 |
IN FOCUS: ARTICLE |
|
|
|
 |
|
|
Mix It Up!
by Tamekia Reece, 02.25.05
With more than three million participants, the program seems to be working. |
|
Think back to the last time you had lunch in the school cafeteria. What'd you see? Maybe something like this: the jocks sitting with the jocks, the preppy kids hanging out in their own place, a table with people from the drama club, and students of color all gathered together.
We often stick with people who have the same interests or backgrounds as we do, or even people who just look and dress like we do. There's not always an effort to get to know people who seem "different," even though we can learn a lot from them and build great friendships. But one program is hoping to change that.
What's Mix It Up?
Sponsored by www.tolerance.org, a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center, Mix It Up is a project that supports student efforts to identify, question, and cross social boundaries within their schools and communities. According to Lecia Brooks, director of Mix It Up, this has three components: National Mix It Up at Lunch Day, Mix It Up dialogue groups, and Mix It Up grants.
Each sector of the program aims to get teens to drop the cliquishness that's usually a factor in school and to meet new friends, regardless of race, religion, appearance, or other differences that may cause barriers. And with more than three million participants, the program seems to be working.
The Lunchtime Mingle
In a 2002 Mix It Up survey, students said the number one place they see boundaries is in the school cafeteria. So each November, students from around the world participate in the National Mix It Up at Lunch Day, where students have lunch with people who aren't part of their usual crew. In last year's event, students from nearly 8,000 schools participated. A survey of the 2003 Mix It Up at Lunch Day participants showed that 79 percent of respondents said the activity was extremely useful, very useful, or useful.
Bowling Green High School in Ohio added an extra twist to their lunch: Instead of leaving it up to the students to decide what new people they'd have lunch with, students were given a strip of paper with their lunch assignments. The strips were color-coded to match specific tables, which led to groups that were really mixed.
Though the national lunch event is held annually, Brooks says students can mix it up at lunch anytime.
Get Talking
While Mix It Up lunches were designed to get students to expand their circle of friends and meet new people in spite of their differences, Mix It Up dialogue groups are meant to get students talking.
Mix It Up surveyed a number of middle and high school students and found that 40 percent admitted to socially rejecting someone from another group. Brooks says the aim behind the dialogues program is to get students to ask themselves and others why this happens. She suggests that teens ask the following questions:
- Are there cliques at my school?
- If so, what are they?
- Do I invite and include new people into my group of friends?
- Am I open to meeting new people and making new friends?
These questions and others can get the ball rolling to help teens break down the barriers that exist around them. Before any barriers can be overcome, though, teens must first define exactly what barriers exist and why. And the only way to do that is to mix it up — dialogue style.
How You Can Mix It Up
You can work on breaking down barriers at your school by organizing a Mix It Up at Lunch Day of your own. Brooks says that most students have been eager to participate, but if your lunch date doesn't pan out, or you're concerned the students won't be receptive, talk to a teacher or counselor about using dialogue groups to get the students open to the idea of "mixing it up." "Being part of the solution takes commitment," Brooks says. Mix It Up even has a grants program that can help students who meet eligibility requirements carry out the mission of breaking down social barriers and promoting understanding and friendship.
Want to mix it up at your school? Check out Mix It Up at Lunch on Tolerance.org. |
|
|
|
Printable Version
Email this page