On 11 January, we took part in the conference “A MultiCOOLtural School as a Place of Respect, Inspiration and Dialogue”, organised by the Freya Foundation in cooperation with the Institute of Pedagogy of the University of Wrocław, General Secondary School No. XV in Wrocław and the Norwegian organisation Beatus Cras Bergen.
The conference was an opportunity to hear several perspectives on creating and running a multicultural school. Head teacher Bogumiła Mandat (Secondary School No. XV) spoke about the importance of a flexible approach to everyday challenges, taking psychological aspects into account in decision-making, following new developments in education and technology around the world, and drawing on inspiring examples, so that managing a multicultural school becomes a process that gives a sense of purpose and agency.
Psychologist Dorota Marczyk-Wyrębkiewicz pointed out that children come from migrant groups with different characteristics (e.g. returning migrants, children of emigrant families, immigrants and refugees), so pupils have diverse needs and go through different stages in a Polish school. Each of these stages should be met with a flexible response from the school psychologist and school counsellor.
Joanna Cwynar, Deputy Head of Secondary School No. XV, shared her reflections on managing a multicultural class. Being the form tutor of a preparatory class – attended during their first year at school by pupils who do not speak Polish – requires daily attentiveness and creativity in building a close-knit group of pupils (Where are we from? What do we have in common? What does Wrocław have to offer culturally?). Thanks to intercultural assistants, it is easier for pupils and their carers to communicate with Polish-speaking teachers and to understand complex administrative procedures.
We also learned about the benefits of joint artistic activities – they help build relationships within a group and foster self-discovery, and they promote calm, acceptance and a sense of safety in the group. They also help build psychological resilience by fostering trust and empathy.
It is also worth mentioning the voices of two pupils, who rounded off this multidimensional view of the multicultural school by talking about the differences they see between school in Poland and in the places they came from (Kazakhstan, Ukraine and the Czech Republic).
A recording of the conference and an invitation to accompanying events will be available soon (https://www.facebook.com/Fundacja.Freya).
Photos courtesy of the Freya Foundation.
#Fundacja Freya, #LO 15 – Thank you for an inspiring time!
#ambasadorzy dialogu
