What is Mix It Up at Lunch Day?

Just what is Mix It Up at Lunch Day?

A national campaign launched by Teaching Tolerance a decade ago, Mix It Up at Lunch Day encourages students to identify, question and cross social boundaries.

In our surveys, students have identified the cafeteria as the place where divisions are most clearly drawn. So on one day – October 29 this school year – we ask students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch. It’s a simple act with profound implications. Studies have shown that interactions across group lines can help reduce prejudice. When students interact with those who are different from them, biases and misperceptions can fall away.

Resources

Mix It Up offers an array of free online resources designed to help school groups and classroom teachers explore the issue of social boundaries. These activities can be used as ice-breakers during the planning process, to get the group geared up for the event; or they can be used as classroom activities by teacher allies seeking to support the Mix It Up effort.

Stay connected


Mix it Up Blogs

What makes a Mix It Up model school?

You’re likely feeling immersed in Mix It Up by now, having browsed our online offerings, read the blogs and emails, followed updates on Facebook and Twitter. But you might be asking yourself, “What are these model schools? How were they chosen? What’s special about them?”

Excited to Mix It Up in New Orleans

More than half the students in my middle school receive special education services or some extra help for academics or behavior. We polled our student leadership to find out the biggest issues in school. They said, “Cliques.”

How to Seat Students for Mix It Up

There are so many ways to mix up student seating at lunch that it can be difficult to consider them all. Don’t let this be a stumbling block. The outcome is the same, no matter the path that gets you there—You want to get students to sit with different people at lunch, and you want them to have a conversation so they get to know each other a bit.

The Southern Poverty Law Center – Teaching Tolerance

The Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is a nonprofit civil rights organization dedicated to fighting hate and bigotry. Founded in 1971, SPLC is known for investigating and exposing hate group activities throughout the world. They focus on widespread issues of social injustice including children at risk, hate and extremism, immigrant justice, and LGBT rights. But they go a step beyond fighting hate and seeking justice for the vulnerable. The SPLC conducts one of the nation’s leading programs for teaching tolerance.

More Mix It Up Days Ahead

By now, you’re well under way to having a great Mix It Up at Lunch Day. It’s a good time to starting thinking about what happens beyond the Oct. 30.