Mix It Up is a nationwide campaign that supports students who want to identify, question, and cross social boundaries that separate them from each other and help build inclusive, welcoming learning environments.
It's a simple call to action: take a new seat in the cafeteria. By making the move, students can cross the lines of division, meet new people, and make new friends.
You can find the article written by Richard Walsh that was published on the Mix It Up Website at:
http://www.tolerance.org/teens/stories/article.jsp?p=0&ar=234
Special to the Gazette • November 11, 2008 (www.chillicothegazette.com)
Chillicothe High School students will be among 4 million others nationwide who will look to challenge social and racial boundaries Thursday during the seventh annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day.
The day encourages students to question and cross boundaries by sitting with someone new in the cafeteria for one day. Some schools plan activities for the whole day, and some use the event to kick off a year-long exploration of social divisions.
"This year, Mix It Up Day has a special significance because of the historic election of Barack Obama as the first black president," said Mix It Up Director Samantha Elliott Briggs. "Students across America are very excited about doing their part to tear down the walls that divide us."
More than 8,000 schools are expected to participate in this year's program, which is sponsored by the Southern Poverty Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project.
Student organizers say Mix It Up at Lunch Day successfully encourages students to cross group lines and meet new people, helps foster school spirit and unity, raises awareness about social boundaries, helps students make new friends and makes students feel more comfortable interacting with different kinds of people.
The Southern Poverty Law Center started its Teaching Tolerance program in 1991 to provide educators with free resources designed to promote respect for differences and an appreciation of diversity. The Mix It Up program began in 2002.