We all look for educate our children with a stereotype-free mind. We want them to learn to see beyond, not to stay on the surface and to have their own criteria. But it is not enough to educate through the word, since both the example we give them and the implication of the whole society are essential to achieve it.
And so a video shows us that we share below. The video is part of the course of 'Conflict Resolution', of BBVA's "Learn Together" education project. It stars a group of teenagers who talks about racial and cultural prejudices of today's society, and its conclusions invite us to do an exercise in reflection.
In Babies and moreInternational Youth Day: five keys for our children to become respectful and committed young peopleAs we can see in the video, meets a group of teenagers to do a social experiment of creativity, guided by Professor Juan de Vicente Abad, expert in conflict resolution, interculturality and school mediation.
To do the dynamics, the group is divided into two parts, and each one works independently. The exercise consists in creating a story among all, born of improvisation and imagination of the participants.
The first group invents the story of Alex, and decide that it is a teenager who is with his best friend in the park to tell him a problem that, finally, he ends up sharing with his parents, who listen and support him.
The second group invents the story of Mohamed, and decide that it is a problematic teenager who often discusses with teachers, who does not attend class and who ends up in a juvenile center.
At the end of the exercise, the expert reflects with the children on the stories that have emerged as a result of their imagination, and asks them if they believe that the name of the characters in their story has conditioned the circumstances they live.
That is when the teenagers gathered there realize the impact of social stereotypes and the importance of changing them: "we are all society", says one of the boys, and as such we must work together for a better world.
"It will be especially important that we listen to our stereotypes to put them aside. If you do not know them and do not listen to them, they will escape. If we are aware, it is when there is a future," concludes the expert.
In Babies and moreOnce teenagers that excite us and help us to believe in a better futureRacial prejudices are learned
One of the most beautiful things we should admire about children is their purity and integrity. They are not born hating anyoneThey do not have prejudices of any kind, nor are they willing to reject others for being as they are.
With regard to race, we know that children are not born as racists, but unfortunately it is something that little by little they learn from society: from what they see, from the conversations they hear, or from what they observe with our example, without many times parents be aware of our own prejudices.
In Babies and more A two-year-old girl gives a lesson to the cashier who discriminated against her black dollThat is why it is so important that parents put the five senses when educating, and let us always do it from example and tolerance, showing our children that we are all equal regardless of our sex, social status, race or religion.
Thus, we must be aware of our actions and teach them that, although there are behaviors that are especially admitted and extended in society, they are not morally acceptable, so we must correct them together.
Helping to eradicate these prejudices and stereotypes is achieved by working on empathy, and teaching children to put themselves in the other's shoes to understand him, treat him with respect and learn to see beyond appearance.Via We learn together
