Event Report: インクルーシブか? 他人化か？ Inclusiveness vs Othering; What our students see (January 21, 2024) 2PM-4PM @ Tottori University

Event Report: インクルーシブか? 他人化か？ Inclusiveness vs Othering; What our students see (January 21, 2024) 2PM-4PM @ Tottori University (Koyama Campus) Koho Center (2F)
 
Zoey, a third-year university student in Japan, presented a very informative presentation about her experience as a member of the LBGTQ+ community at Tottori University on January 21, 2024.
 
She talked about the challenges that the LBGTQ+ group faces, such a social discrimination and prejudice, mental health issues, etc., and Zoey also insightfully informed us of some of the many reasons why awareness of the challenges that this group faces is crucial for us as teachers, parents, and general members of society.
 
Just to list some of the reasons why awareness of LGBTQ+ is crucial, here are some of the ones she listed?

Promoting Equality and Justice
Improving Mental Health and Well-Being
Encouraging Diversity and Inclusivity
Educating and Preventing Discrimination
Supporting Legal and Policy Reforms

 
Zoey next talked about various LBGTQ+ communities across the globe and how the experiences of each community differ between countries. We learned that, depending on the culture and values of the society one lives, the experiences that the members of each country’s LBGTQ+ community actually experiences are vastly different. She talked about what we teachers can do to help all students feel comfortable and included in our classes and how we as teachers should deal with various situations that might occur when having a LBGTQ+ student in our classroom.
 
After her presentation during the first half, we then broke into small groups to discuss various situation and think of ways to make the world of education more inclusive.
 
Zoey’s presentation was very informative and awareness raising. Thank you, Zoey.
 
Event Report Written By: Christopher Hollis (President of Tottori JALT)