Be the Change

Last week, Cathie participated in our local high school's "Challenge Day" (see the related article). Cathie is in the picture, on the far left middle.

Anyways, it was an all day gig where they brought together a disparate group of students to interact, addresses common issues including cliques, teasing, harassment, stereotypes, racism, bullying, violence, homophobia and other pressures, and teach the students to "Be The Change" by breaking down those barriers.

I talked to Cathie afterward and she loved it. I heard something in her voice I hadn't heard in a long time. Cathie used to work for Big Brothers/Big Sisters pairing up kids with mentors and this reminded her of how much she enjoyed that.

One of my very own kids from church, Katie Green, who happened to be the person who invited Cathie and I (I was traveling) to participate was quoted:

Green, who attended the program in the past, said this year's was the most intense yet, and "everyone was united by the end."

But she also knows that a one-day program isn't a sure fire solution. The students may act like they have changed for a short time, but for some of them, the old stereotypes come back into play.

That is where the Be The Change group comes in. Green and Roberts are two of the members in the group that takes pride in being leaders in the school.

"Convincing people is hard, but we want to keep this feeling going all year," Green said.