From intercultural education to critical education in cultural diversity: the UNESCO Diversity Kit for Youth

Resumen

One of the specifics of the contemporary social and economic paradigm that we call the knowledge society is the central role of the relationship between education and culture. In the schools of many countries culture no longer exists as a singular element. Very diverse cultural forms of life are looking for new ways to promote conviviality that agree with the universal values of democracy and respect for human rights. This situation is not new, but what are different today are the dimensions and the global nature of the situation. Some educational approaches give greater recognition to cultural diversity -multicultural education and intercultural education- and try to modify the tradition of educational policies that tend towards standardization and homogeneity. This paper presents a didactic proposal for education in cultural diversity promoted by UNESCO in response to point 10 of the Convention of the Diversity of Cultural Expressions already ratified by more than 160 countries.

The Diversity Kit is an educational resource developed from a perspective that goes beyond multicultural recognition and the challenges of intercultural dialogue to propose a specific educational approach to cultural diversity in agree with the pedagogical perspective of critical education. The Diversity Kit is an interactive game for teenagers that helps them think critically and understand the positive nature and usefulness of identities and cultural expressions, not only for their own personal development, but also for their economic inclusion and professional placement and, more importantly, for the attainment and sustainability of democratic and cultural citizenship.