by Andrés Peñaloza Lanza, Educator and School Relations Consultant at AFS Intercultural Programs
According to the United Nations, three-quarters of the world’s major conflicts are rooted in cultural differences. Learning how to bridge differences is urgent and necessary for a more peaceful, equal, and sustainable world.
Schools and educators play a key role to equip youth to respect diversity, embrace inclusiveness and learn to live and work together. On the UN’s World Day for Cultural Diversity for Dialogue and Development, AFS is delighted to share a practical lesson plan to help high school teachers foster curiosity and empathy—both considered crucial for global and intercultural competence—in your students.
Called “Beginning to Bridge Differences and Understanding Inequalities,” this lesson plan focuses on raising awareness about one’s social and cultural identities, introduces and discusses strategies for addressing stereotypes and discrimination, and encourages students to begin to bridge differences in their daily lives. It provides instructions and tips to deliver it both online and in-person.
This resource is part of the AFS Effect+ for the Classroom Educator Toolkit, a modular and flexible curriculum that includes learning goals, discussion guides, step-by-step instructions, and activity sheets for teaching Active Global Citizenship & the SDGs for high school students. The program was piloted with 150 teachers in Brazil, Colombia and New Zealand who were part of the 2020-21 Effect+ for the Classroom Program Capacity-Building for Teachers. Download the Toolkit now.
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For more information about the AFS Effect+ Program, click here.