In BELRAG, we see, more and more often, the efforts made by Rotarians to work with groups of children who have not had opportunities to learn in the same ways most children worldwide have had. The school buildings are not structurally sound, the distance between home and school is very far, and the teachers who work with the children do not have adequate supplies or professional opportunities to improve their skills. Projects planned to correct these challenges can have positive, lasting effects on a community.
As Rotarians work in more remote Indigenous communities worldwide, we must consider the appropriate methodology and cultural sensitivity in our work with the communities, the teachers, and the students. Many Indigenous people continue to live as their ancestors lived, away from the norms of the broader worldwide communities. However, their lands have often been reduced in size, their languages decimated, their access to traditional food and food sources has become limited, and their value as a nation does not have the equal respect of others - both outside the community and sometimes within the community.
Looking at these communities through the lens of Rotary's values causes us to be resourceful, respectful, and cautious when introducing or emphasizing our values into an existing standing set of norms within the community in which we work. We often have groups of Rotarians and/or Vocational teams of educators trying to help isolated communities of teachers and students. It is much too easy to use the methodology of the rest of the country where this indigenous population now lives or the methods with which the Rotarians are familiar. This article offers some suggestions that are considered developmentally appropriate for the children, not only in terms of teaching methodology but also in terms of cultural norms.
We all like to learn in a pleasing environment, but not all children have this advantage. Establish your respect for the culture by creating a more stimulating space using photographs, artwork, and spaces for dancing and singing. Welcome community members to contribute and participate with the children. These become opportunities for reading when you write out the words and do a choral reading with them. Create illustrated songbooks or posters.
When planning literacy activities, we begin with language. Our oral language skills develop from birth as we are exposed to conversations, laughter, and music within the home, whether directed to the infant or just normal chatter. Many children in indigenous communities have been introduced to two distinct languages, either in their homes or when they begin school. This is considered an advantage in brain development because it has expanded that child's capacity to learn how language works. Still, it is critical to acknowledge and work with the children’s first language, which the community needs to keep alive. While in the long term, reading and writing will probably be in the language of the broader community or country, it is still important for children to learn to speak and read in the language of their home community. The craft and process of reading is about translating oral ideas to written text, so the language used can be either. The real advantage of reading stories in a child's home language is that sense of belonging, a historical context, and, most importantly, accessing comfortable and familiar stories. The community elders undoubtedly know stories through their oral traditions, which can often be documented and Illustrated for children to read. What a great service Rotarians would offer a community if they could help elders write appropriate books for children and have them published for the children to read.
There are many ways for children to see their thoughts and ideas put into print. Their stories can be documented on chart paper, on loose-leaf pages, or as an accompaniment to their artwork. Printing some of the stories in book form would be a lasting legacy of a Rotary BEL project. Acknowledging the culture and the language, with the support of the elders, adds an entirely different dimension to a literacy project. Consider how this could also become a source of financial assistance to the project. There is always support for making culturally appropriate resources available for purchase. With the financial aid of local Rotary Clubs, there are many opportunities to expand on these ideas and build cultural bridges between the indigenous and non-indigenous groups.
Education begins long before a child attends a formalized school setting. We learn to listen, speak, formulate, and articulate ideas. We learn the specialized language of mathematics, science, or conservation through hands-on, everyday activities at home. A child brings a wide range of resources to school with them, but teachers do not always respect a child’s learning process or the knowledge possessed and demonstrated by the child. Once children are at play, they use the opportunity to contextualize the vocabulary they have heard in their homes, communities, and schools. This is why in programs for young children, from preschool to kindergarten or first grade, it is important to allow children to expand their thinking and vocabulary in relation to the activity. For example, if a child plays at a water table with little or no equipment, it is still easy to observe how the water moves when the table is bumped or slightly lifted. When an adult or another child is available to identify appropriate vocabulary alongside the activity, children understand that relationship. Watching water move from one end of the table to the other when the end is lifted can lead to children understanding how ramps can be created to move materials faster and easier. The idea of an inclined plane at this level can be physical, but the child does not necessarily need to know the scientific labels. Some children will want to know the word, some will remember and use it, and some will just have fun with the movement. These are all activities that children can participate in with very few materials.
Setting up a home center in an early-year classroom allows children to enact relationships between, say, older members of the family and younger children, between parents, or between children. Helping a community that lives in a slightly different way to the larger population of a country to validate their language, ways of thinking, and expressing themselves. This strengthens the bonds between members of that community. It will help children be proud of the culture they were born into. Rotarians working in these communities should encourage the teachers of young children to incorporate child-rearing practices of the community and build those into the children's play, thus respecting the culture. For example, children in Vanuatu or other Eastern island communities should have access to shells to create art similar to the art of adults in the community.
Research the culture and develop cultural adaptations appropriate to the children's needs. Let Rotary be known for its respect for the cultures in which it works. Partnering with local Rotary Clubs is critical in creating an international project that makes a difference.