Beach

 

https://scoop.upworthy.com/greece-makes-beaches-wheelchair-friendly-in-historic-move?fbclid=IwAR2d_VeNPPsNhvN_TunK0SRB6r-DYCy59lTziqr71t_FW5mXJVC8R7uZEH8

This summer has made hundreds of its beaches wheelchair friendly for the first time, installing remote- operated ramps built by a company called Seatrac. The minister for tourism, Vassilis Kikilias, said, "Equal access to the sea is an inalienable human right."

"People with disabilities and people with limited mobility are given the opportunity to participate in beach activities with family and friends, enhancing the quality of life for everyone."

"I like that wheelchair users can use Seatrac independently without needing assistance."

Greece has a history of making places accessible. The government were criticised by some for installing concrete paths around the ancient Acropolis temple in Athens. An archaeologist called the move, "a crime to wound the rock because it's a monument." But the culture minister at the time responded, "Giving joy to people is perhaps just as significant as the protection of our cultural goods. I have seen people in wheelchairs who came up for the first time and felt happy. The disabled, the elderly, people with various problems have the right to see and admire up close the Acropolis monuments."

There is a video in the link above showing how the ramps work.

 - Where is Greece?

- Why might someone using a wheelchair struggle at a beach?

- What does accessible mean?

- Looking at the picture, how do you think the ramp works? 

- "enhancing the quality of life for everyone" what does this mean?

- Maybe a beach is not a good place for someone using a wheelchair? What would you say? (encourage children to challenge that view. People should be able to go where they want.)

- 'Disabled' or 'Differently abled'... does language matter?

- There is some interesting language used in the quotes from ministers; "People with disabilities and people with limited mobility"; "The disabled, the elderly, people with various problems" what does this language suggest about attitudes towards people who are differently abled?

- What can we do about that?

- Is our school accessible? 

- What can we learn from this story?

- Why is this about No Outsiders? 

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com

Lord Mayor

 

https://www.iambirmingham.co.uk/2023/05/25/history-made-birmingham-elects-first-ever-british-indian-lord-mayor-city/

History has been made in Birmingham as the city has elected its first ever British-Indian Lord Mayor or the city. 

Chaman Lal, who is Sikh, was born in the Punjab in 1964 and came to Britain when he was 11 years old. When Chaman arrived in Birmingham aged 11, he did not speak a word of English but he says he was determined to discover and learn the language of his new country. He later studied economics and law and opened his own electronics business.

Chaman says he promises to be inclusive in his new role as Lord Mayor; "I want to be known, not as lord mayor of Birmingham, but as lord mayor for all the people of Birmingham."

"It is a very proud moment for me and our family, as the son of an army officer born in India, but made in Birmingham, I am an adopted Brummie and I never thought that one day I would become lord mayor of my adopted city."

In his speech, Chaman also thanked the inspirational women in his life; "As the saying goes, behind every successful man is a great woman, which happens to be true in my life, as I couldn't have made this achievement without the support of some very important women in my life."

- What is a lord mayor?

- Chaman came to England aged 11, what is the name for  a person who chooses to live in a different country from the one they were born in? (immigrant)

- What is a refugee? Was Chaman a refugee? What is the difference between a refugee and an immigrant?

- Chaman says he is an adopted Brummie; what does this mean? Encourage (without pointing anyone out) children to consider whether they can relate to Chaman in this way; have you travelled to live in a different town in your lifetime?

- "I never thought that one day I would become lord mayor of my adopted city." why not?

- Some people who don't understand about diversity and Britain in 2023, might say the position of  lord mayor of Birmingham should be given to someone who was born in Birmingham; how would you respond? 

- "I want to be known, not as lord mayor of Birmingham, but as lord mayor for all the people of Birmingham." what's the difference? What is Chaman saying here?

- "Behind every successful man is a great woman," is an interesting, old saying. Where do you think this originates, is it relevant in 2023? What is your response to this saying?

- What does this story show about Britain in 2023 and British values?

- What can we learn from Chaman Lal?

- Why is this about no outsiders?

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com 

Beano

 

https://www.beano.com/?s=pride&utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=organic+socials&utm_campaign=beano+traffic+generation

The Beano is celebrating Pride. The official Beano website has links to lots of different activities and information about celebrating Pride and understanding what it's about. There is a Pride quiz, "How to celebrate Pride at home" link and a pride flag quiz. 

Beano says on twitter, "Every kid has the right to see themselves in Beanotown... happy pride month to all."

- What is Beano? Who is it for?

- What is Pride, who is it for?

- Beano is aimed at kids; but is Pride an adult thing? Some people might say kids don't need to know about LGBTQ+ and Pride. How would you respond?

- "Every kid has the right to see themselves in Beanotown" what does this mean? We can't see ourselves in a comic, can we?

- what is representation?

- If you never see someone who looks like you in books, comics or films, what do you think the consequence is?

- In the picture, how are the characters celebrating pride?

- Do you have to be LGBTQ+ to celebrate pride?

- What can we learn from Beano?

-Why is this about No Outsiders? 

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com

Sculpture

 

  

https://guardian.pressreader.com/article/281719798972344

"Seated" is a sculpture on Bexhill seafront, overlooking the English channel. Artist and creator Tschabalala Self explains, "It's about one's right to sit, one's right to claim space and time for themselves. And it's really about how even the most quotidian gestures can become politicised in one's identity politics through one's blackness."

What does quotidian mean? (ordinary, normal, "nothing to see here")

What do you think Tschabalala is showing people with her sculpture?

Last month vandals spray-painted the sculpture white. In response, the museum who owned the sculpture covered it from view.

A discussion emerged about how to respond to the vandalism. Tschabalala said, "That something as relatively innocuous as a sculpture of a woman in a sun hat and sundress, siting on a chair, can provoke this level of rage and animosity is, in my opinion, solely because the woman is black." 

What do you think the different options were for the museum after the vandalism? 

Some argued for an anti-racist protest.

Tschabalala argued the sculpture should be uncovered despite the vandalism. She felt the cover-up provoked more anxiety and fear. Instead, she suggested the museum asked the local community to help her restore the sculpture.

"I asked the museum to uncover the sculpture so everyone could fully absorb and digest what had happened, and to allow people to participate in the restoration of the sculpture... I felt like, at the end of the day, people would visually see how their actions were able to counteract this gesture of hate."

 What do you think happened next?

Over 300 people queued to help restore the sculpture. Tshabalala said, "Every single person that touched the sculpture, their had will forever be embedded in that artwork, and now the work is really owned by that community in a way that it never would have been if not for that incident.... it's truly a public art sculpture in a way I would never have imagined it to be."

 

Tschabalala said she felt the restoration was empowering for the community, who might have been scared or upset by the vandalism; "The sculpture has this immense power now because of this event - not because of the vandalism but because of the community restoration. It has been charged with all this energy from all those individuals who have now become part of the artwork"

"These are the dialogues I wanted to have, this is the kind of awareness that I wanted to bring around the unique experiences of black women and black bodies."

- What is a sculpture, what is art? 

- "It's about one's right to sit, one's right to claim space and time for themselves." what does this mean?

- "It's really about how even the most quotidian gestures can become politicised in one's identity politics through one's blackness." what does this mean? What are identity politics? 

- Why do you think the vandalism happened? 

- Tschabalala argues the vandalism happened because the woman is black; do you agree? (you could argue the vandalism happened because of racism; is that the same thing?)

- What do you think the person who vandalised the sculpture understands about diversity and living in Britain today; what message would you give to them?

- Some people agued for a protest; what are the arguments for and against that response to the vandalism?

- Why do you think Tschabalala argued for a community restoration?

- "I felt like, at the end of the day, people would visually see how their actions were able to counteract this gesture of hate." what does this mean? Would a protest have the same effect?

- over 300 people turned up. What does this show about the people living in that community?

- "Every single person that touched the sculpture, their had will forever be embedded in that artwork" - how? 

-"Now the work is really owned by that community" explain this

- what does empowering mean? How has the community been empowered?

- Tschabalala talks about wanted to have dialogues and to bring around awareness. Why do you think this is so important to her?

- Do you think the vandals might come back? How do we stop vandalism like that happening in the future? (education, dialogue, everyone understanding about diversity)

- if the vandals come back, Tschabalala could make the woman in the sculpture white, then they would leave it alone. Is that the answer?

- what can we learn from Tschabalala and from this story?

- why is this about no outsiders?

No Outsiders: everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com 

Pride

 

 

June is celebrated by many people in the UK as Pride month.

What does Pride mean?

What is Pride month about?

Children will probably mention LGBTQ+ - ask them to define what each of those letters means (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer / Questioning, plus everyone one else under the umbrella)

Some people argue that we don't need to have Pride month anymore. In the past in the UK, laws were different  and LGBTQ+ people were not visible in society. The first UK Pride march was held on 1st July 1972 in London and just 2000 people joined a march. This was a time when many men were being arrested for being openly gay and gay relationships in the army resulted in a prison sentence. There was no protection for LGBTQ+ people in UK law. In 1988, the government introduced "Section 28" which meant schools in the UK were not allowed to "promote" LGBTQ+ awareness. This law was repealed in 2003. 

Today, life in the UK is very different. The top photo is from Birmingham Pride last weekend where over 100, 000 people turned up to celebrate. The other photos show how shops and businesses are showing support this year for LGBTQ+ equality. 

What law do we have today that protects LGBTQ+ people? (The Equality Act 2010) There are 9 protected characteristics in the Equality Act: what is protected?  (Religion, Race, Sex, Disability, Sexual Orientation, Age, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity)

So if we have laws protecting LGBTQ+ people in the UK, do we still need Pride today?

Have a look at this tweet from Los Angeles in America this week. What is happening here, what is this about? 

https://www.thepinknews.com/2023/06/01/trans-teacher-los-angeles-saticoy-elementary-pride-flag-burned/

Parents at Saticoy Elementary School are calling for a boycott of the school's Pride assembly this week. In the assembly, a teacher was planning to read the book "The great big book of families" by Mary Hoffman. 

The tweet from the parents says:

"There is a lot of wrong representation of why parents are protesting. So to let everyone know, parents want to have the right to choose the right or wrong for their 5,6,7 year olds. The protest is against LAUSD (Los Angeles Unified School District) that forsing an agenda that is not age appropriate"

A trans flag was found burned at the school and a trans teacher has been removed from the school. The school has also removed an image of the teacher from their website. 

In 15 states in America, new laws are currently being discussed to stop schools talking about LGBTQ+ awareness. 

So,  do we still need Pride today?

Questions for discussion:

- This month there are rainbow flags displayed in shops, parks, on trains and buses across the UK; what is the message to people who are LGBTQ+ in the UK today?

- What is the message currently to LGBTQ+ people at Saticoy Elementary School? 

- The school wanted to do an assembly to talk about Pride where they were going to read a book, so what do you think the staff at the school think about Pride?

- There is a teacher who is trans. what does that mean?

- Does having a trans teacher affect the way you learn about fractions, the Tudors, expanded noun phrases?

- The book "The Great Big Book of Families" is used in the No Outsiders scheme in Year 2. The opening lines are:

"Once upon a time, most families in books looked like this: (picture of white family who have one mum, one dad, boy, girl, dog, cat). But in real life, families com in all sorts of shapes and sizes. In this book are a lot of families living in different ways. Perhaps there's one that looks like yours.  

Lots of children live with their mommy and daddy. But lots of others live with just their daddy or just their mommy. Some live with their grandma and grandpa. Some children have two mommies or two daddies. And some are adopted or live with foster families."

The rest of the book shows different houses, jobs, religions, schools etc.

- what agenda is being "forced" in this book? 

- Do you think this book is ok to read to 5,6,7 year olds? What would you say to the parents who are protesting?

- what is homophobia? 

- The school say they have removed the teacher who is trans for their personal safety. What do you think about that decision? What advice would you give to the teacher and what advice would you give the school? 

- Look carefully at the tweet from the parents. what do you notice about the wording? (incorrect spelling of forcing, last sentence does not make sense because there is a "is" missing) Why is education important?

- what do we say at our school about different families?

- what do we say at our school about LGBTQ+ awareness?

- why is this about No Outsiders?

I will read "The great big book of families" by Mary Hoffman in this assembly.

Children could write to the school. The address is:

Saticoy Elementary School

7850 Ethel Ave

North Hollywood

CA

91605

USA

No Outsiders: Everyone different, everyone welcome by Andrew Moffat

www.no-outsiders.com