“People in every nation enhance the social dimension of their lives by acting as committed and responsible citizens.” –Pope Francis
The Online Social Justice workshop was conducted on the 9th of April, 2021 for the Junior Wing staff by Ms. Neha Pradhan Arora and Ms. Grace David.
Ms. Grace David introduced Ms. Neha to the staff and presented a welcome note.
The workshop started with a Poll regarding various concepts of Social Justice and SDGs where Ms. Neha invited the teachers to participate and indicate their understanding of the same. This was followed by a detailed discussion about Social Justice where the teachers engaged in an insightful sharing session.
Ms. Neha explained that Social Justice implies fairness and mutual obligation in society, where we are responsible for one another and should ensure that all have equal chances to succeed in life. She emphasized that Social Justice is intricately related to freedom, equality, solidarity, human right and peace.
Moving further she elaborated the 6 elements of Social Justice and how the teachers can create awareness among the students about the same.
She stressed that the elements of Social Justice build a mindset of justice among the students if introduced at an early stage. They inculcate values, develop a sense of connect and familiarize students with the language of justice.
There were interesting examples that were discussed through PPTs detailing how the teachers can introduce Social Justice using SDGs. Relevant and current examples pertaining to the current lockdown situation where thousands of migrant workers lost their jobs and could not go back to their families, etc., were also brought up.
Ms Neha also suggested teaching the concepts of SDGs through the framework of the 5Ps which stands for –
• People - SDGs 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6
• Prosperity – SDGs 7, 8, 9, and 10
• Planet – SDGs 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15
• Peace – SDG 16
• Partnership – SDG 17
She shared ways on how the teachers can bring the 5Ps into the classroom and curriculum by following few simple steps like – having a kindness wall or gratitude box in the classroom, etc. Stories, art, music, videos, etc, that focus on the 5Ps can be introduced as well. Visual reminders, value education, mindfulness and theme based projects or events could be great ways to introduce these 5Ps to the students.
Awareness about Social Justice will help students acknowledge, question, and challenge the social, cultural and economic inequalities, and will hopefully bring changes through small and big actions in the coming future.
At the end Ms.Neha explained how awareness of Social Justice makes our students open, respectful and aware about the world around them. It builds a strong connection between the students and teachers. Both students and teachers are engaged, enthusiastic and empowered.
Links of video for students and resources for teachers were shared by Ms. Neha during the workshop. She also told us how Ms. Grace is working on videos on SDGs and Social Justice to make the connection between the both, simpler for the students. The workshop was truly very informative and ended on a positive note.
