The Visor

Students united to deal with prejudice

January 28, 2010

Lindsay Huth

Four times a year, jean-clad students seem to disappear for the entire day and then suddenly reappear. No, they are not part of a Houdini-like magic trick; they assemble in the gym to participate in the NCBI, or National Coalition Building Institute, a Prejudice Reduction Workshop.

“It is an all-day program where the kids learn to be more aware of people’s cultural backgrounds and be more effective in getting others making an offensive statement to take a look at why they said it,” adviser Tom Hottinger said.

The day begins with an activity called Up-Downs in which the facilitators name a group of people such as Catholic or Italian and students stand up for the groups of which they are members. After an introductory ice-breaker during which everyone shares something about himself or herself, the real one-on-one diversity training begins.

“We pair off and try to break what we call the ‘internal record’, or the prejudices that each person has,” sophomore team member Ana Horattas said. “We say a group name, the other person responds with the first word that comes to mind and we all share with the group.”

Following this, the participants find different partners to share their appreciation for the groups of which they are a part and the prejudices about them that offend them. After other sharing and diversity-promoting activities, the group reconvenes for Speak Outs, one of the most touching aspects of the event.

“During Speak Outs, people talk about how they’ve experienced prejudice in their own lives,” adviser Katie Haubert said.

All of the people in the group pledge to stand by them as they deal with this problem.

This mentality of sharing and support among the student body is further enforced by the fact that students facilitate the entire program.

“We are there as advisers but the students run the whole thing,” Hottinger said. “This makes it more effective for the participants when they see them because kids are more willing to learn from their peers.”

Team members are chosen by the moderators as exemplary leaders in their classes. They are trained at St. Edward High School along with Gilmour Academy so that the Holy Cross schools can unite on the issue of prejudice.

“It’s important for kids today to realize that there is a different way to fight injustice than in a confrontational way,” Hottinger said. “Realizing that what you say can offend other cultures can benefit you down the road if you approach others with an open mind.”

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