The Ministry Of Education (MOE) Youth Advisory Group & Its 'Diversity Hires'
The MOE Youth Advisory Group (YAG) appears to be a 'shining' example of hiring on the basis of diversity, equity and inclusion. Are they representative of our nation's youth?
Disclaimer: We have nothing against the members of the MOE’s current Youth Advisory Group. This is NOT about the teens who have been selected. It’s about:
The purpose of the YAG.
The selection criteria.
Why selection is on the basis of DEI.
And how selection based on ‘diversity hires’ may have far-reaching implications.
The purpose of the YAG
As stated by the MOE:
The Purpose doesn’t indicate that this is a group specifically catering to, nor representing minority groups, or that DEI attributes are required in order to get youth ‘experiences and perspectives on education’. One would think it might err on the side of being representative of the entire student population, perhaps.
The selection criteria
Criteria for the YAG group… here’s where the DEI requirements come rushing in… so, is the YAG to represent the entire student population, or focus on minority groups?
It doesn’t leave much room for students who do not identify with at least one minority group, right?
The YAG group details were recently updated and now only shows a list of names (it used to show a full bio of each member). So we went back into the archives to retrieve it (video below). Why have their bios been removed from the website? It makes for an interesting read.
Why is selection on the basis of DEI?
An earlier Let Kids Be Kids post includes snippets from the current YAG member’s bios. While some describe their skills and attributes, their focus appears to be on their minority group labels or - as we say - their ‘hyper-focused’ identity markers. Have you noticed this in many other places nowadays? Particularly in the under 40 year old age group?
A healthy secure identity has a solid foundation, as described by Dr Steven Stosny and referenced in Elisabeth Cave’s work (pyramid diagram above).
The foundation of basic humanity and character is somewhat present in the full bio’s of the YAG members, however there is clearly a focus on the upper rungs. Gender, race/ethnicity and group affiliation (i.e. disability, refugee). And there needs to be, due to selection criteria. It’s no accident… it’s why they were selected.
Labels - are they helping our youth? Are they helping heal societal wounds?
Relentless labelling is, in fact, discrimination. Shoehorning our kids into focussing on their differences as their identity, rather than a focus on character, humanity, and what they have in common.
Positioning our youth (such as this YAG group) by their labels and categories, rather than their qualities and skills, is bad psychology, and bad policy. It’s a bad idea. It’s out of the playbook for societal decline, that has been done before in history, many times.
DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion) or MEI (Merit, Excellence, Intelligence)?
In the video below, at 17:30, Bob McCoskrie from Family First introduces a radical concept (jokes), described by a Mr Wang, who states that in his multi-million dollar startup, the #1 hiring factor is talent, and their building principles are Merit, Excellence, Intelligence (MEI).
Any owner of a profit-oriented business would agree that in order to be commercially successful, they need to hire the best people. Which would require a metric such as MEI.
DEI, however, is focussed on feelings, and the ‘inclusion of all’ (under threat of ‘discrimination’ claims - see below). So much so that talent hiring may be chucked out the window, and along with it…. profit.
What if profit is not the metric?
Government departments, govt-funded agencies, NGO’s and organisations not required to be competitive in the marketplace (i.e monopolies) don’t have the same profit-driven targets. And so can ease off on hiring on MEI and instead use DEI, which appears to be a directive or requirement by some higher hand.
Could this be why we have a woke society? DEI is imbedded throughout most large corporations, agencies, NGOs and government departments. That’s a LOT of employees having to obey DEI policies in order to remain employed. Cart? Or Horse? Which came first?
Harvard Business School on DEI
When all the ‘advice’ for HR, employment and groups like YAG implement DEI metrics into their selection process… the pendulum swings away from ‘the best person for the role’ to a box-ticking exercise. The MOE’s YAG team demonstrates this well:
Gender diverse - two ticks
Ethnically diverse - eight ticks
Disability - tick… you get the point.
United Nations Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) Scores
If you still think DEI is about kindness and inclusion, you’re missing the point. It’s about ESG scores. Which is a directive from the UN, connected to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Which appears to be the reason why it’s being pushed onto the NZ population with force. And other UN member nations too. Not at all because it makes sense or is good for us. Because our leaders must comply. Or else.
Listen to our recent podcast with Kate Deeming in Scotland - we discuss similarities in what’s going on in our respective countries education systems.
So, when one sees the $$$$ attached to DEI… do we still believe this is about kindness and inclusion? Or is it about jumping through hoops in order to receive funding?
Who’s calling the shots?
A few months ago we posted on X about some of what’s behind these DEI policies globally. (Spoiler alert, it’s about money. BIG money). Evidenced by:
BlackRock’s Message: Contribute to Society, or Risk Losing Our Support - NY Times
Blackrock CEO Larry Fink says he’s committed to gender diversity - Reuters
This is why companies are pushing LGBTQIA+ - The Cranky Creative
Who is holding the Ministry of Education to account for their policies?
If a policy (or an advisory group selection) is not about the best/most representative youth to represent our students, but about box ticking… how can these YAG members truly provide the best input into the MOE on behalf of all students in New Zealand.
And what are the implications of their influence? On policy? On curriculum? On our children? If this bothers you, do get in touch with your local MP, or those in positions of influence. Have your say, put it on the record.
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Sigh, no wonder children are frantically searching for anything that propels them out of "average". We can't all live in Lake Wobegon, "where all the women are strong, all the men are good-looking, and all the children are above average."
Plus, by featuring these "special" categories, we are not teaching our children to appreciate themselves as they are, but setting them up for failure with unreasonable expectations. https://lucyleader.substack.com/p/be-thankful-for-what-youve-got
I will never forget one of my early jobs in the 1970s was working for the President in an employment agency in Toronto - Drake International. At that time the "government" came out with a policy regarding creating "Equality In the Workplace" and demanding that workplaces must hire X number of employees, who had some form of disability, regardless of skill level. My first thought was, "This is in itself is a form of discrimination" and may be damaging to both the employee and to the employer! First of all the 'employee' who may not have the skills, nor be able to manage the workload, based on their incapacity or skill level, may create an inferiority complex ... and to the employer, whose business may be impacted by the capacity and skill level of the employee ... like wearing the wrong sized shoe and tripping over yourself! What all this gender LGBTQXYZ malarky is doing... is creating a greater division among the masses ... intended to divide and conquer. It is all in the mind. When we wake up to the realization of who and what we really are, no matter what one's appearance may be in this multitudinous Universe of Wonder, we must be grateful for all we have been given, and appreciate that each one brings a special gift to the table. The hand we are dealt at birth, is for the specific reason to explore the world and rise above all the idiosyncrasies thrown at us, in the knowing that in essence we are all LOVE as One.