Leading with Empathy: Empowering Our Children to Develop Diversity

Tolerance is a word that we see everywhere at the minute. But what does it really mean? How can we develop this in our children? What is the significance in the UAE?

The UAE is a “melting pot” of different cultures and nationalities. Today, more than ever before, our children meet people from different ethnicities, cultures and religions. Our schools are diverse and reflect the communities in which we live. It is most probable that your children are exposed to cultural differences that you were not. When we become open to differences – it opens up so many more doors to us. Success in today’s world — and tomorrow’s — depends on being able to understand, appreciate, and work with others.

At Regent International School, we promote tolerance in such a way that it can only be described as a natural part of our ethos. It is effortlessly woven into the fabric of our school – so much so that it could be called unremarkable. This fact, however, is exactly what makes it remarkable. The following examples show just how easy it is to show tolerance in this fast-paced world we live in.

Learning from Others: Students learns about the importance of falconry in the UAE. This was part of our immersive UAE experience to celebrate UAE’s tradition and culture.

Celebrating Other Languages: As part of our Arabic Week, we had an author come in and do a reading for our pupils. This amazing experience allowed the children to see how learning a new language can open them up to a wider range of literature and opportunity.

Bridging Cultural Gaps: Every year, we have International Day. This is an opportunity for every child/ parent to show off where they came from. It gives us the option to further explore the world without having to leave school!

Discovering Common Ground: We learn how to use our character strengths as part of our Value in Action lessons. Teamwork, kindness, love, humility and social intelligence all play an important role in developing tolerance. Teamwork really came into focus during our recent expedition to Ecoventure.

Out of all of the billions of people in the world, each one of us is unique. No-one has the same fingerprints as anyone else. Diversity can be seen in the languages we speak, the religions we follow, the food that we eat, the traditions we keep and even how we choose to spend our spare time.

We are so grateful to live in a country that brings together so many different nationalities. We are almost immune to seeing differences in each other. We are fortunate to learn about each other’s countries and cultures in our school. We know it is OK to ask questions about each other – as long as choose to ask appropriate questions in a sensitive manner.

We encourage you to promote diversity in your homes as well. Our favourite ideas include travelling to new locations, trying foods from other countries, reading books about other cultures, learning a new language or attending one of the many cultural festivals on offer in the UAE.

Regent International School wants your children to truly be the leaders of the future. Leaders with empathy. Leaders who value tolerance. Leaders who appreciate diversity. Leaders who empower others. Leaders with purpose. Leaders who make a difference.

Eid Mubarak from our family to yours!