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Promoting kindness and inclusion


Proudly telling the world about #generationIB in our 50th anniversary year


MYP students at Roxboro Middle School in Cleveland Heights took the topic of immigration to the streets, sharing their message of cultural appreciation

When a US travel ban was imposed on people from six Muslim-majority countries, many US citizens objected, including three Middle Year Programme (MYP) students from Roxboro Middle School in Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

For their MYP community project, students Greyton Manne, Charlie King and Andy Heintz wanted to promote international mindedness in ways that had an impact beyond their local community. MYP Coordinator Melissa Garcar says: “They did not think the travel ban was fair and decided to promote the positive impact of immigration.”

The students spoke to local residents about their views on immigration and shared a video they created, which features a message of kindness and inclusion.

Students were risk-takers, communicators, and open-minded, says Garcar. “They were reluctant and shy to interview strangers, but they had the courage to do it,” she adds. “They remained open-minded to all responses, respecting people’s differences. It is such a sensitive topic, and students sometimes had to accept that some people did not want to be interviewed.”

The students now feel more confident with public speaking and conducting interviews. “They feel like they could change more people’s minds if they had a chance to talk with everyone who are opposed to immigration,” says Garcar.

The students plan to take their work further. Greyton says they have the confidence to support the cause more openly if needed, while Charlie plans to join a student council when he starts high school to help make sure that students of all nationalities are fully included in the school community. Andy really enjoyed the research aspect of the project, and he plans to continue studying immigration.

This article is part of a series of stories from IB World magazine that bring to life the wonderful initiatives undertaken by IB students and educators from around the globe. Follow these stories on Twitter @IBorganization #IBcommunitystories. Share your great stories and experiences: email editor@ibo.org.

 

 

 

 

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