19 Sep Ellenise Barbosa Dr. Sun-Young Park

Ellenise Barbosa

Dr. Sun-Young Park

Social Media and Strategic Communication (COMM 372)

03/11/2022

ABE Strategic Social Media Campaign

Overview

The anti-bias educational campaign is an intergenerational and intersectoral initiative to teach and help people from different races and cultures understand differences and value a civil, respectful society fighting against gender stereotypes, prejudices, and different types of discrimination. It incorporates inclusive strategic perspectives and curriculum that advance students’ learning in creating and sustaining a respectful and inclusive learning community. The campaign is based on anti-bias films centered on justice, action, diversification, and identifying goals. Sparks et al. (2020) indicate a professional guide on identity, justice, activism, and diversity. It urges individuals to examine how they create an anti-bias and equitable experience for children. The campaign insists on the need for educators to guide the children and their families on the tools to adapt to thrive in a world full of diversity and make it an equitable and justifiable society.

Solutions to Problems

It is crucial for parents to actively get involved in the experiences that children bring to school by responding to foster social justice and equity. Teachers who promote anti-bias in school require the participation of families in guiding the children. For example, a parent should make a child understand that situations trigger people to get angry. Still, it is not appropriate to treat others indiscriminately just because they cause their problem. Teachers better understand dealing with equity issues when they do extensive research and engage the community. Establishing conversations with different people across the society through the provision of invitation to contest on matters that children know, such as racism, offers a chance to empower teachers to become agencies of change, therefore, encouraging children to share the knowledge they have about discrimination or prejudices by teachers creating opportunities for such discussions.

Furthermore, students can participate in engaging surveys to determine the ideas of others on anti-bias education. Surveys also help in obtaining results. Therefore, they can access the feelings of others towards the topic. It is also essential in building interpersonal skills and critical thinking skills. Also, it is a platform that ensures the organization of others and offers an opportunity to raise their concerns.

In addition, creating a new campaign incorporating social media channels increases public awareness of anti-bias education.

It involves the creation of signs and postures using photography and art. Online surveys are an opportunity to obtain quick feedback and offer diverse ideas that are insightful. Online channels such as Facebook, Twitter, linked and Instagram are platforms mostly driven by young people; therefore, using them is an easier way to spread information fast and obtain feedback. The rationale of using these tools and platforms is to foster an immediate action plan across the audience. A quick action plan ensures the information can reach most of the targeted audience.

Objectives of the Initiative

Anti-bias education approach ensures the achievement of four interrelated objectives in children, including justice, diversity, identity, and activism. It ensures diversity and equity goals (Sparks & Edwards, 2020). Identity ensures the construction of a knowledgeable person who has a strong individual and social personality and is confident. For this reason one of the main objectives is to have parents from at least five major cities in MA to establish the feeling of comfort and joy in children by appreciating the diversity in humans. As well as ensuring children develop the human language for differences and caring connections by the time they are eight years old.. Justice’s objective is an opportunity to teach children to recognize unfairness and learn it hurts. Activism is the action that one is either solely or as a group speaks against discrimination and prejudices.

Key Audiences

Anti-bias education centers on establishing equity and diversity goals in children’s early childhood. It includes a child’s identity, social identity, and cultural aspects. To build on the knowledge that children bring to school, teachers require the participation of families that involve the parents and community. Therefore, a key audience is the adult educators from all ages and gender, however with a special attention to the middle class families that constitute the mass, navigating young children to live in an inequitable diverse society.

Strategic Mindset

In conducting the anti-bias education system, it is crucial to determine the l evel of self-awareness, family pride, and attitude towards the social identity of a child. It is also important to determine how a child feels while interacting with people across diverse languages and whether they demonstrate empathetic character. In addition, determination of the child’s interest while connecting with others is key. It is also essential to determine whether a child recognizes unfairness and their perception of it. The target audience should evaluate the empowerment of their child in acting against prejudices and discrimination. In addition, they would enforce determination of a child’s values and interests crucial in comparing them with the community’s.

Strategies to Adopt

Incorporating current books that indicate children’s recent experiences both in the classroom and on facebook of the crucial strategies in achieving anti-bias objectives.

With a strong community page of parents from each of the five major cities, where they would share their kids work and progress regarding the ABE.

The strategy should include parents creating fun videos with their children sharing messages of inclusion and stories to understand their life in the indigenous world. The strategy should also consider incorporating diverse e-books that could be read during bed time to motivate children and caption their attention. Additionally, having teachers as ambassadors sharing their heritage encourages students and colleagues to share experiences comfortably. Thought having kids, parents and teachers storytelling their experiences, repurposing the fun videos of ABE moments and scheduling posts in advance are some of the tactics that can be used. It is a way for the students, parents and the community to reflect on their experiences and improve their thinking on diversity and social skills.

Introducing children to social justice stories books that speak against social injustice movements is an essential strategy. It lays the foundation that children uphold that anyone is involved in social justice. The strategy involves social media by inviting parents and the community to discuss social injustice topics. The discussions are opportunities for insightful ideas that involve the children. Involving online media is a chance to research more books. Also, teachers can use community resources for students to understand the feeling of homelessness (Keenan & Nimmo, 2021). Teachers can make intentional provocations for children to internalize and think about anti-bias education matters. For example, if they are playing using a balance board and there is one person in a wheelchair, what should they do?

Offering opportunities for children to speak about bias is an important strategy. It initiates activism as the child is motivated to act (Sparks et al., 2021). The strategy offers an opportunity for children to analyze the ideas of others and challenge them critically. In challenging other students’ perspectives, the child appreciates the diversity of different people. It encourages coexistence between the students as they learn about the different social identities of other students. Holding meetings through online platforms to contest encourages students, which improves their confidence. Dramatic plays also offer chances for understanding and exploration of differences and similarities. Teachers scaffolding the plays improve student thinking, perspective-taking, and problem-solving skills acquisition.

References

Leekenan, D. & Nimmo, J. (2021). Reflecting on Anti-bias Education in Action: The Early Years. Facilitator and Viewer Guidebook. https://www.antibiasleadersece.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/EX_ABE_Guidebook_v3.pdf

Sparks, Edwards & Goins. (2021). Anti Bias Education for Young Children and Ourselves. (2 Ed). NAEYS. Washington DC. https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/books/anti-bias-education

Sparks, L., Leekenan, D. & Nimmo, J. (2020). Leading Anti-Bias Early Childhood Programs. A Guide for Change. https://www.tcpress.com/leading-anti-bias-early-childhood-programs-9780807755983