Irish schools awarded yellow flags for efforts to promote diversity

Irish schools awarded yellow flags for efforts to promote diversity

Fourteen schools became the recipients yesterday morning of special "Yellow Flag" award which recognises steps they have taken to promote diversity, inclusion and interculturalism.

Schools must undertake an eight step plan researching interculturalism and create a "diversity code" in order to be awarded the prize. Students learn about the cultures of their class mates through presentations and food fares.

One of the steps requires schools to create a diversity committee made up of parents, staff and students, who meet monthly to guide the school’s Yellow Flag Programme.

Students were handed their flags before being invited to speak about what initiatives they had introduced at their schools and sang a song "waving the flag for diversity".

The Yellow Flag programme was established by the Irish Traveller Movement in 2008 as a way to create cross-cultural understanding and equal representation in Ireland’s schools, which comprise of more than 200 different cultures, reported the Irish Times.

Speaking at the ceremony, Minister for Children and Youth Affairs Katherine Zappone commended the Traveller community and praised the work of the schools’ staff and students, who shared their experiences participating in language exchanges and school-sponsored intercultural days.

Open Society:

“It is my firm hope that the fantastic work being undertaken with the students here will spread beyond the school grounds and have a positive impact in the wider community,” Mr Zappone said.

“The best part of my job as I travel around the country is meeting young people and hearing their desire for our modern democratic republic to be an open society where everyone can expect fairness, equality and justice.”

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