The seminar on ‘Inclusion and Diversity’ was held on September 16, 2017, at BRAC University Savar Campus. The focus of the seminar was to make students understand the concept of diversity and the importance of inclusion.
The seminar began with a story to illustrate the problems associated with expecting everyone to conform to society, followed by several video clips and songs to explain the concept of diversity in terms of complexion, culture and language. Students were then encouraged to explore their own preconceived ideas about their friends and reflect upon it.
In the second half of the session, several activities were conducted to help the students learn more about themselves and to appreciate the differences among people. Students were also briefed on the consequences of isolating people because of their differences and also on the individual responsibility to accommodate everyone in the sphere. Special emphasis was given on the positive effects of inclusion.
At the end of the seminar, students were asked to write a poem titled, ‘Who Am I?’ as a part of self-realization process. The goal of this activity was to promote the idea that self-realization equips people with knowledge to help them handle conflicts more efficiently and to be more accepting of others.