CAMP CROSSTOWN

Photos from the 2009 Camp Crosstown Leadership Retreat, held in June at Colombiere Conference Center.

Cyber Bullying PSA

ALL IN! Wednesday and Thursday

ALL IN: Days 3 & 4: Leadership and Sacrifice

Alice Paul was one of many women who fought for the right to vote. When president Wilson did not back the cause of women's suffrage, she organized a protest outside the white house. This lead to her arrest for "obstructing traffic". To protest this unwarrented arrest, she went on a hunger strike in jail. Officials responded to her hungry strike by moving her into the psychiatric ward, restraining her and force feeding her raw eggs through a plastic tube.

Harvey Milk, a community leaders and activist, became the first openly gay man elected to public office when he was elected to the board of supervisors in San Francisco in 1977. Knowing the risks of this public personna, and having received multiple death threats, Milk said "If a bullet should enter my brain, let that bullet destroy every closet door." Milk was assassinated by Dan White in 1978.

Being a leader in creating more inclusive communities is not easy. Our country's history is filled with stories like those of Alice Paul and Harvey Milk - stories of individuals who stood against oppression, only to face dire consequences. But that does not mean that they stood in vain. Alice Paul's ordeal inspired a much larger number of women to join in the fight for the right to vote (which finally came to pass in 1920), and outrage over Harvey Milk's assassination helped to jumpstart the movement for LGBT rights and inspired other members fo the community to become more involved in the political process.

Sometimes being an ally and standing up for others means facing embarrassment or harrassment ourselves. Sometimes it means being willing to cause tension among those who are closest to us, or being willing to speak against people who are in authority. Being a leader for diversity and inclusion means realizing that whether we are talking about the fight for equality for people with disabilities, or the fight for respect for people of different faiths - that we ALL have a stake in the struggle for inclusion.

Reflection Questions:

What consequences might people face for standing up for others in your school or community?

Have you ever stood up for a cause that you believe in, even though you knew that you were risking some negative consequences?

Activity:

Think about all of the people that you feel close to. How many of the people in your life are a different race than you? A different religion? A different sexual orientation? Identify the culture, group or demographic that you know the least about - and learn more about that group. What is their history? What challenges face their community? What opportunities are there for someone like yourself to become an ally for their cause?

ALL IN! Tuesday

DAY 2: CHANGE

Today millions of people will watch the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Obama's election was a milestone for America, not only because he is the first African American president, but also because of the sense of community and hope that his campaign inspired. Young people turned out to vote in the recent election in record numbers, and a significant portion of Obama's campaign budget was raised in the form of small, individual donations. The campaign also engaged younger people through social networking websites, youtube, and other online venues with a level of success not seen by any previous campaign. President Obama's election and now inauguration is engaging a whole new generation of Americans in the political process.

Activity:

President Obama ran on a platform of Hope and Change, promising to unite the country to make a number of changes for the better. What changes would you like to see happen first? Write a letter to the new president, briefly outlining the changes that you would like to see in the US and why. Share your letter with us, and we will post it here on the blog.

Now, think locally. What changes would you like to see in your local community? In your school? What is your individual role in starting to bring about those changes?

ALL IN! MONDAY

ALL IN officially begins today. Over the next several days, student groups across metro Detroit will be surveying their peers to find out who feels "in" and who doesn't at their school, hosting dialogue sessions with other students and reporting what they find to school administration. To kick-off these activities, each day this week our blog will feature a new topic for discussion, reflection and action. Whether or not you are part of an ALL IN! student group, we encourage you to visit this blog each day for ways that you can make a difference on your own or with others!

DAY 1: REFLECTION
Before we can move forward to build more inclusive schools and communities, we first need to look back and find inspiration from the leaders who came before us, and the barriers that they fought to overcome. Today America celebrates the life and legacy of civil rights icon Martin Luther King, Jr. King focused the nation's eyes on civil rights by working tirelessly to end oppression through nonviolent means, becoming the youngest person to receive the Nobel Peace Prize in 1964.



Reflection Questions:
1. In his most famous speech, King described his dream for America. What is your dream for your community? What needs to happen to make your school, neighborhood and city closer to that dream?

Individual Activity:
Martin Luther King may be the best known figure of the American Civil Rights movement, but he understood the importance of community, and he did not do his work alone. King made important community connections. He worked with the American Friends Service Committee to travel to India and study Ghandi's principles of nonviolent resistance. He was counseled by civil rights leaders like Bayard Rustin, an activist who fought for racial equality as well as lgbt equality. He lead the Montgomery Bus Boycott after Claudette Colvin and later (more famously) Rosa Parks refused to give up seats to white bus passengers.

Investigate the contributions made by one of the people or groups that worked with or inspired Martin Luther King. Some links to get you started:
http://rustin.org/
http://www.rosa-parks-biography.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coretta_Scott_King

Who inspires you? What connections do you need to make in order to carry on Martin Luther King's legacy in your community?

For more information on participating in ALL IN! in your school, visit www.miroundtable.org

ALL IN! School Profile - Groves High School

Advisor : Shelia Brice

Mission Statement : To Celebrate diversity, tear down barriers, and rise by lifting others.

Points of Pride :

Wylie E. Groves High School, home of the Falcons, takes great pride in our high expectations for achievement, our diversity, our acceptantance of differering perspectives and our students ability to expand their point of view. Visit “our house” at www.grovestoday for more information.
Fred Procter , Principal


Annual Multicutural Retreat brings 15 teens and 10 staff together to spend a weekend together off campus getting to know one another.
The Multicultural Retreat is a highlight of our activity calendar each year. It is a great achievement of past and current faculty and students that has a 17 year tradition that continues to promote awareness and communication skills. 
 -Paul Van Ermen


Experiential Learning Center

 Our annual Dr. Martin Luther King Assembly is a decades tradition that features a video “the Faces of Groves” and options for Community Service projects. This year Mosaic Youth Theater’s “Speak for Yourself” will perform at our assemblies. One of our seniors, Alicia Thomas, is in the cast. There will be a “Talk Back” section so students can ask questions of the cast. -Sheila Brice,Community Service Organizer




French, Japanese and Spanish Clubs encourage global competency through competition and trips


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Amnesty International promotes awareness and action for causes like AIDS empidemic in Africa.


Our GSA created a Chain of Remembrance that hangs in the Commons with staff and student signatures to show that bullying and harassment will not be tolerated .




Last year our Diversity Committee conducted a letter writing campaign on behalf of the Jena Six.


Health classes hear annually from MINDS, Mental Illness Needs Discussion Sessions.

ALL IN! School Profile - Howell High School

Howell High School Diversity Club

Advisors: Suzanne Hosner and Mary Jane Shafto

Vision Statement: Working together to create an environment where our diversity is valued and our differences respected.

ALL IN! Week Plans:
- Set up a Diversity Showcase
- Daily announcements -- quotations or messages of acceptance
- MRDI Survey in English Classes
- Afterschool movie with group discussion
- Handing out "You're IN" messages with a small piece of candy at lunchtime
- "Mix It Up" Days at both campuses in the weeks following ALL IN!

Other activities:
- Fundraising to bring in assembly speaker on diversity
- Encouraging membership at Annual School Club Fair
- Attended Michigan Roundtable Youth Summit
- Post Card campaign: LGBTQ Postcard project to remind President elect Obama of the concerns about marriage equality.