Childcare Students of Level 1, 2 and Level 3, organised a ‘Diversity’ themed Expo this week (9 Nov), in a bid to understand the differences that exist in our multicultural society. Diversity will play an important role in the future for today’s students and topics including culture, family background, structures in society, ethnicities and communities were all explored.
The Expo included interactive activities to help the audiences, comprising of fellow students and guests, understand about diversity within different countries, traditions, food, religions, and languages as well as that of people belonging to communities like LGBT, people with disabilities and others.
Each student group displayed their work based on a specific diversity related topic. One explained types of rituals in different cultures such as marriage, puberty, harvest and funerals, while another described changing family structures and how they have evolved from joint dwellings to traditional families and more recently to nuclear, nomadic, childless and same-sex families. One of the displays highlighted the issues faced by the LGBT community by virtue of being classed ‘different’ from the norm set by society, while another aimed to get people thinking about those affected by a disability.
At least one interactive activity formed part of every display to challenge the audiences. These included matching wedding jewellery to their country of origin, matching family structures to their definitions, matching currencies, food and clothing to their heritages, practising your name in sign language, cross dressing and challenges using just one hand. Candle decorating, loom band knitting, and international food tasting were other activities which kept the crown busy amidst traditional music from around the world played in the background. Many students were also dressed in the traditional attire of their countries.
Minal Purohit- Robson, Lecturer in Childcare at Harrow College said, “Working together in different groups than usual has given the students an opportunity to learn about each other and brought them closer together as a team.”
Level 2 Childcare student, Teresa Correia, said “Working on the Expo has exposed me to so many different cultures, countries, traditions, religions and family structures, some that I didn’t know about before. But this knowledge will help me in my future when I work with children as I will have a better understanding of the background that they come from”.
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