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and change. They might disagree with you. Their personal reflections are more powerful and compelling than any comment I could share with you.
Listen to examples of problems and distress for elementary and middle schoolers. Our tolerance museum on campus at The College of New Jersey and our life skill programs create a safe place for kids to share what is in their hearts.
This from Jermaine, 12 years old, Dunn Middle School
“I was in the second grade and my family left for a picnic and when I was playing in the swings, two white kids came up to me and told me that I should just go back to wherever I came from and when I heard this I was confused and upset. When I told my dad, he told us we’re going home.”
This is from Shelley, 4th grade
“When I was 9, my family and I were looking at a house and someone left a note on our windshield saying, “white neighborhood only, get out.”
Academic achievement and success are built upon both the pillar of self esteem and the foundation of respect for oneself and others. Recent research confirms that for some kids if you wait too long, it’s too late. For example, gang prevention, to be effective, has to be started by upper elementary school or you have lost that kid. In the absence of a family structure, the gang surrounds the youth and becomes a pseudo-family support system. But you already know the problems. We are solution-oriented.
After visiting the Kidsbridge museum of tolerance or after a Kidsbridge life skill program, we ask the kids to share:
Jordon, 8 years old, 5th Grade
“I learned that it’s not nice to tease anyone because you wouldn’t want people to tease you. Would you? I will not tease anybody again! I liked the museum because you had a lot of stuff I can learn about.”
Susan, 8th Grade
“It affected me a lot because all my life I have had problems with people making fun of me for many reasons. And now I know that there are other people out there that are dealing with what I deal with. I don’t feel so alone. Also I know we can all stick together, and be a family and stop stereotyping, and racial comments, etc.”
And here are some others:
“I knew things happened in the world, but this woke me up. Hearing real kids talk about this and not just reading about it really opened my eyes to a whole new world. I was extremely moved by every exhibit I saw today. Decisions will be much easier for me now.”
“Many of my closest friends say they want to help save Darfur, but most do nothing about it. And I had no passion for the subject, but now that I have seen such moving pieces and especially the kids’ drawings, I feel that I might have more than them. I promise myself that I will help to make a difference.”
“Each exhibit showed why not to treat people bad or tease …. So I stopped teasing people; that was a good lesson. When people tease me I feel the same way. The shredder machine shredded all my bad feelings and I felt much better. I feel good as new.”
This from a middle school student inspired to go to college:
“I really enjoyed my visit to The College of NJ today. The tour really showed me something that I didn’t know about college. It really increased my interest and I really want to go to college now. I know it will take a lot of hard work to get there and I will try my best and give it my all to get there. “
We are teaching kids to respect themselves. We are teaching kids to respect adults. We are inspiring kids to aspire to college. We are empowering kids to say no, to drugs and gangs. Kidsbridge life skill programs met weekly with identified at risk kids working to reinforce strategies for positive life skills. These programs have college mentors or inner city teen mentors who have turned their lives around.
We invite you to come and observe our programs. Whether it’s an epiphany in the tolerance museum or a light bulb turned on in our weekly life skill programs,
KIDSBRIDGE -- EMPOWERING YOUTH TO MAKE POSITIVE CHANGES IN THEMSELVES
AND IN OUR WORLD!
Sincerely,
Lynne Azarchi
Executive Director
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