By Naomi Marshall

FORTY-SEVEN heads of department within the education sector in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) benefitted from a Diversity Education and Inclusion Workshop on Wednesday at the Racquet Centre, Woolford Avenue, Georgetown.
The workshop was held by the Department of Social Cohesion within the Ministry of the Presidency.

The two-day workshop was the 83rd of its kind to be held in Guyana and its theme was: “Fostering harmonious relationships and building a unified country.”

According to Technical Officer in the Department of Social Cohesion, Pamela Nauth, the workshop aimed at allowing participants to explore the negative internalised attitudes, beliefs and stereotypes that impact the ways in which they perceive themselves and others (self-understanding); assisting participants to have a better understanding and appreciation of diversity, particularly beyond ethnicity.

The aim of the workshop was also to help participants learn about the changes and challenges that are associated with our diverse population and to develop opportunities for cross-community dialogue.

It is the hope of the Department of Social Cohesion that at the end of the workshop, participants would have acquired an increased awareness and sensitivity about behaviours that contribute to building better relations between individuals in a community.

Participants of the workshop were educated on topics such as values, understanding biases, being human, understanding diversity, trust-building and nurturing communities.

According to Nauth, the initiative was established in July of 2018 as a partnership with the Ministry of Education; it was held in all 10 administrative regions with numerous stakeholders such as faith-based organisations, community leaders, representatives of the discipline forces, Regional Democratic Councils and youth groups, amongst others.
The Department of Social Cohesion will next target Region Three ( Essequibo Islands-West Demerara).