Culturally responsive language teaching for resilience

The past few years have seen several significant social, economic, environmental and climatic changes in Sri Lanka that have eroded the social contract between citizen and government in the country, which have strengthened the case for the opposition movement, and irreparably damaged the legitimacy of the current regime. Climate Change has created tremendous social unrest in the past, and seen as a driver of social unrest but this risk is glossing over the real root causes. More recently, the massive mound of garbage in Meethotamulla which collapsed in Sri Lanka, killing 19 people and forcing more than 600 others to flee their homes has reinforced the idea that if we are to address and resolve the drivers of unrest in the country, these changes will have to be better explored and exposed, in adapting strategic, innovative approaches and models. When any social context overcome language barriers, disputes and conflicts can be tackled, promoting positive and vibrant social networks, peaceful coexistence and healthy dialogue.

It is sad to note that, despite claims of being a middle-income country, people in impoverished communities still seem to have been systematically pushed out of their lands to build large dams, or encourage multinational industrial units to be built. New forest laws also forced villagers out of their traditional forest habitats, while mining activities have also displaced people from their land and soil erosion. The biggest obstacle to engage all three communities and four major religions and keep communities together is to initiate a dialogue with these disenfranchised sections of our population where language needs and differences intersect with vulnerability, social tensions and limited service provision. To be in the forefront of dialogues, people must have the freedom of self-determination, particularly in areas concerning forest use, mining, the location of industry and the construction of landfills/ airports/highways/real estate projects. Instead of being displaced they must have the major say in what is being done in the name of development in their areas where they can reap the benefits of development, instead of being further driven into absolute poverty. Climate change is today one of the main drivers of forced displacement, both through impact on environment, not allowing people to live anymore in an area where they were traditionally living, and a trigger of extreme poverty and conflict.

When people move into areas in search of food security because of arable land to a new land which is already resourceful, with not enough space to accommodate them, it’s a recipe for conflict. This is because of the greater competition for land, jobs, access to services, housing and natural resources. Naturally, this situation of extreme poverty, coupled with a corrupt and inefficient developmental process, make people easy targets for recruitment into extremist movements and activities. Unfortunately, the main victims and perpetrators of such violence, almost everywhere, are themselves adolescents and young adults.

International organizations, policy makers must recommend initiatives that provide youth leaders and educators worldwide with the tools for intercultural and interfaith exchanges, by which youth can develop a stronger sense of ethics. They should be designed to help them understand and respect people from other cultures and religions and to nurture their sense of a global community. Instead of imposing viewpoints held for generations on youth, which might limit their freedom to engage with life as they find it, learn from it, and to form their own values. To strengthen the capacity of youth to make well-grounded ethical decisions based on values that promote respect for other cultures and beliefs affirming human dignity as expressed in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Most importantly, to empower young people to engage in a dialogue to develop greater sensitivity to differences and an understanding of others which will allow them to appreciate and nurture their spirituality and to develop and promote successful practices for living together with people of different cultures, ethnicities, beliefs and religions.

Language difficulties have often been highlighted as one of the barriers to these marginalized and traumatized youths’ ability to come together as a community to access education, public services or enter higher education, training and employment. So, language can be utilized as an essential component in enhancing the resilience of individuals and communities. An Individual’s resilience can be understood as coping with adversity by developing relationships with peers, while community resilience can be strengthening the family’s income by improving their livelihood by attaining higher education and access to employment. Language learning builds resilience, giving a voice to young people and adults; and providing individuals with the skills they need to access work, services, education and information.

We all perceive the world through our senses individually where each of us notice different parts of it and this is even reflected in our language which is not different to young people. They discover that the change should be within themselves is the best path to reduce the gap between differences through the development of languages. Therefore, teaching of language as a means of self-expression and communication should be much more exciting and compelling. Language-learning activities as a basis for developing individual resilience, ensuring dignity, self-sufficiency and life skills should be paramount in classroom teaching. Culture should be central to student learning because it empowers them intellectually, socially, emotionally, and politically. So, it is safe to say that culturally responsive language teaching recognizes, respects, and uses an individual’s identities and backgrounds as meaningful sources by using cultural referents to impart knowledge, skills and attitudes. They do this by giving vulnerable people the language tools they need to help withstand and recover from the effects of conflict and displacement. Finally, language learning provides a bridge between communities to improve lives avoiding misunderstandings and tensions.