Embracing Diversity and Inclusion | Nghi Le | TEDxYouth@WASS
Diversity is defined by appearances, interests, and beliefs, bringing benefits like enriched learning and mutual understanding, but requires inclusion—the process of making people feel accepted—to combat discrimination. The speaker advocates for modeling kindness after figures like Nelson Mandela and adopting empathy, suggesting students learn local languages and schools host cultural fairs to foster a positive environment. Success in embracing diversity hinges on applying love and open-mindedness, which are essential for students participating in overseas learning. ## Speakers & Context - Speaker addresses parents and students. - Topic is embracing diversity and inclusion. - Speaker cites Mr Nelson Mandela as a role model for advocating for people of color. - Speaker cites Mr Goldine as a champion culture transformation leader. - The context involves overseas learning, noted as being extremely popular (US leads annually, Canada nearly doubled). ## Theses & Positions - Diversity encompasses physical traits (skin color, gender, height) and internal aspects (interests, nationality, religious belief). - **Advantage of Diversity:** It prevents boredom and allows for mutual learning, which is vital for human growth. - **Second Advantage:** Diversity makes people easier to distinguish, using characteristics like hair or demeanor. - **Disadvantage of Diversity:** Can lead to discrimination, resulting in people keeping distance from those they perceive as different. - **Definition of Inclusion:** The procedure or organization that helps people adapt to society in a beneficial way, ensuring they feel accepted. - **Core Argument:** Inclusion is necessary to maximize the pros of diversity and minimize the cons (discrimination). - **Key to Success:** Love is described as the "most durable magic in the world" and the key to embracing diversity and inclusion. ## Concepts & Definitions - **Diversity:** Comes from appearance (skin color, gender, height) and internal traits (interest, nationality, religious belief). - **Discrimination:** The act of keeping distance from people perceived as significantly different. - **Inclusion:** The procedure or organization that helps people to adapt to society in a beneficial way, with the goal of helping people "adapt and feel like they're inclusive into the town and the new houses." - **Open-mindedness:** A skill improved by listening, which means hearing what is said without the need to agree. - **Vulnerability:** A trait that helps one ask questions and gain understanding and clarity. - **Empathy:** The ability to put oneself in someone else's shoes. ## Mechanisms & Processes - **Building a "Colorful Garden":** Analogized using crayons; combining unique colors creates a beautiful whole, mirroring a diverse society. - **Learning Local Languages (for students):** Helps students understand the professor's explanations and allows them to chat and make friends during overseas learning. - **School Administration Action:** Implementing cultural fairs allows students to explore cultures, develop open-mindedness, and build self-confidence. - **After School Activities:** Can help develop cognitive and academic skills related to the country being studied abroad. ## Timeline & Sequence - The speech follows a logical progression: defining diversity $\rightarrow$ listing pros/cons $\rightarrow$ introducing inclusion as the solution $\rightarrow$ suggesting concrete actions (language learning, school programs) $\rightarrow$ concluding with the core principle (love). ## Named Entities - **Spain** — Country of origin for Mr Gavo. - **Vietnam** — Country of origin for Miss New; origin for "almost all of you." - **Nelson Mandela** — Figure admired by the speaker for his struggle for people of color. - **Mr Goldine** — Champion culture transformation leader cited by the speaker. - **United States** — Country cited as having the most overseas learning every single year. - **Canada** — Country cited as having almost doubled the amount of overseas learning in one single year. ## Numbers & Data - **2019:** Year a report cited detailing discrimination. - **45 million:** Number of people reportedly treated to body disaffection due to physical appearance. ## Examples & Cases - **School Diversity Example:** Mr Gavo (Spain) and Miss New (Vietnam) are examples of diversity within the school, representing multiple countries. - **Twin Analogy:** Identifying twins where one is described as having a "really long heart" and the other being "really greedy and evil" (used to demonstrate physical identification advantage of diversity). - **The Garden Analogy:** Comparing a "green only one" garden to a "colorful one" garden, illustrating that combination creates beauty. - **Overseas Learning Context:** Students engage in this process with millions of instances of learning annually. ## Tools, Tech & Products - None mentioned. ## References Cited - **A report found in 2019:** Cited regarding 45 million people treated to body disaffection. - **Mr Nelson Mandela:** Figure whose life was source of inspiration regarding racial peace. - **Mr Goldine:** Champion culture transformation leader. ## Trade-offs & Alternatives - **Differentiation vs. Homogeneity:** The alternative to diversity (being all the same) is described as "extremely boring." - **Isolation vs. Inclusion:** The alternative to inclusion is the tendency to keep distance from those perceived as different. ## Counterarguments & Caveats - The speaker acknowledges the negative impact of diversity in the form of discrimination. - The speaker acknowledges the difficulty in articulating *why* storytelling is important before realizing the concept. (This concept is not explicitly revisited as a counterargument, but the general struggle to define good concepts is present.) ## Methodology - Rhetorical use of analogies (garden, crayons) to explain abstract concepts. - Appeals to emotional resonance through historical figures (Mandela) and principles (love, empathy). ## Conclusions & Recommendations - **Action for Students:** Must learn local languages to better understand lessons and form friendships. - **Action for Schools:** Should open cultural Fairs and develop after-school activities. - **Principle:** Doing these things "with all your heart and love is the key to successful of embracing diversity and inclusion at all time." ## Implications & Consequences - Failure to achieve inclusion leads to discrimination and social isolation. - Success in embracing diversity leads to "human growth," "open-mindedness," and a beautiful, combined society. ## Verbatim Moments - *"what is diversity diversity can comes in many forms"* - *"if we all accept the fact that diversity is our human being what pros and cons does this bring to our life"* - *"it will be extremely boring if we are all the same from skills to interest"* - *"I still remember when my mom told me about a twin that she knew during her childhood they look exactly the same nothing different but it is really easy to identify who was who because one of them has a really long heart but the other is really greedy and evil"* - *"This is called discrimination"* - *"what is inclusion inclusion refers to the procedure organization that help people to adapt it to the society in a beneficial way"* - *"Would you prefer a green only one or a colorful one"* - *"Love come easier than his opposites"* - *"if we could love one another we could learn to listening open-mindedness with vulnerability and empathy"* - *"love and love TR trust me love is the most durable magic in the world"* - *"local languages helps them to understand what the professor is trying trying to explain to them the lessons"* - *"The school should open cultural Fair"*