Mix It Up
Mix It Up is a programme designed to empower young people on United States' campuses to create and sustain change related to the problem of intolerance. It is a response to the labeling and grouping that can make connecting with those who are different or developing diverse relationships difficult. Mix It Up is a project of the Southern Poverty Law Center's tolerance programmes and the Study Circles Resource Center. These collaborators "want to provide ideas and tools to help you break the walls of division in your school and community." An interactive website with downloadable posters and ideas for creating dialogue - especially through the yearly "Mix It Up at Lunch" day of student activism for tolerance - is the initiative's key communication tool.
Communication Strategies
At the centre of this effort is a web-based effort to help teenages interact with each other and explore ways to challenge intolerance that separates people. The Mix It Up website (on Tolerance.org) includes interactive features such as a "stories" section that collects and publishes stories by and about student activists who are working for change, as well as tips and ideas to support activist efforts. Young people are encouraged to submit their essays or poetry online; suggested areas of focus include personal experiences with social exclusion or inclusion, or analysis of social boundaries in one's community or school. This section of the website is based on the notion that "Storytelling is a powerful way to break down barriers and increase understanding." Those whose work is selected for publication receive either cash, a gift card to an online bookseller, or a donation to a charity of the author's choice. Mix It Up Monthly, an e-newsletter about Mix It Up activities and what student activists are doing to create more inclusive environments in their schools and communities, builds on this storytelling exchange.
Each year, Mix It Up encourages young people to take action to challenge social boundaries at school. According to organisers, 70% of students name the cafeteria as the place where social boundaries are most clearly drawn at school. To that end, a "Mix It Up at Lunch" page on the website lists ideas for ways in which young people can band together to plan a Mix It Up Day at their own schools. Downloadable posters, e-cards, announcements are offered free of charge. A list of classroom activities is designed to help teachers support their students' participation in Mix It Up at Lunch Day. Examples include name games, recommended reading, and "I'm Human, Too". In 2003, more than 2 million students at almost 7,000 schools participated in Mix It Up at Lunch Day. They exchanged seats in their cafeterias and lunch areas and connected with new people from different social groups. November 16 2004 is, as of this writing, the next Mix It Up at Lunch activist day. Click here to download the 2004 brochure in PDF format.
As this lunchtime initiative suggests, youth action supportive of dialogue is central to the programme. To elaborate, the Mix It Up Handbook (free) supports students who wish to plan Mix It Up Dialogues - also called study circles - that are designed to help people really get to know one another and begin to respect different viewpoints. Led by either youth or adult facilitators, these small groups of 8-10 people begin the process by agreeing on communication guidelines. The dialogues are meant to empower participants to challenge divisive social boundaries at school by sharing strategies for creating more open and accepting campuses.
This programme also offers grants to support youth-led programmes and projects that address social boundaries in schools or communities. Grants range from US$250 to US$500 and are non-renewable. Youth have to be a part of the decision-making process; projects must promote collaboration across social boundaries (e.g., different youth groups, clubs, or community groups working together). Ideas are provided in various sections of the website to help young activists plan a project. For example, thinking points include: "Set goals; assign roles and responsibilities. What specific tactics will the group use to raise awareness about the problem or to effect change? Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Do you need money to implement your project? Do you need to get a permit? Who's going to do those things and when?"
Each year, Mix It Up encourages young people to take action to challenge social boundaries at school. According to organisers, 70% of students name the cafeteria as the place where social boundaries are most clearly drawn at school. To that end, a "Mix It Up at Lunch" page on the website lists ideas for ways in which young people can band together to plan a Mix It Up Day at their own schools. Downloadable posters, e-cards, announcements are offered free of charge. A list of classroom activities is designed to help teachers support their students' participation in Mix It Up at Lunch Day. Examples include name games, recommended reading, and "I'm Human, Too". In 2003, more than 2 million students at almost 7,000 schools participated in Mix It Up at Lunch Day. They exchanged seats in their cafeterias and lunch areas and connected with new people from different social groups. November 16 2004 is, as of this writing, the next Mix It Up at Lunch activist day. Click here to download the 2004 brochure in PDF format.
As this lunchtime initiative suggests, youth action supportive of dialogue is central to the programme. To elaborate, the Mix It Up Handbook (free) supports students who wish to plan Mix It Up Dialogues - also called study circles - that are designed to help people really get to know one another and begin to respect different viewpoints. Led by either youth or adult facilitators, these small groups of 8-10 people begin the process by agreeing on communication guidelines. The dialogues are meant to empower participants to challenge divisive social boundaries at school by sharing strategies for creating more open and accepting campuses.
This programme also offers grants to support youth-led programmes and projects that address social boundaries in schools or communities. Grants range from US$250 to US$500 and are non-renewable. Youth have to be a part of the decision-making process; projects must promote collaboration across social boundaries (e.g., different youth groups, clubs, or community groups working together). Ideas are provided in various sections of the website to help young activists plan a project. For example, thinking points include: "Set goals; assign roles and responsibilities. What specific tactics will the group use to raise awareness about the problem or to effect change? Who? What? When? Where? Why? How? Do you need money to implement your project? Do you need to get a permit? Who's going to do those things and when?"
Development Issues
Youth, Tolerance.
Key Points
While this project is USA-based, some of the ideas might be applicable to young people in other countries.
Partners
Southern Poverty Law Center, Study Circles Resource Center.
Sources
Mix It Up on the Tolerance.org website.
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