Unfortunately over 1,000 racist incidents are reported every year in schools in the county. Since the racist murder of Stephen Lawrence in 1999, schools have taken the matter very seriously and it is now obligatory to record and investigate all racist incidents that occur. A formal evaluation is used to determine whether pupils feel safe from racist incidents. We all understand the critical implications of racism to a child’s upbringing. This will inevitably affect the rest of their lives. This important and fundamental part of life will supply the foundations for the way they will view and understand the world. What they learn during childhood will form the temperaments that will deploy their relationships; intelligence and knowledge. This will then enable them to enrich and fulfill their own lives. A child needs a happy and productive educational environment and a healthy mind to build emotional, social and psychological developments within themselves. For this reason racism along with other forms of bullying can be very detrimental.
Racism is a form of bullying that unfortunately occurs within the country and around the world. It is paramount that we as adults offer methods to challenge racist bullying because it can cause great harm to a child, their families and to the attitudes of people for the future. The questions behind the motives for racist behavior in children have an ambiguous answer. There is not just one determinable form. Unfortunately racism can exist in all races and cultures. It could be thought that these views are affiliated from their parents, family members or local communities. Research shows that racism can often be passed generationally through families and those children are racist because their parents have taught them to be. Other research has found that many children have very distinct views that differ from their parents. These children form their own concern with race and that they themselves establish the culture of racism. It can be the case that they may not understand or have been able to discuss races and religions, or are copying that of other children. Some children have seen to show racist behaviors even though they too have anti racial beliefs. For this reason we must empower children to challenge and understand racism during their education, be it at school or at an after class. We need to help them understand racism and bullying is wrong and that we should respect others and learn about others beliefs and values. But we need the children to adopt these ideals and values on there own terms so that they alone can act on them independently and with knowledgeable conviction.
An influential tool for teaching values in children is through their own literature, self learning and developing their own views with a positive manner. It is always beneficial to inspire values and anti racist behavior through literature as it opens a forum for discussion. Children can also connect by reading an enjoyable book, relating to the themes and learning what is right and wrong through the loveable characters. There are many influential writers that present ideas and solutions for solving problems that exist for children who are at risk of never reaching their full potential due to racism. These authors are very successful in making headway and creating positive attitudes towards equality of multi race and religion’s.
I was recently introduced to a child who is 8 year old and has been a very unhappy little girl. She was suffering from a low self esteem and lived in fear. She was unable to concentrate at school and therefore wasn’t getting very good grades and hated going to school. Not only was here education suffering but she was so low that she was too shy to make friends and spent most of the time on her own. This I believe to be very disconcerting. This child was not enjoying her childhood, she was not learning, forming friendships, living a playful and happy life. It was a shame to me that this child would not be striving to fulfill her own potential and was living a very unhappy life. Through my exploration to find some literature to help this child I found the amazing Angela Buck and her concepts to fight racism and empower children.
Angela Buck also writing as Auriel Blanche is the founder of The Magic Sunglasses Project. This is an excellent conceptual programe to enable children to have the power to live happy healthy lives with positive outlooks. Encouraging children to dream and strive for goals. Helping children to understand and respect others and to believe in themselves and live with self worth. Angela Buck has been quoted for saying “I pray for a generation of individuals who grow up with a natural respect for others regardless of race, religion or cultural background” I believe her to be a very influential lady and if we can empower our children with this respect, it will be a great result for the future generation.
Angela Buck takes her interactive workshops, her literature and her other business ventures discussed in this article all over the globe. She wishes to tackle these ideals in every country its needed, including our children here in the UK, the children in the richest schools in the United States and the children in poorly educated places like Zimbabwe. She has already successfully connected and empowered children all over the UK and has taught and worked in central Africa in food production, as well as working in Malawi on trials for tomatoes – one of the main staples in local diet there. This is all while completing work for a PhD with London University. So they were not wrong when an associate described her as "a whirlwind in constant motion,"
The Magic Sunglasses
Angela first had the idea for empowerment in our youth with The Magic Sunglasses project several years ago. She realized that children's image reinforcement, self-esteem development, self respect and respect for others were very important and all often overlooked areas. This was the inspiration for her book, the wonderful tale called The Magic Sunglasses. This book is beautifully illustrated with an enchanting storyline. It provides lovely powerful paradigms in a subtle manner for children to adopt and relay in their own lives. Children reading this book will be inspired to follow their dreams and discover that they are as worthy of success (however they choose to define it) as is everybody else they may know. The Magic Sunglasses compromises any inaccurate beliefs and offers a more positive and preferable aspect to life. The reader will follow Samantha the main character throughout the book, they will learn that Samantha doesn’t embellish in perfection, attractiveness or being the best at everything but instead appreciates her own abilities, enjoys her own imagination and strives to promote her own specialties and help others to promote theirs.
This book encourages children to believe in themselves and cultivate internal self worth that isn't dependent on them looking, speaking, thinking or acting in the same way as everyone else around them especially when they see that it is wrong. Samantha promotes an understanding for diversity and accepting everyone for what they are. Samantha also learns throughout the book to be brave and confident. The intention being that the reader should be able to find an inner strength to tell a teacher or an adult that they are being bullied. They will be confident enough and to understand their self worth enough to Never give up! – To know that they might not be able to tackle racism by themselves but to know there are nice friendly people available that they can seek out support from.
Angela found that although her book was creating a grounding of her ethos for many children it was not reaching a large enough audience and with such great potential she believed it could go globally, which it has and is now developing to grow. Her next step was to form an interactive workshop which now goes around schools across the world. From a mud hut in Africa to a school in central London, Angela believes in specialties in children everywhere and therefore offers her workshops everywhere. She believes that participational activities are the key to connect children. Throughout which the children learn about their own hopes and others dreams, learn to believe in each others self worth, inner values and their own potentials. During these workshops children learn to engage with each other and learn common factors of play, fears, dreams and all other aspects that all children have regardless of race or religion. The workshop successfully helps schools create environments that positively value all people and take a stand against racism and where young people feel able to play an active role in doing something about the issues covered themselves.
To continue this empowerment Angela has created an interactive website that the children can regularly connect to. Samanthas secret diary blog can be viewed. The children can learn how she overcomes the problems she is faced with. They can learn of fun dreams and hopes Samantha has and imagines. The can also copy her happy positive and confident attitudes Samantha has. There is also a Chat room on the site so that children can interact to discuss the book or their problems. They can use it to discuss any issues at school, including racism. Speaking with other children in different schools can really help. If a child wishes to write confidentially to Samantha they can do so and Samantha will reply with an uplifting supporting answer which will help their problem. They can leave diary entries in order to let someone know they are in trouble if they find it hard to talk out about racist bullying at home. The Magic Sunglasses Club gives away badges, sunglasses, t shirts, and other gifts, this will enable a child with low self esteem feel apart of a group. They will feel connected to the other members as well as Samantha which will boost moral and confidence. They will feel empowered to tackle problems and not feel so alone. There is also a Members achievements/experiences wall. This is in order to show others their potential, what they are proud about what they are pleased with during the day. Angela believes it is important for a child to be appreciated for their skills. It can be empowering and make a child happy and strive for other potentials There are also online games,and competitions to enable an unhappy child to escape the bullying or concerns for a while and enjoy time not thinking about the troubles but having fun.
HunnyBuns World
The next project was called Hunnybuns World for 3-6 year olds. It is a completely interactive multi-racial and international concept inspiring children of all cultures and nationalities to come together. Angela worked with local nurseries and primary schools on Hunny Buns World to create this beautifully illustrated material. The material is not only great fun for the children but it is also suitable for the national educational curriculum. Prejudice of any kind is often based on ignorance and fear of anything unfamiliar so Hunny Bunns world explores all countries to introduce children to cultures they may not have had the opportunity of knowing.
Hunny Bun is the cute main character and is a lovable little rabbit who lives with her mummy and daddy and baby brother Baby Bun-with cousins and aunts and uncles all over the world. Readers can get there first understanding of other countries, other cultures and other races by learning about Hunny Buns interesting a beautifully delightful family.
Hunny Bun is just like every other child who reads about her. We follow her as she is going to her new school; as she experiences having a baby brother; as she dreams about going on TV; as she visits some of her relatives in Disneyland and as she fears learning to swim. Throughout which the child reading will learn to love, relate to and learn from the character. The main intention is to show the reader how she learns about all the different countries and how they help her along the way. In Hunny Bun's World, children of all nationalities can come together to learn about each other, and the technologies with which they live. Children will then understand the benefits that other cultures can bring to enrich their lives as well as the understanding of other countries and the importance in respecting others and themselves. Angela Buck and her illustrators have created some great characters including Boris from Russia, MoMo from china, Pedro from Mexico and Setina from Hawaii just to name a few.
Honey Bunns world is an on going process where there will eventually be an international series as well as the individual book. Every child will receive a Starter Pack and a Successive Travel Pack with every following issue. Each child will collect memorabilia from their literature treats and gifts along the way. Each of the series will have individual maps which when combined make up the total map of the world. Each with the relevant stickers and collectables e.g. national dress and currency/crops/etc . The Starter Pack will include a cardboard cutout of Hunny. To which a child can add the clothes from each country as they collect each series. They will get a suitcase for Hunny, a mini passport, a mini airline ticket and cards from and to Hunny. They will also get a sheet of reusable stickers to go on the world map as they go along their journeys. Each successive travel pack would include A postcard to and from Hunny, a sample of the currency, a cut out of the national costume to put on Hunny or press out of many other Souvenirs. The motivation for this would be to encourage the inspiration for the children to visit these countries when their older. But mostly to enjoy learning about other cultures and challenge any racism or prejudices they may face or see.
Angela’s ethos for this international series is to empower and connect children globally. With the literature and educational aspects of this series children will learn to respect others as well as be educated themselves. Children will follow Hunny Bunn on her journey and learn other aspects along with racism as she travels the world. Enabling the children to cope and over come any problems they face during their child hood with confidence and positivity. All of which are areas that Angela is working towards with all of her businesses.
It is important that we offer both of these educational treats to children everywhere possible. Angela Bucks projects are as accessible as she can supply herself. But she doesn’t have the power to tell everyone that she and her projects exist. For this reason I myself and anyone that may be reading this article needs to do what they can for the cause. The fact you are reading this alone means that you have our common concern for the development of a child dealing with racist behavior. I think you will agree that the more children Angela Buck can reach the better. It can be a very lonely existence for a child who cannot concentrate at school, make friends or appreciate their own self worth due to inaccurate racist beliefs in other children. We need your help to prevent the negative effects of racism and empower young people across the globe. You have seen the benefits the projects of the magic sunglasses and hunny buns has to offer. So in order to creater a wider audience for it please contact the website http://themagicsunglasses.com/ or get in contact with me on kaley@samap.co.uk
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