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December 5, 2008
Choosing to end hatred
School launches anti-racism educational program.
RON FRIEDMAN
With singing and dancing, the students of Sir William Osler Elementary School in Vancouver celebrated the launch of a new anti-racism program. Developed by Canadian Jewish Congress (CJC) and sponsored by FAST – Fighting Anti-Semitism Together, the program will be piloted at William Osler, before heading to other schools.
The program, which is called Choose Your Voice, is designed to educate Grade 6 and 7 students about the dangers of intolerance and its manifestations.
"When Romy Ritter [regional director of CJC] came to see me in the spring and presented me with this educational resource, it really brought home, within a blink of an eye, how important this is," said school principal Milana Christie. "It is important because it enlightens, empowers and it teaches the children, not only about themselves, but of the importance of a world that is free of racism and free of judgment. It encourages them to love one another and respect other people, no matter where they are from."
FAST is a coalition of non-Jewish Canadian business and community leaders founded by former president and chief executive officer of BMO Financial Group Tony Comper and his wife, Elizabeth, who came together to speak out against anti-Semitism and to fund education that encourages other non-Jews to speak out. The group formed in 2004 in reaction to a spate of anti-Semitic incidences that took place in Ontario.
"We've understood for a very long time that anti-Semitism is an evil that only non-Jews can overcome," said Comper during his address at the Vancouver launch ceremony. "We hope that Choose Your Voice will spark discussion both in the classroom and at home about how best to respond to incidents of anti-Semitism, racism and intolerance in all its forms."
During the ceremony, the Sir William Osler Elementary School Choir performed two songs: "Standing Together" by Toronto music teachers Laurence Gilman and Ed Hayes and "Children of Hope," written and composed by Kristine Hu, a Grade 7 student at the school.
"We are very proud to launch and distribute Choose Your Voice, as the aim of this program is to engage the future leaders of our province, our country, to become active advocates and supporters of an accepting, harmonious society," said Gerry Cuttler of CJC Pacific Region. "Education encompasses not only knowledge and skills but, most importantly, learning something less tangible and more profound: values that will allow our children to become better people."
While William Osler is the first school in British Columbia to adopt Choose Your Voice, the program has been running in Ontario and Quebec since 2005. It consists of a kit with four activities that rest on literature, a DVD with a discussion guide and a teacher's guide for effective transfer of the program's aims. Activity one is designed to teach students the concept of stereotyping and its harms. Activity two focuses on episodes in Canada's past that involved racism and anti-Semitism, such as residential schools, the anti-Asian riot in 1907 and the 1933 Christie Pitts riot in Toronto. Students are taught about the three parties in racism – the perpetrators, the victims and the bystanders – and the third activity develops an awareness of recent anti-Semitic and racist incidents, explaining what hate crime is. Activity four moves from history to action, with students being encouraged to identify strategies for responding to prejudice so they can move toward a culture of peace.
"We decided to launch it [Choose Your Voice] in Vancouver because it is one of the largest school boards in the province. We approached the principal of Osler because of her and the school's dedication to social responsibility and the work that they do educating and empowering their students," said Ritter. "It was printed here in B.C., vetted by B.C. teachers and educators to ensure that it meets the B.C. curriculum standards and it's our goal to get this into every single elementary school in the province."
Ritter reported that more than 33 school boards have received copies of the program and, so far, six school boards have agreed to distribute it to their schools. To date, nearly half a million students from across Canada have been exposed to the message of Choose Your Voice.
For more information, visit the FAST website, www.fightingantisemitism.com, contact the CJC charities committee at 604-622-4235 or e-mail [email protected].
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