Understanding Diversity in Local Communities: A Critical Reflection on an International Internet-based Project
Understanding Diversity in Local Communities: A Critical Reflection on an International Internet-based Project

Summary/Abstract: In this article the authors describe and critically assess an internet-based project designed by the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, The Netherlands together with the IICD in The Hague and the Global Teenager Project. The project focused on migration issues and involved twinning schools in various countries. Students in the schools collaborated via e-mail and internet and actively explored the diversity present in their local community – mainly through interviews and research. Many of those interviewed were immigrants and/or refugees. A critical analysis of the project shows that the experiences were mixed. Some schools reported that the project was the most interesting the students had ever been involved in and gave them deeper appreciation of migration issues, while others pointed to gaps in experience, frustrations and cultural misunderstandings. The authors point to ways that can make international ICT projects that focus on migrant communities more successful for all involved.

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