South Africa is a country with citizens as diverse as the colours of the rainbow. That’s why we refer to ourselves as the rainbow nation, of course.
This does not only apply to race, culture and religion, but also to every personality trait, characteristic and ambition that any unique individual might have. The fact that we are so diverse and unique is the essence of what makes us proudly South African.
To celebrate South Africa’s richness in diversity, the Federation of Governing Bodies of South African Schools (FEDSAS) launched a social media campaign that emphasizes the wonder of being unique. Learners are motivated to celebrate their uniqueness and diversity by sharing their stories on social media about what makes them unique. The idea is to get schools, and the country as a whole, to focus on how wonderful diversity is and how much poorer we would be without it.
“Let’s celebrate diversity in our schools this year. Instead of focusing on racism and all the negativity, let’s rather celebrate the wonderful country and diverse people we have. We do what we do because we love our children, we love our schools and we love our country. Let’s focus on the positive aspects of being different,” says Jaco Deacon, deputy CEO at FEDSAS.
The #LekkeDifferent campaign has been up and running since the beginning of March this year and has gained a great amount of traction in schools across South Africa. Learners are posting photos and videos on social media with their friends, talking about their unique traits and characteristics, and how they celebrate being unique while embracing diversity among one another.
If you would like to become a part of the #LekkeDifferent campaign, post a photo or video on your Instagram or Facebook page and tell your story on how unique you are, but that you also have best friends who are different. Remember to use the hashtags #LekkeAnders or #LekkeDifferent and also tag FEDSAS and LekkeDifferent in your posts.
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