What is The Diversity Challenge?
High school students design and creatively express a future where inclusion and acceptance of everyone is the norm. It’s a joint project between Diversityworks Group and CCS Disability Action, being piloted at Western Springs College in 2008. If successful it will be rolled out in Auckland and then other centres in NZ in 2009 and 2010.
What is diversity?
What does diversity mean to you? What is inclusion? How can we change our world and make it better? Diversity Day on Monday 23 June (all day at Western Springs College) will give the opportunity for students to find out more, see performances and hear personal stories of diversity.
What is the challenge?
The year is 3008 – and the mission is to create an inclusive new world, creatively expressed through music, movement, performance, film, fashion or visual arts.
Why take up the challenge?
To have fun, learn, challenge thinking, work with friends and people you admire, show off talent, possibly win a prize, and perhaps even change the world…. And of course, students have a day off school when they attend Diversity Day!
Creating the new world
Students will:
* Register as an individual, pair or group
* Do at least one Creativity Workshop (one day in the July holidays) and learn artistic skills from experts
* Create their new world
* Present their new world in front of peers and a panel of judges at the Diversity Challenge Showcase on 31 July at TAPAC - and maybe win a prize. (Find out about the prizes at Diversity Day)
Things students should know
To take part in the challenge:
* Each person must fill out the attached registration form and return it by 20 June (make sure the form has been signed by parent/caregiver/guardian)
* Make sure they register three preferences, in order, for the workshops
* Attend Diversity Day on 23 June
* Attend the workshop(s) they have registered for
* Present their new world on 31 June at TAPAC
The small print…
Performances will judged on talent and creative excellence, as well as creative ideas about how, in their new world, people: include everyone, communicate and interact, accept differing beliefs and opinions, have fun, use technology, nurture the environment, manage resources, think and feel about themselves and others and finally.. what they think “it” was that changed everything!
About the organisers
A Diversityworks Group Project
In association with CCS Disability Action
About the Project Director and Diversityworks
In association with CCS Disability Action
About the Project Director and Diversityworks
Entrepreneur and comedian Philip Patston will direct the project. Philip created Diversityworks in 2000 with a vision of ultimate social synergy through diversity, creativity and change. Over the years, Diversityworks has become a multi-faceted enterprise that includes a business group offering expertise in managing social diversity and change, and a trust that runs projects to improve diversity and professional participation in the arts.
About CCS Disability Action
CCS Disability Action encourages fostering an aware and responsive public to people with disabilities. In doing this it conducts anti-discrimination and education campaigns that are age-appropriate and effective in schools throughout the region. CCS Disability Action has presented a number of disability awareness programmes in primary schools that have been both popular and effective. Whilst we still view education in primary schools as important, much discrimination and bullying occurs at the secondary school level.