BHHS launches Anti-Racism Strategy: 2026-2028

Racism is not tolerated in Victorian government schools. It has profound negative impacts on young people’s wellbeing, learning and engagement, contributing to disadvantage and social isolation. Box Hill High School (BHHS) is committed to strengthening our culture and practices to actively prevent and address racism, religious intolerance, and racial and religious vilification. 

Over the past six months, myself and Ms Chloe Martinich (Leading Teacher Student Voice, Agency and Leadership) have worked closely with a student leadership working party to develop the BHHS Anti-Racism Strategy: 2026-2028. This strategy outlines our vision, guiding principles, priority actions and goals to prevent and respond to racism across our school community. 

In developing the strategy, we partnered with the Centre for Multicultural Youth (CMY) to support policy development (BHHS Racism Prevention and Intervention Policy) and engage a guest speaker for our 2026 student leaders. As part of Harmony Week (16–20 March), the BHHS Anti-Racism Strategy was officially launched on Tuesday 17 March.  

We were privileged to welcome CMY speaker Ridmi Dolamulla, who inspired student leaders through powerful storytelling about kindness, culture, inclusion, belonging and standing up against racism. It was a powerful opportunity for our student leaders to reflect on the importance of being upstanders and standing up for what is right. 

Her presentation prompted strong engagement and thoughtful discussion from students. We look forward to continuing to work with our student leaders to implement actions from our plan and to further promote respect for, and celebration of, diversity. 

The strategy will be shared with the wider student community through curriculum delivery, assemblies and student leadership structures. In the coming months, a student leadership working party will also develop a BHHS Anti-Racism video to further communicate our vision and goals as we continue to build a highperforming, racially inclusive school. 

Racism launch: student reflections

School Captain - Rohan M-R: 

At the launch of Box Hill High School's new anti-racism action plan, the student leadership team had the opportunity to hear from Ridmi, a wonderful guest speaker who shared her personal experience with racism, along with strategies for addressing it both within and beyond the school environment. The primary reflection I took away from her presentation was the importance of kindness and building a safe environment where people feel valued and supported for who they are. This strongly aligns with the goals I have for our school. One of my biggest priorities is ensuring that Box Hill is a place that allows it's students to feel safe and celebrated for who they are. This is especially important given the incredible diversity we have at Box Hill. The wide range of cultures, backgrounds, and perspectives at Box Hill is something we should take pride in and actively celebrate, as it is what makes our school such a vibrant and enriching environment. The introduction of the new anti-racism action plan is one of the steps the school is taking to achieve this, and I'm very excited to see how this positively impacts Box Hill High over the coming terms. 

School Vice- Captain - Leigh H:

The Anti-Racism Strategy Launch was an excellent opportunity to have student leaders come together for the first time to discuss our views on racism, and how we can make a meaningful change within our school community. This workshop allowed for leaders from across all year levels to meet and propose ideas on how to encourage inclusivity and ensure that all students feel as if they have a strong sense of belonging at our school. Our guest speaker, Ridmi, was courageous in sharing her life experiences and inspired us to act against racism by being upstanders for others being discriminated against. My takeaway from this experience was to always be kind to one another and call out racism when it occurs. It is important to speak up for what is right and always be mindful of how our behaviour and words impact others. This student leadership event encouraged students to take the first few steps to develop a program where students are proud of their culture and not let anyone tell them otherwise. 

School Vice- Captain - Ivy H: 

The BHHS Anti-Racism Strategy Launch was an incredibly meaningful and valued event for everyone, informing us on the importance of speaking up and educating others on racism. With all year 7- 12 student leaders coming together, it was an insightful opportunity hearing people across different year levels, sharing a wide range of ideas and perspectives. We really enjoyed having Ridmi as our guest speaker. She talked about her personal experiences growing up, sharing many entertaining stories. She highlighted how little we often know about other people’s lives and how we should never judge others based on appearances. The key message she emphasised was the importance of kindness. I think that this message is so simple and beautiful, where a small act of kindness can make someone’s day – or even change their life, encouraging us to spread that positivity around to others. Moreover, especially in our multicultural school community, it reminds us to be more aware of the surrounding environments and to always keep an open mind. When witnessing racism at school, particularly when issues become prolonged, people need to choose to be upstanders rather than bystanders. It can truly make a real difference to the environment when people take a stand while others stay silent, gradually breaking the chain that allows racism to continue. If the world were culturally divided, society would be detached and chaotic. If the world was made up of one culture, it would be monotonous and unexciting. But luckily, our world is naturally shaped by a diverse range of cultures, each one unique in its own way, and that’s what makes the world so much more interesting, with diversity worth celebrating. Through embracing and respecting our differences, we can foster a sense of unity and harmony at BHHS. By further spreading that positivity and message throughout our school, it makes the community we have so much more welcoming, supportive and above all, understanding, creating a beautifully multicultural environment where everyone feels like they belong.