Grades 7 and 10 students start building a spiral at the end of the assembly.
Continuing the spirit of the first student-led AGIS DEIJ conference in March 2024, the secondary Pride Week at Dresden International School, which celebrated our diverse community within the curriculum, library displays and fun belonging advisory competitions, became even more purposeful through students’ bravery to lead the secondary assembly.
One of the highlights was the Pride assembly, featuring a profoundly impactful video call to action video from the Social Justice Committee at Berlin Brandenburg International School after presenting on the global relevance of Pride. This video impressively showed how student members of the LGBTQ+ community feel in their school community, ending with the powerful reminder that we are all human. Our entire student body responded with an immediate applause. It resonated deeply.
Right after, a courageous student leading this part of the assembly asked the entire student body to reflect on their feelings, urging empathy and reconsideration of any jokes or comments related to Pride. The minute of silence that followed was profoundly impactful. I had never experienced that unified silence among the entire student body beforehand.
This act of courage and advocacy was exemplary, demonstrating the bravery and leadership we want to see flourish in global citizens. A peer activity allowed the students to reflect on their emotional learning through the week's experience. Seeing and hearing all secondary students having an engaged and focused conversation was very special.
The assembly concluded with a symbolic community-building activity where students and teachers held hands, forming a spiral of unity and support. This gesture embodied the sense of belonging and togetherness fostered throughout Pride Week and would not have been so authentically done without the emotional learning in and after the moment of reflection through brave student agency.
A heartfelt thank you to the Social Justice Committee at BBIS and Kristina Pennell-Götze. We are so grateful to have met you at the first student-led DEIJ AGIS conference, and we deeply appreciate the opportunity to connect with you for this impactful event. Your bravery helped many of our school community to BELONG and BE BRAVE!
Collaboration between Students and Teachers: Students mapping out activities with contributions from teachers.
Active Engagement and Support from Staff and Leadership: Ensuring staff and leaders are actively involved and supportive.
Model Learning Impact: Highlighting the significant impact model learning has on students and teachers.
Nurturing Bravery: Encouraging and supporting students to be brave in their leadership and advocacy roles.
Purposeful Reflection: Creating opportunities for meaningful reflection to enhance emotional learning and community building.
Inter-School Collaboration: Working with other schools to enrich our programs and perspectives.
Valuing Diverse Opinions: Allowing hesitation, fear, and diverse opinions to surface in discussions.
Kindness Matters: Emphasizing the importance of kindness, especially in sensitive initiatives like Pride, where collective learning is needed. This includes assuming positive intent when giving feedback.