What is Tolerance? Teaching Youth Through Art
Illustration by Kathy Rocha, MGB Research & Education and Art Task Force member
What is tolerance?
Today we are going to talk about an important topic: Tolerance. Do you know what the means? Tolerance is when you respect and understand those who are different from you. It is when you accept people with values, religious beliefs, or sense of self that do not align with your own. This can be a difficult task, so one way we can start to explore this topic is through art!
Why is tolerance important?
Before we learn how to practice tolerance, let’s talk about why tolerance is an important practice. If everyone in the world looked and sounded the same, we would not only have a really boring community, but we would also not progress or be challenged to grow. It is incredibly important to make everyone feel seen and understood as they are. Practicing tolerance can help us make new friends, learn new things, and create a kinder world
Activity 1: Cultural portraits
Materials: Paper, colored pencils, and markers
Directions: Draw a self portrait and include aspects of your culture, household, and things that make you who you are (for example: traditional clothing, pets, or favorite foods), draw another portrait of a culture you want to learn more about and compare both portraits
What is the main takeaway from this activity? The purpose is to learn more about your own identity while growing an appreciation for another’s culture.
Activity 2: Friendship Bracelets
Materials: String or yarn, beads
Directions: Make friendship bracelets with friends that use colors and patterns that reflect different cultures, then exchange them with your friends!
What is the main takeaway from this activity? The purpose is to gain a sense of connection and appreciation for cultural differences
Activity 3: Collage Displaying Diversity
Materials: Paper, newspapers, magazines, scissors, and glue
Directions: Cut out (get help from a parent if needed) words and pictures that show differing cultures and paste them together to form a collage displaying the diversity in the world
What is the main takeaway from this activity? The purpose is to visually see the beauty of diversity and promote conversations around tolerance
Activity 4: Art Driven Storytelling
Materials: Paper, crayons, colored pencils, and pencils
Directions: Draw a series of pictures telling a story demonstrating tolerance (ex: someone who learns about someone else’s culture or someone who learns something new about themselves and accepts it) and narrate it!
What is the main takeaway from this activity? The purpose is to see how tolerance can play out while putting words to it.
Tolerance is a way to celebrate and accept our differences. It is important to bring this concept into daily life to be more accepting. Using art as a tool to learn and promote tolerance can help you explore and appreciate the diversity in the world. Let’s make the world a kinder place through art! 👩🏼🎨🧑🏾🎨🎨🖌️
