School without racism: set a strong sign of tolerance!
School without racism: set a strong sign of tolerance!
The pedagogical center in Wegberg was well filled on January 22, 2025 when student at the Maximilian-Kolbe-Gymnasium was awarded the prestigious seal "School without Racism-School with Courage". This award is part of a nationwide network that already includes over 4,600 schools and is actively involved in discrimination and exclusion. Among those present was the godmother of the event, Lena Kesting, a former student and ZDF sports moderator who emphasized the importance of respect in society. Mayor Christian Pape and Sonja Cremer, regional coordinator of the Heinsberg district, also showed presence and support at the event.
In her speech, headmistress Maj Kuchenbecker emphasized the importance of the seal: "It stands for a promise against discrimination, exclusion and intolerance as well as for diversity and tolerance." The values associated with the seal include respect, character, openness, courage, commitment and community. Lena Kesting felt honored to sponsor and asked those present to campaign for these values. Mayor Pape emphasized the social responsibility: "The growing brutalization of society makes it necessary to act and to set a sign of respect and with each other."
commitment of the students
The students of Courage-AG, which was launched by teacher Sebastian Aretz, also illustrated how important actions and new projects are for the community. In a positive note, Tobias Pastwa, a musically talented student, performed the new school song, which celebrates the topics of community and diversity. This commitment is part of a greater endeavor to sensitize students to the challenges of the future and to give them a forum for their voices.
The network "School without Racism - School with Courage" has the goal of actively using students against discrimination by providing various projects and materials. The new courage shop offers, for example, teaching materials and thematic posters. In addition, schools have the opportunity to invite party representatives to deal with current social issues, especially with regard to the upcoming Bundestag elections on February 23.
competitions and initiatives against discrimination
In parallel to the activities of the network, the nationwide “Fair@School” competition, organized by the Federal Anti-Discrimination Center and the Cornelsen-Verlag, has submitted a record number of 280 school projects for the assessment. This competition aims to appreciate school role models for fairness, respect and equal treatment. The raffle of main prices of 3,000 euros was recently held in Berlin and honored projects that deal with topics such as queer questions, racism and inclusion. Anti-discrimination officer Ferda Ataman and KMK chairman Christine Streichert-Clivot paid tribute to the efforts of the participants and appealed for more support and awareness of these important topics in school culture.| Details | |
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