ICS Celebrates Unique Awareness and Community in April

by Haile Seyoum, ICS Addis Admissions Associate

Each year in April, ICS Addis embraces Uniqueness and Diversity with our Unique Awareness Month. It is a vibrant and dynamic celebration of neurodiversity and community.

Since 2018, ICS has maintained a cherished tradition: student-designed, limited-edition T-shirts featuring unique twists to common animals in a creative and imaginative way.

This year’s whimsical bird design by Ramin in Grade 3 and striking giraffe design by Amanu in Grade 7 were great conversation starters and captivated hearts across the ICS Addis community. Check them out here.

Behind the beautiful designs and sale of each T-shirt resides two main purposes:

For one, all proceeds go to support our neighbors at Mekdela Government School, just across the street from ICS, where special needs students from around the city come to learn and grow. This year’s funds are geared towards supporting Mekdela’s special needs program based on feedback gathered from the leadership and teachers about what they need and how we can support them. With the T-shirts people bought, ICS was able to weave neurodiversity awareness and concrete change into our community to be our best with Africa and our world. Beyond good neighborliness, it strengthens our network of inclusion with impact far beyond our school campus.

Second, Unique Awareness Month goes far beyond the T-shirts. It was a great month for neurodiversity awareness. Our morning assemblies flourished with student and staff presentations, performances, and sharing of personal stories and journeys. “Coffee House” events organized by the Student Support Services team at ICS presented a great opportunity to bring together our school community in a cozy environment and over some delicious snacks to promote the unique minds in our community.

In April, our ICS campus was transformed into a space where neurodiversity and uniqueness were not just acknowledged but celebrated. Our students, staff, and parents came together to reaffirm our collective commitment to embrace uniqueness and diversity. Seeing the entire community wearing T-shirts strengthened the fabric of our community.

Although Unique Awareness Month ends with the month of April, its impact carries on with the many changed perspectives and perceptions. Unique awareness and neurodiversity are not just limited to the month of April only, but their spirit must be kept alive – today and every day.