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Response to diversity in Society - Coggle Diagram
Response to diversity in Society
Responding to socio-economic diversity
Responses of citizens
Response of individuals
Individuals can respond by contributing their time, effort and
money to meet areas of need in society.
E.g. Start ground-up initiatives and mobilise resources to
distribute food to those in need.
E.g. Volunteer with existing organisations to provide services to
other groups in society
Individuals experiencing economic challenges of their own can
adopt and display an attitude of grit and perseverance to
strengthen their resilience and motivation to overcome those
challenges.
Responses of community groups
DOT: Daughters of Tomorrow (formal community group)
Target: Women aged 20 – 60, mainly from low-income families or live in subsidized rental flafs
Activities: help women to upgrade themselves, e.g. financial literacy programme(4 weekly workshops and seven months support group) to learn good money-management skills
Responses of governments
Government-financed approach in Sweden
Provides substantial assistance and financial support.
Ensure that citizens of different socio-economic backgrounds
have access to healthcare, education,housing, and
employment.
Ensures that the needs of the elderly, citizens with illnesses or
disabilities, people with young children, are all provided for.
Challenges faced by Sweden
Sweden is experience ageing population, where the
percentage of people 65 years old and above is increasing.
This is coupled with a decrease in the percentage of working
population (16-64 years old).
Sweden also has one of the world’s highest life expectancy
of 80.6 years for men and 84.3 years for women.
More than 5% of Sweden’s population is aged 80 or older.
Shared-responsibility approach in Singapore
Singapore adopts the shared-responsibility approach to address
issues caused by socio-economic diversity.
Many helping hands such as individuals and families, community
groups,and the government, work together to meet the needs of
society.
Individuals play an important role and make the effort to support
themselves and their families.
Challenges faced by Singapore
Singapore is experiencing ageing population and percentage of
seniors will more than double by 2030.
This will be coupled with a decreasing percentage in our working
population.
Singaporeans also have a long life expectancy of about 85 years.
Between 2010 and 2019, Singapore has already tripled its healthcare
budget to $11.3 billionto meet the growing healthcare needs of
seniors.
social-cultural diversity
responses of citizens
Responses of individuals
Insensitive comments and responses about a person's identity has implications, whichh can often lead to people reacting with anger, hurtful words or actions.With social media nowadays, these implications can be amplified,further fueling sentiments of
unhappiness and criticism.
However, when we respond constructively to help others
understand the impact of their actions,we raise awareness and
address areas of ignorance. Responding in a way that deepensmeaningful understanding and cultivates mutually respectful relationships with those around us,we will be able to harness our diversity and live harmoniously.
Responses of community groups
E.g. Welcome In My Backyard (WIMBY): Youth-led group formed in April 2020, Aims to raise awareness about the lives of migrant
workers, Promote interactions between migrant workers and the
local community, Comprises of 50 volunteers, Initiatives include partnering with schools for their VIA
, programes to address issues facing migrant workers
Responses of the government
Assimilation policies in France
In Education
All children, regardless of citizenship status, are
required to attend school until 16 years old
Children of immigrants attend adaptation classes
to improve their French
No discussion of religion in school except for
History, Philosophy and Art classes
In Employment
The French government introduced the Diversity Charter in 2004
This was done to raise employers’ awareness of recruiting employees from divererse backgrounds and support the assimilation of immigrants into French society
Encouraging companies to be more inclusive in their hiring practices
In Naturalisation programmes
Programmes to help immigrants develop basic knowledge about life in France and what being a French national means
4 days civic training course in French principles and values, and practical aspects of life in French society
600 hours of free language courses to master French in their everyday life
Tensions arising from assimilation politics in France
Reasons for Tensions
French citizens are expected to put aside their individual connections to race, ethnicity and religion in order to achieve harmony in society
Hence people are expected to observe and practice their religious practices and ethnic customs in private
In 2004, France introduced a law that banned the wearing of clearly visible religious attire and symbols in public schools
The ban aimed to maintain religious
neutrality in French public schools.
banned things
Muslim religious headscarves
Jewish skullcaps (kippahs)
Christian crosses
Sikh turbans
Tensions
The ban caused tensions because some French people support the ban as they believe the French national indentity is threathed when immigrants continue to display their religious identities
The others who are against the ban feel that there is a need to recognise the role of culture and religion in the identities of immigrants and respect their rights to practice their religion.
Tensions
Despite the Diversity Chapter, there was also still discrimination in hiring practices if companies
In 2019, about 13.1% of immigrant workers were unemployed as compared to only 7.8% of French natives who were unemployed
Integration policies in Singapore
Community Support
The People’s Association (PA) organizes community events and activities at grassroots level including house visits
and festive celebrations.
Locals and new Singapore citizens get to interaction and make new friends in the community, thus developing stronger bonds with each other and deeper connection to Singapore.
Naturalisation Initiatives
New Singapore citizens go through a compulsory two-month programme
called the Singapore Citizenship Journey.This is a collaboration between MCCY, the ICA, and the People’s
Association (PA).
Participants get to:
Learn about Singapore’s history and development
Deepen appreciation for Singaporean norms and values
Have meaningful interactions with local community
Participants receive their Singapore citizenship certificates at a Citizenship
Ceremony after completing the programme.
common experiences
E.g. National Service (NS)
NS brings people from diverse backgrounds to train and live
together.
Through their common experience, NSmen develop a sense of
collective interest.
This helps to strengthen their relationships and create a strong
Singaporean national identity.
Tensions arising from integration policies in Singapore
Despite concerted efforts from the government, organisations and
the community,some tensions still exist between locals and new
immigrants.
Due to the inability of some immigrants in communicating in
English, there is negative impact on social cohesion.
With a growing population of immigrants, some Singaporeans
also feel that there is a greater stress on public services,e.g.
more crowded on MRT trains,and increase in prices due to
competition for goods and services.
This causes resentment between locals and immigrants.