Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Justice

 “Our Story”

What happened?

The events that took place over the summer of 2020, including the murder of George Floyd and the Black Lives Matter protests over systemic racism, served as a catalyst for members of the Seisen community. Concerned students, alumni, and staff felt a new sense of urgency and voiced the need for our community to take action in regards to issues centering on Inclusion, Diversity, Equity and Anti-racism (I-DEA) . A petition and letter was sent to the school by students and alumni sharing their experiences and outlining a suggested action plan.  

In response to this…
 

At the beginning of the 2020-21 school year, the Anti-racist Education focus group, inspired by the passion of alumni and current students, was formed to make space for important conversations and learning around issues of I-DEA for all aspects of our collective identities, including, but not limited to, race, culture, gender, and neurodiversity, within our international school context. 

Based on our focus group’s belief that tackling racism involves building self-awareness and knowledge in order to take informed actions, members of this group embarked on a wide range of professional learning opportunities provided by recognized international school organizations over the course of the year. The Anti-racism Education focus group members found the Tackling Racsim Workshop series provided by The Council of International Schools (CIS) to be incredibly pertinent and informative. As a result, one of the leaders of this workshop, Dr. Eeqbal Hassim will be guiding the school’s journey toward creating more inclusive and equitable policies and practices for the upcoming 2021-22 school year.

Where are we going?

The upcoming 2021-2022 school year is designated for continued reflection and action in regards to IDEA. We will start the school year with school-wide workshops led by our consultant, Dr. Hassim. 

After these workshops, a Steering Committee will be created to implement the following phases: 

Phase 1: Develop a framework for policies, procedures, systems, and structures.  
Phase 2: Develop a framework for curriculum, teaching, and learning. 

These frameworks will lead to the creation of a schoolwide action plan to address the issues related to Inclusion, Diversity and Equity within the context of Anti-racism. 

Our work as educators and the outcomes of our endeavors will be grounded in the teachings of the Catholic Church and the mission of the Handmaids of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

Seisen is committed to reaffirming the dignity of every human person created in the image and likeness of God. 

 
Anti-racism Focus Group
June 2021

We started our year with a series of workshops attended by faculty and staff and facilitated by Dr Eeqbal Hassim:

A Steering Committee chaired by Dr Hassim was established in September ( Inclusive of Senior Leadership Team representation,  Board representation and the Head of School)  to explore Inclusion and Equity in our school from the viewpoints of antiracism, cultural diversity, gender diversity ( including LGBTQIA+) and neuro diversity ( learning needs). Each of these "viewpoints positions" is balanced in representative numbers (2 people per viewpoint position) and was open to representatives of faculty and staff. As the initiative progresses eventually parents, students and more recent alumni will expand the committee somewhat. 
 
Working groups ( Subcommittees)  that lead and provide expertise in particular areas of concern within the school (e.g. antiracism, neurodiversity, gender diversity, cultural diversity etc) will feed their observations and recommendations to the more representative steering committee. Working groups lead the work in their area. With this approach, the steering committee will consider proposals for change/action, offer feedback and help make things happen in a synchronised, concerted way, such that one initiative is not at odds with another.