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 30 this school year – we ask students to move out of their comfort zones and connect with someone new over lunch. Some schools choose to host a unique activity to get the students involved with their community as is shown in this poster by the Canyons School District.

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

Daily Mix It Up Lunch Yields Big Shares

My small school has no cafeteria. Students bring their own lunches and eat in the classroom with their teachers. When I first learned about this set-up, I had mixed emotions. I didn’t get a break for lunch like most teachers, but on the other hand, my middle school students didn’t have to face the awkwardness and social segregation of a large school cafeteria.

Mix It Up at Lunch Gets Staff Talking

As we planned for Mix It Up at Lunch Day last year, I felt a deep sense of nervousness. I wasn’t worried about getting the kids to talk and chat. I teach at a small school, and the students are usually friendly with one another.

Mixing It Up at the Bus Stop: A Model

I love my neighborhood. On any given morning at the bus stop, I hear five different languages being spoken. While the words and sounds are different, the context is the same.

Mix It Up at Lunch: So What’s Next?

It happened everywhere, on campuses large and small, public and private, elementary to secondary, in more than 2,163 schools nationwide—as well as at international schools in Poland, India, Kyrgyzstan, United Arab Emirates and beyond. Mix It Up at Lunch Day was Tuesday, Oct. 18.

Taking Mix It Up from Lunch to the Classroom

I lean against my classroom door, fielding questions about last night’s homework and passing out early morning hellos. I watch students disperse into their assigned first-period classes. As I steal a quick sip of my morning coffee, I find myself pausing at this thought: A supposedly unbiased computer system serendipitously placed our students into their respective classes, but is this all there is to mixing it up? No.