Celebrating Dignity Week: Cultivating Empathy and Respect

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“Human dignity is the same for all human beings: when I trample on the dignity of another, I am trampling on my own.” ‒ Pope Francis

It’s common to lose sight of the core principles that unite our society in the fast-paced world we live in, especially when social media and technology frequently rule over our lives. Dignity, the intrinsic value and respect that each person deserves, is one of these values. Dignity Week is a joyful celebration of the BSS community’s efforts to raise awareness of this idea. This unique week serves as a reminder that everyone is deserving of respect and compassion, regardless of differences.

At BSS I-9 Campus, Dignity Week was organized to emphasize the promotion of empathy, respect, and understanding. It was an opportunity to confront prejudices, develop new insights, and confront discrimination in all of its aspects.

The school’s management, teachers, and students wanted to make the most of this opportunity to reaffirm their collective dedication to making the campus a secure and friendly place for all members of the community.

During a morning assembly, Dignity Ambassadors took the Dignity Pledge to officially start the week and a “Dignity Board” was put up permanently in a prominent location on the campus to commemorate the deeds of dignity carried out by students throughout the year.

Students were invited to participate in a “Kindness Challenge”, posting their good deeds on the “Kindness Wall” to receive recognition and serve as an inspiration to others. In the classrooms, students illustrated “What Dignity Means to Them’ through a poster-making activity.

A few helping staff employees were invited and interviewed regarding their prejudiced experiences, challenges in life, and hardships they had faced.

They were also questioned regarding the kind of conduct they expect from other members of the society.

Students were also engaged in a variety of games with them, including charades, musical chairs, and fish bowl and the winners received the gift hampers.

The campus extended its reach outside school grounds to require students to visit “The Lighthouse,” where the children of that

place participated in a range of art and music-related activities, games, friendly matches, and storytelling sessions, with the goal of instilling empathy in our students. The children of “The Lighthouse” were delighted and felt like family after the visit.

A short Roleplay was also presented by grade 8 students followed by the talk session where the council members shared their experience of the visit to the lighthouse which inspired and encouraged their peers to take part in such activities more enthusiastically.

Even though Dignity Week was over, it had a lasting impression on the students and gave them a better understanding of what it really meant to be dignified.

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By Zainab Nasir

Ambitious. Professional. Committed. Strength of character. Well-developed interpersonal skills. I am aware of intercultural values. Teacher/Blogger/Instructional Coach. I have done MBA (Human Resource Management) and B.SC Honors - (Economics) - from Kinnaird College for Women, Lahore, Pakistan with teaching experience of 9 years along with experience in the field of HR for 5 years. Received Training in 1. Making the PYP happen: Implementing agency by the IB Online Professional Development department 2. Evidencing learning Category 2 by the IB Online Professional Development department 3. Teaching with 21st Century Skills (ATL) in Mind by Lance King