offer the materials free of charge. The objectives for each lesson are listed at the end of the material description.
Show don't tell
Based on four picture books, a lesson plan has been developed to show diversity. By simply showing that there are different kinds of people who are different from you, acceptance is promoted. The age-old principle of unfamiliarity breeds contempt still applies. This working method can be carried out by the teacher themselves; we provide the books and the lesson plan. These books are suitable for children in class 1 to 3 of primary school.
What would you do?
Recognisable to many people; you see something unpleasant happening but don’t know exactly what to do. This is especially tricky with discrimination – how do you intervene? It varies per situation and person, but it is good to think about this beforehand. Doing nothing is the same as approving what happens.
Would you like to request a workshop or teaching materials, or do you have a question?
Please contact us at info@wijzijnwaard.nl or use the contact form.
