The #teachtolerance campaign aims to get education on racism, homophobia and other forms of intolerance introduced into the school curriculum in order to create a more tolerant and accepting generation of Irish people, starting with youth.
Many people of colour here have come forward with stories of their experiences of racism and intolerance in Ireland. These may range from a strong feeling of not fitting in, verbal abuse, vandalism and more. These incidents are now seemingly on the rise too. 2019 saw the highest rate of violent racist assaults since 2013. In 2018, 51% of Black people in Ireland reported racial abuse.
On the topic of intolerance, many LGBTQ+ members have shared their experiences of homophobia here. Many say that they wish they could speak freely about their sexuality in the workplace, the word ‘gay’ is often used amongst teenagers and adults alike as a derogatory term, anti-LGBTQ+ slurs are thrown around without a second thought in Ireland and we believe that is largely due to lack of education on the topic of the LGBTQ+ community.
Intolerance in Ireland is an important issue in this country it is one that must be discussed, recognised and stopped. Classes on this subject would cover how to identify and combat intolerance and discrimination, from its more outspoken and obvious forms to the more subtle ways in which it’s perpetuated. Systemic racism would also be discussed and by educating the workforce of tomorrow, a better and more equal world for minorities would be created. Racism in media would also be explained and taught about, students would be informed on what to do with all the information and misinformation concerning race online.
Most importantly, teaching the next generation to be true to their own identity and express it freely how they see fit would be the main focus of our campaign.
Here is a link to our petition. You can like us on Facebook – teachtoleranceireland and on Instagram – @teachtoleranceireland
Support Our Campaign
We rely on the generosity of the public to fund our work and so far together we have achieved great things! Please do continue to support us so we can provide future generations in Ireland with the resources to recognise and talk about their emotions, and equip them to navigate the ever-changing world around them as they grow
