Think Local, Act Global: United Against Discrimination

Step 1: Engage (Goal: Spark curiosity and establish relevance)

• Introduce the project objectives to the students, ensuring they understand the goals and purpose.
• Start with an icebreaker activity that allows students to introduce themselves to their international peers, using the project’s board section.
• Instruct the students to create a drawing or image that reflects how they perceive or experience discrimination or bullying at school. Encourage them to be as honest as possible and to express their feelings through their artwork.
• Have them share their work in the board section of the project.
• Facilitate a class debate based on the works presented. Reflect with the students on what they have expressed through their drawings. Guide the discussion with the key question:
• "What does it mean to feel safe and respected at school?"
• During the debate, help the students connect their reflections with the importance of creating a respectful school environment. Reinforce the idea of how we can work together to improve safety and respect at school.

Step 2: Explore (Goal: Encourage inquiry and cultural comparison)

• Organize the students into teams so they can conduct interviews with their classmates, both locally and from the partner school. The goal is for students to collect experiences related to school bullying or exclusion.
• The students should gather data and personal stories that help identify local issues related to bullying. They should also compare these problems with those experienced in other cultures, particularly those of the partner school.
• The students must create a brief document that reflects their insights from the interviews and exploration. This document should include similarities and differences between local situations and those from other cultures.
• Once the document is complete, the students should share it on the project board so that all participants can read it and reflect on the conclusions drawn.

Step 3: Explain (Goal: Deepen understanding and formalize learning)

• Students should investigate the social, psychological, and institutional causes of school bullying and discrimination. Encourage students to explore various perspectives and approaches to better understand the origins of these issues.
• The teachers provide reference frameworks to guide students in their research. Below are some examples with brief explanations for each:

1. Types of school bullying: Explain the different forms of bullying (physical, verbal, cyberbullying, etc.) so students can identify and understand how bullying manifests in different ways.
2. Systemic bias: Introduce the concept of how structures and social norms sometimes favor certain groups, contributing to discrimination or exclusion, especially within the school context.
3. Social norms: Discuss how school-related expectations and social roles (e.g., power hierarchies among students) can influence discriminatory or bullying behavior.

• Students should create an infographic or a mind map that presents the fundamental causes of school bullying and the common patterns they identified during their research. Make sure they use visuals, data, and examples to make their work clearer and more accessible.
• Once the students have finished their infographics or mind maps, they should share them on the project board so that all participants can view their findings and reflect on them.

Step 4: Elaborate (Goal: Apply learning in creative ways)

• Organize the students into teams so they can co-create one or more of the following initiatives:

1. Digital awareness campaigns: Videos, social media challenges, or any other form of digital content to raise awareness about bullying and discrimination in the school community.
2. Peer support programs: Mentorship circles, student allies, or any other strategy that promotes solidarity and peer support.
3. Anti-discrimination letters for schools: Students can write letters addressing the importance of eradicating discrimination, directed at both the school community and educational authorities.

• Ensure that teams use their creativity and teamwork to design initiatives that will have a positive impact on their school environment. Encourage them to think of practical and accessible solutions that can be implemented locally.
• Students should test their ideas locally by applying their campaigns, programs, or letters, and then collect feedback from their peers and teachers on the effectiveness of the initiatives.
• Facilitate the feedback process, helping students analyze the comments they receive and make improvements to their projects. Ensure students reflect on what worked well and what could be improved for future actions.

Step 5: Evaluate (Goal: Reflect on learning and impact)

• Organize a video call between the partner classes where students present the results of their research and the initiatives they have designed. Ensure that each team has enough time to share their work.
• During the video call, teachers and peers will provide feedback using rubrics that evaluate the following aspects:

1. Collaboration: How well students worked as a team and contributed to the group effort.
2. Empathy: How well students understood and respected each other's perspectives, especially when addressing sensitive topics like bullying and discrimination.
3. Impact of solutions: How effective and realistic the proposed solutions are in terms of their potential impact on the school community.

• At the end of the video call, allow students to share what they have learned throughout the project. Encourage them to reflect on the following key question:
• "What did I learn from other cultures about inclusion?"

Assessment and reflection ✍️

• Provide feedback on group collaboration and intercultural dialogue. Evaluate how students worked together as a team and how they incorporated intercultural perspectives into their research and projects.
• Evaluate the final product based on the following criteria:

1. Clarity: How clear and understandable is the work presented?
2. Creativity: How innovative and original is the approach used?
3. Relevance: How pertinent is the content regarding bullying, discrimination, and inclusion?
4. Transferability: How easily can the proposed solutions or conclusions be applied in other contexts?

• Students should submit individual journals and video testimonies in which they reflect on the outcomes of their learning. These reflections should explore what they learned about bullying, discrimination, inclusion, and how working with peers from other cultures impacted their perspective.

Teacher tips 💡

• Foster a safe and inclusive learning environment that values diverse perspectives and experiences.
• Provide clear guidelines and expectations for respectful communication and collaboration. We suggest you review the coexistence policies of Class2Class.org.
• Facilitate the formation of diverse international teams, ensuring a mix of skills, backgrounds, and perspectives.
• Provide scaffolding and support throughout the research and action planning process, offering guidance and resources as needed.
• Encourage student agency and ownership of their learning, allowing them to drive the direction of their projects. 
• Celebrate student achievements and facilitate meaningful reflection on their growth and the impact of their actions.

“Think Local, Act Global: United Against Discrimination” empowers students to transform their understanding of bullying and exclusion into compassionate, actionable change. This project helps young people find their voice, stand in solidarity, and build a future where all students feel valued and protected—locally and globally.