Many teens naturally exude energy, enthusiasm and a strong interest in justice. By nurturing student leadership through curriculum, activities and open communication at all levels, schools can build stronger communities both inside and outside the school walls.
• Sponsor and promote a student diversity club. Members can meet regularly to discuss problems that may arise and to plan projects to draw the school community closer together. Keep in mind that projects initiated and carried out by faculty or administrators seldom "take off" in middle schools or high schools; the key to success is always student involvement.
• Create a conflict resolution team. The training of both teachers and students takes time but can be enormously helpful in both preventing and dealing with hate incidents. Invite students from all of the school's racial, ethnic and other identity groups to become mediators. Ask all students and teachers to note and report signs of tensions between racial or ethnic groups and harassment of students for any reason, and allow trained peer mediators to help resolve the tensions.
• Support the formation of a gay/straight alliance. A group that offers all students a safe place to discuss sexual orientation and other issues can often accomplish projects that gay youth alone might never undertake.
• Promote respect for students with disabilities. Plan an annual disability awareness event. Involve student athletes as mentors for Special Olympics athletes.
• Enlist the help of student editors. Encourage the student newspaper to highlight diversity at your school through multicultural feature articles, news stories or opinion surveys. Point out that the editorial staff is in an important position for responding constructively to major bias incidents as well as ongoing matters of equity and respect at school.
• Organize an assembly about the effects of bias. Hold the program annually to help deter bias incidents and lay the groundwork for an effective response should a problem arise. Involve students as planners. Invite a diverse panel of college students or other young adults to discuss the issue. Invite a law enforcement officer to discuss legal prohibitions and consequences. Ask a representative from a local civil rights organization, college or university to provide a historical overview. Arrange for someone from the community — such as a domestic violence shelter director, gang counselor or Holocaust survivor — to address emotional and psychological factors concerning both victims and perpetrators. As a follow-up, encourage teachers to implement lessons on the causes and impact of prejudice.
Brian Elliot, student at Parkway Central High School, Chesterfield, Mo., and founder of "Deaf Link"