Celebrating Multi Cultural Society

The Mural

  6^th class 2006/2007 in Bray School Project had four workshops with Ishmael Hayden from 80:20 – a Bray based organisation promoting education on human development and human rights.

 The workshops helped the children think about the multi-cultural society we live in and how we have similarities and differences.  We are all unique, the same in some ways, different in others.  They looked at photos of people living in poverty and   thought about the unequal distribution of wealth and resources. They realised how important it was to respect and value our own culture, and to promote respect for and interaction with other cultures, here in the school and in the wider community.

 The values of peace, tolerance and social justice came across as the values they wanted to develop in themselves – as well as those of friendship, equality, unity and it was these values they represented in the mural.

 The Process:

 Rachel Kerskens was very helpful to the 6^th class 06/07 pupils in doing the mural.  They wanted to get across the idea of people being able to work and live and celebrate together, even though some come from different countries, speak different languages and have different beliefs.

 They compiled their ideas for their teacher, Miss Redmond, and drew pictures.  Rachel and Miss Redmond helped to decide and choose which images the children wanted.  They voted on them.  It was difficult for them to see some of their good ideas not getting picked.  At times it seemed they would never agree, but they worked through their differences and produced this mural that we all like and are proud of.

 The Mural: 6th Class account of the process

 Our theme was Friendship, Equality, Unity.  We took the globe and the flower as our central images.  The flower is a symbol of beauty rooted in the earth.  We painted curved and rounded petals.  Sometimes the colours mix and blend and sometimes they just keep their own colour but harmonise with the whole.  We included the Japanese symbol for friendship.  Each continent is represented to symbolize diversity.  We included the spiral – our school logo – the symbol that all children are welcome.

 When our mural was completed some volunteers from 6^th class went around to all the classes and teachers in the school to talk about the messages of the mural and to take them out to visit it. Mr Griffin was given a personal visit and explanation by Ruairí Donnelly. It is our gift to the BSP.

 6^th Class 2006 - 2007