Diversity Education

Living in multicultural communities, we come ‘face to face’ with people with diverse ethnic, religious and cultural heritage. Now, more than ever, there is a need to understand, accept and celebrate human diversity through personal and societal relationships, through deeper examination of issues related to ethnicity, faith and multiculturalism. How do we manage the influence of stereotypes, prejudices and biases related to ethnicity and culture? Who are the `them’ that are `not like us’ that we seem to refer to ever so often in our conversations? How are `they’ `different’ from `us’? Why do we see in terms of `us’ and `them’? What is the nature of our relationship? What are our underlying assumptions, beliefs and values? Are these beliefs and values helpful?

The programme aims to promote:

• honest self-exploration and dialogue about the issues of ethnicity; race, faith and culture

• examination of what might only have been a superficial understanding and manifestation of “racial harmony”;

• reaching beyond what is merely “tolerance” – to reach out for something deeper and more meaningful;

• to explore `blind spots’ and to become more fully aware of the potential of living in a world of human “diversity”

• a deeper and more meaningful celebration of ethnic & cultural diversity

Ithaca’s Diversity training programme covers the whole range of diversity that is found in multi-cultural communities. This includes

ETHNICITY
RELIGION (Faith)
CULTURE
AGE
GENDER
SOCIO-ECONOMIC (Class)
DIFFERENTLY ABLED COMMUNITIES (Special Needs Communities)
SEXUALITY
OTHER LIFE FORMS (Relationships between Humans and Other Non-Human Life Forms – the environment, animals, plants)