basketball

 

https://www.upworthy.com/blind-basketball-player-crowd-hush

What do you see in the picture, where is it, what do you think is happening?

The photo shows High School basket ball player, Jules Hogland, taking a shot during a match. But there is something different about Jules - he is blind. So, how does Jules take the shot?

The picture poses the question, "Can a person who can't see play basketball?" 

The article accompanying the picture says, "When inclusion is the goal, human beings can figure out all kinds of ways to make the seemingly impossible happen."

To make sure the game was accessible for Jules, a fellow player tapped the hoop with a long stick. Another player positioned James and then the crowd remained silent for the shot. You can watch the shot in the clip which is in the article. The crowd are absolutely silent as the shot is taken and then they erupt when it goes in.

The article says, "Not only was it a great shot, it was an awesome example of what support and inclusion can look like from a school and a community." 

"The goal is not for those without disabilities to "help" those with, rather, it's a way to empower everyone to have fun together through sports. Teammates work together to play their personal and collective best for the good of the team."

- how is basketball played?

- what are the challenges for a player who is blind?

- Can disabilities make some things impossible?

- "When inclusion is the goal, human beings can figure out all kinds of ways to make the seemingly impossible happen." - how? What does that mean?

- Can you think of any examples where people who are differently abled can play sport in a different way?

- Should we consider language in this story? Does it matter if the term disability is used or the the term differently abled - does it make any difference?

- "The goal is not for those without disabilities to "help" those with," - why not?

- Why do the crowd go silent in the video?

- There are hundreds of people in the room, all silent. would it have been really funny if one person had sneezed loudly or shouted out? Would everyone have laughed?

- "It was an awesome example of what support and inclusion can look like from a school and a community." what does this mean?

- what does 'collective best' mean?

- What can we learn from Jules?

- What can we learn from the crowd?

- Why is this about No Outsiders?

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders,com

pancakes

 

https://scoop.upworthy.com/man-throws-free-pancake-party-neighborhood-to-make-friends-curtis-kimball?fbclid=IwAR3DrPkMX7KBWss2vW8tXzvvVWNeEXfuY3rRSHLlpKjECSmT5vOovcU6OOM

How do we make friends?

Kurtis Kimball is 43 years old and lives in San Francisco, USA. After coming out of lockdown this year, he realised, "I just don't know how grown ups make friends!".

Kurtis decided he would take action to solve his problem. He decided to hold a pancake party and invite his neighbours. Kurtis thought it might go wrong, but it was worth the risk; "I don't mind looking foolish, so I was like, I bet I could just put myself out there and maybe something would happen."

" I had this ridiculous, silly, simple idea; I could make my neighbourhood a better place AND make some new friends just by making pancakes in the front of my house for anyone who came by to hang out."

Kurtis says, "Everyone in my life thought I was insane. It's a pretty vulnerable feeling to do something that outlandish in public."

"Even if you don't like to eat pancakes, you just like the idea of them. Being around pancakes feels good even if you don't like eating them yourself. Also, if you someone making pancakes for strangers, you'd probably think that person is nice."

Kurtis put flyers up around his neighbourhood; "My wife says I need to make friends. So I'm making pancakes. Come by and say hi and have some pancakes with me."

Kurtis says he thought no one would turn up, but on 100 people came! He did another date three weeks later and 300 people came!

Kurtis later said that although the pancakes were a great success, he thought people weren't really coning for the pancakes; they came for the feeling of togetherness. "It was really refreshing to see people smiling and enjoying themselves. We've got to celebrate each other as people a lot more."

- What do you see in the picture? What is happening?

- how do you make friends? Is it always easy? Why not? What advice would you give to Kurtis?

- Do you think it's harder for grown ups?

- why do grown ups want to make friends?

- why do you think Kurtis chose to make pancakes and not cakes or sausage rolls?

-"I don't mind looking foolish," why did Kurtis think he may look foolish? why are some people scared of looking foolish? What does vulnerable mean?

- " put my self out there" what does that mean? Is that hard to do? Why?

- how would this make the neighbourhood a better place?

- Kurtis thought no-one would show up but 100 people came - what does that show about people today?

- Kurtis thinks they weren't really coming for the pancakes, what do you think?

- why were there 3x that number next time?

- what does community cohesion mean?

- what can we learn from Kurtis?

- why is this about No Outsiders?

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com 

refugee story

 

https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/boy-11-who-journeyed-600-26444748

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/ukrainian-boy-700-miles-slovakia-b2033851.html?fbclid=IwAR2MbcpPkkzNk8qNzM1uGAmidbjoGepK9pHIuNRd4L2BZ2v5Xx90xcafMA0

Look at the picture - what do you see? Who do you think the person is? How are they feeling in the picture, what is written on their hand? What do you think the story might be?

An eleven year old boy is being called a hero after he travelled 700 miles on his own from Ukraine to be safe. Hassan's mother was forced to stay in Ukraine because she had to look after her elderly mother who cannot travel because she is too ill to move. Mum wanted Hassan to be safe so she put him on a train with his passport, a plastic bag and a phone number written on his hand to ring when he crossed the border to Slovakia, where his brothers and sisters were living.

Hasan says the scariest part was when he was in the trains. His sister says, "The train was very very full. There were 300 people in one carriage. The kids and the people were sitting in one hall and everyone was talking in foreign languages and he didn't understand so that was the scariest part of the journey for him."

When Hassan reached the Slovakian border, he was given food and water and his family in Bratislava, the capital of Slovakia, were contacted using the number written on his hand. He is now safe with his brothers and sisters. Hassan says he likes this city because he is safe.

-what is a refugee?

- can anyone be a refugee? How does someone become a refugee?

- How do you think Hasan's mother felt when she put Hassan on a train on his own? Did she have any other options? What does this show us about the situation in Ukraine today?

- Why did Mum write the phone number on his hand? 

- How do you think Hassan felt has the train left the station in Ukraine?

- what were the dangers for Hassan?

- The train carriage had 300 people packed in; why so full? What would that be like?

- Why was that the scariest part for Hassan?

- When he was surrounded by people talking different languages, Hassan would have felt like an outsider- why?

- Hassan likes Bratislava "because he is safe"; what does this show about Hassan and the things that mean the most to him right now?

- what things might you have in common with Hassan?

- Some people say refugees are not welcome; why might someone say that?

- When Hassan arrived at the Slovakian border, he was looked after; can you imagine how he would have felt if someone had said to him, "You can't come here, you need to find a different country." 

- If Hassan came to our school, how would we make sure he felt welcome?

- What can we learn from Hassan?

- What can we learn from the people in Slovakia?

- Why is this a story about No Outsiders? 

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com

strollers

 

https://www.reddit.com/r/ukraine/comments/t7p2cd/polish_mothers_leave_baby_strollers_in_railroad/

This photo appeared on social media this weekend. It shows strollers left at stations by Polish mothers, for refugees who arrive and need them.

There is no further information about the photo, but there are hundreds of comments from people on social media:

"What a beautiful act of kindness"

"My respect for Polish people is at its highest right now."

"Each parent who left a stroller can only imagine what a Ukrainian parent is going through and gave up what they most need. I'm sure each stroller is packed with baby supplies. God bless each parent that left a stroller."

- what do you see in the photo?

-where is it taken?

- what is a refugee? How does a person become a refugee?

- why might people leave strollers at a train station where refugees were arriving?

- the photo suggests the strollers were left by Polish mothers; who else may have left the strollers? (Polish fathers)

- How do you think a refugee mother arriving at that station with a baby will feel when they realise someone has gifted a stroller for them? 

- why don't refugees bring their strollers from home?

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Extension questions for older children:

- one comment suggests the photo actually shows strollers abandoned by parents who were fleeing with their babies. Is that a possible explanation for the photo? In reply to this comment, someone has replied, "But why would people flee from a Polish station?"

- why might someone say this photo/ story was fake?

- Can we be sure which explanation is correct? What can we do in this situation? How do we know which explanation to believe? 

- what does this demonstrate about social media?

- which explanation do you believe?

- we cannot be absolutely sure which explanation to believe so we can only trust in the one we think is likely. Look at the amount of help that people are giving to refugees from Ukraine right now, is it likely that people would leave strollers at train stations for young families? Why is it likely?

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- what does this photo show about people across Europe right now and their attitude towards refugees?

- what can we learn from the people of Poland? 

- why is this a story of hope?

- why is this about No Outsiders?

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com