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Guest blog: Equity & Diversity in English Language Schools: Lessons Learned from the ‘I Belong’ Project
Published on February 25, 2022
As I attended a grade six classroom’s Digital Film Festival a few weeks ago, I was surprised to hear a student excitedly declare that creating his own ‘I Belong’ digital story was the best thing to happen to him this school year. I’ve always thought of the ‘I Belong’ project as something cathartic for the kids to do amid difficult school years punctuated by the pandemic. In my more hopeful moments, I’ve considered its potential to act as a catalyst for the types of conversations that leave you feeling as though someone actually sees you – all of you – and still accepts you. And yet, I’m continuously surprised by the intensity of emotion I encounter from participating students, from this boy’s sense of enthusiasm and joy to the anger and sadness that wrap itself around our youth when they recount instances of rejection or discrimination.
As one of the ‘I Belong’ project coordinators, I have the privilege of bearing witness to hundreds of students’ artistic creations, live performances and acts of community service. I get to speak with dozens of teachers and artist-educators about their experiences leading conversations with students about who they are and what it means to fit in – or not. I am often privy to beautiful moments that make my heart swell, and many moments that make my heart wrench.
As the project continues to unfold, I thought it would be interesting – if not useful for teachers interested in fostering inclusion – to amplify students’ voices by sharing some of the themes that keep coming up in their work.