School Students’ Intercultural Partnerships Contest Discrimination: A Case Study of Intersectional Social Change

Social inclusion of ethno-cultural minorities is a global concern which an acknowledged backlash against multiculturalism challenges. In Australia, some politicians and sections of the media have fuelled this backlash against refugee and minority culture young people by portraying them as involved in public violence. This article explores intersectional youth engagement and social change action. A school-based intercultural understanding initiative in a regional Northern NSW government primary school demonstrates how building intersectional connections and engaging in social change action can address ethno-cultural prejudice and discrimination within the school and wider community. The case study highlights a social change initiative where Indigenous Australian and Yazidi primary school students, their families, and school staff go out On Country together to progress intersectional intercultural understanding, networking, reciprocity, and solidarity. This initiative aimed to promote intersectional social inclusiveness while respecting and supporting diversity. The Together For Humanity Foundation, a non-profit provider of holistic schools-based intercultural understanding programmes, provided the resources to support the school’s partnership initiative. Drawing on Lundy and Cuevas-Parra’s intersectional framework, this article analyses the outcomes of the project from the perspectives of students and teachers.