Inclusivity at CIS

The world is a large place filled with a diverse group of individuals. Globalization has made interactions with people from around the world a norm. With a myriad of cultures and ethnicities, it is important to learn to accept all; irrespective of social class, caste, gender, or sexuality. Canadian International School (CIS) is a top school in Bangalore with students and faculty members from over 40 nationalities. With such a large and diverse population, we believe that inclusivity helps students to become part of our community, develop a sense of belonging, and become better prepared for life in the community as children and adults.

To build an inclusive community, we at CIS understand that schools need to be examples of the kind of community that’s envisioned in the future. The seeds of inclusion need to be planted in students so that they learn the values, skills, and knowledge to include others who are different from them. That’s the basis of our future society.

At CIS, our faculty members also come from diverse backgrounds. They are role models for displaying the attitudes which we would like to see in our students. Inclusivity and diversity are celebrated at CIS to ensure tolerance and acceptance with other people and with global issues.

CIS has several initiatives that nurture acceptance in our community. The Elementary School encourages students to join as ambassadors who help new students adjust to the school. CIS Allies, a High School student-led group, is a club that also tries to educate students to be more inclusive and morally responsible citizens. The club, consisting of IB (grades 11 and 12) and IGCSE (grade 9 and 10) students, was started off in the previous academic year as a few students felt that CIS could become a more open and inclusive community. Apart from conducting workshops and presentations for CIS students and teachers, the Allies also conducted CIS’ Symposium for Inclusivity in April and the 2nd Symposium for Inclusivity was conducted today.

The Symposium focuses on UN’s Sustainable Development Goals along with a plethora of topics such as mental health, social class, LGBTQ, and race. Mr. R Balaji, TedX speaker and Celebrity Brand Activation Manager was the keynote speaker and had an interesting speech about his experiences growing up. There were also workshops and a panel discussion. Some of the participants included Ms. Akkai Padmashali, Transgender Activist, Shilpa Raj, author of The Elephant Chaser’s Daughter, and Mr. Alex Matthew from the Lalit Suri Group. The Symposium is a great platform for role models and leaders to converge and discuss ways to tackle bias and discrimination.

To learn more about Canadian International School (CIS), a top school in Bangalore and to reach out for admissions, email us at enroll@cisb.org.in.