6. Statement by the Deputy Minister and Chief Whip: Marking Interfaith Week

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 6:08 pm on 17 November 2020.

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Photo of Jane Hutt Jane Hutt Labour 6:08, 17 November 2020

Thank you very much, Caroline Jones, for your support for Interfaith Week, which is not just for the week, as you say, it is for 365, the whole of the year. And we do embrace those principles and those values of understanding, sharing, tackling hate crime and raising awareness of the strength of our faith communities. I think what is very important is that we look to this when we start with our children and young people. In fact, I'll just say—very rarely do I say a personal thing, but my granddaughter, who is only two, was actually last week apparently listening to hear about Diwali, and that is at nursery level. It's early years through. We have a wonderful opportunity, of course, with our new curriculum to ensure that that celebration and understanding and awareness raising is embedded in our curriculum. But of course, it is about how we work together to ensure that we can see that this is the real opportunity, and the collective view and values of Wales. I think that will of course help us to address conflict, prejudice and particularly the issues that we are concerned about, with the impact of coronavirus, where so many have lost their opportunities, perhaps, in terms of faith gatherings, but actually have turned to each other and turned to the volunteers who come with faith and no faith to their doors to support them.