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The Foundation's summary of the publication
Working paper 24
How do you bring the sensitivities of multiculturalism across to
teachers, and therefore to young children? How can you give
children a realistic view of the world in which all beliefs, skin
colours, and ways of life should be respected? In 1995, the Anne
Frank House produced a pack for carers of young children -
comprising guidelines, a flipover book, photographs, and a video -
which developed themes based on the everyday experiences of
real children aged four to seven from different ethnic groups. The
pack's point of departure is not to reveal or emphasise
differences between people, but to assume that differences are
'normal and should therefore not be a point of focus. In this way,
the pack provides teachers with a way to prepare children for life
in a multicultural society. This is me takes the reader through the
conceptualisation of the pack, its philosophy, and its
development. It tells how a group of children was selected to
feature in the pack, how those involved worked with the families,
and what approaches can be learned from these children.
Designed for use both in multicultural and monocultural settings,
This is me suggests subtle and non-threatening ways of dealing
with questions of ethnicity.
Owner: Els Schellekens