WHY NOW?
The Problem
“The empirical data indicated that for many secondary schools, the ability to create this safe environment has been undermined by a rise in society-wide intercultural tensions that inevitably permeate the school boundary…… The attitudes and behaviours which young students learn at school will carry over into their adulthood.”
Schools as Sites of Race Relations and Intercultural Tension report by Fethi Mansouri and Louise Jenkins (Deakin University).
That report was written in 2010
Then in August 2019 in an article written in The Age by Charlotte Grieve…
“Racism and religious intolerance remain widespread in Australia’s primary and secondary schools, researchers from Australian National University have found, with discrimination coming from both students and teachers…..This form of bullying can have serious
lifelong consequences, according to lead researcher Associate Professor Naomi Priest, contributing to mental and physical health problems and even undermining future employment opportunities as students become discouraged and disengaged.
We talk about the numbers of students who experience racism and we look at the percentages. But it’s important to remember that behind every number is a student, a family, a community.””
The problem is getting worse, despite the evidence saying the majority of the Australian population do not have racist views.
Tackling the Rise of Racism
“Five Year Grandma” connects the impact of racism on a personal level.
It’s a proactive step teachers and schools can use as part of the syllabus to tackle racism in the school and bias stereotyped reporting by the media and divisive politicians.
This isn’t about how different we all are and how we should “accept” or “assimilate”. It’s about how we are all connected.
“Five Year Grandma” will create awareness about the impact of forcing immigrants and people of colour assimilate all or nothing into Western culture. The end result is children ostracise themselves from their culture and self.
Thanks to Documentary Australia Foundation, all Australian donations have DGR status and can be claimed as a tax deduction.