In light of the recent attack of two northeastern youths in Gujarat for selling northeastern food, we have decided to pen a piece on making our fellow Indians belonging to minority cultures feel safe.

Social Media has been extremely powerful when it comes to educating people about different beliefs and cultural practices. A lot of influencers and activists are doing a great job of shedding light on previously ignored issues. It has also given a platform for people belonging to different cultures to raise their voices.

However, the backlash against minorities and the so-called ‘others’ doesn't seem to die down. A lot of people from marginalized groups continue to be the victims of rampant racism and homophobia.

This has created a feeling of unbelongingness in a lot of minorities, which is a crying shame. Imagine your family members treating you like you don’t belong in your own house, that is the feeling shared by many minorities today.

It has become extremely important for the next generation to be more accepting and tolerant of people from different cultures and backgrounds. This in turn will create a safe and inclusive environment.

Without further ado, let’s talk about how we can make sure that our children are more tolerant and accepting of people belonging to different cultures than their own.

The most primary way to instil the values of tolerance and acceptance in your kids is to practice them yourselves. Children always pick up habits from their parents, as they are their primary influence. Make it your habit to treat everyone equally in your vicinity. After observing your behaviour, children will follow in your footsteps, and be the model citizens you want them to be.

But, parents are not the only ones influencing children. And oftentimes, it’s the culture that turns children toward hateful views. To combat the development of hateful beliefs in your child, it is important to correct your child if they present themselves with outdated beliefs.

You can also expose your children to diverse forms of media. Making a child watch a movie about the experiences of OBC, or a book detailing the narrative of what it means to be a northeastern in India. To help you with this, we are going to attach a list of books by Northeastern authors and movies about the tales of OBCs. Being exposed to such diverse media will help your child to understand the plight of people belonging to marginalized groups.

Child Help Foundation is steadfast in its commitment to helping marginalized groups. We have provided educational opportunities to children touching all corners of India, from Nagaland to Tamil Nadu to Assam to Delhi. We also promote the inclusivity of marginalized groups and have helped Ashram Schools in underdeveloped regions like Palghar district, Maharashtra.

We hope that this article gave you a newfound perspective on raising children. Do you have any other ideas on how to make sure children are more tolerant and accepting? Make sure to comment down below. And please share this article with all your friends and family members.