2010 Calling All Colors High School Conference; students participating in cooperative games
Calling All Colors is a diversity awareness program for middle and high school students in which students attend conferences, learn tools for increasing appreciation of diversity in their schools, and creatively collaborate to implement action plans all year. Students demonstrating leadership in many different capacities are selected from local schools to participate in two conferences per year, consisting of dialogues and activities focused on race relations. The students design and implement of action plans with the goal to create a greater appreciation for diversity in the overall school community.
- Engages ... 3,200 students since the first conference in 1997.
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Involves ... groups of students from multiple schools, participate in a
year-long project that includes two major conferences, in the spring and fall, on local college campuses
- Creates ... an opportunity for students to network, learn and create action plans
- Known for … exposing thousands of students, educators, and community members to the creative outcomes of the core Calling All Colors groups.
Program Overview
At the beginning of the school year, multiple middle schools and high schools, respectively, commence in-school diversity projects that begin with an opening conference at Hope College, sponsored by the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance. A core group of identified students, with at least 51% of the group representing diverse backgrounds, attend the opening conference. One school liaison (a teacher, counselor, or administrator) also participates.
Included in the opening conferences are keynote speakers, diversity dialogues and cultural activities: presented by international college students and community volunteers who share songs, dances, and activities from their culture, enriching students with a wider view of the world.
From this opening conference, the student groups develop action plans and implement their projects throughout the year. Diversity Alliance volunteers and interns assist the students with action planning.
Near the end of the school year, a second conference is held at Grand Valley State University, in which the students present their projects and outcomes. The work and message of student-led projects are designed to educate the larger school community. For instance, projects are often presented at school-wide assemblies or videos are produced/shared with the entire student body.
Participant Feedback
At the beginning of the school year, multiple middle schools and high schools, respectively, commence in-school diversity projects that begin with an opening conference at Hope College, sponsored by the Lakeshore Ethnic Diversity Alliance. A core group of identified students, with at least 51% of the group representing diverse backgrounds, attend the opening conference. One school liaison (a teacher, counselor, or administrator) also participates.
Included in the opening conferences are keynote speakers, diversity dialogues and cultural activities: presented by international college students and community volunteers who share songs, dances, and activities from their culture, enriching students with a wider view of the world.
From this opening conference, the student groups develop action plans and implement their projects throughout the year. Diversity Alliance volunteers and interns assist the students with action planning.
Near the end of the school year, a second conference is held at Grand Valley State University, in which the students present their projects and outcomes. The work and message of student-led projects are designed to educate the larger school community. For instance, projects are often presented at school-wide assemblies or videos are produced/shared with the entire student body.
Participant Feedback
- “I realized that although it may seem like everything is okay and that there is no racism but there is. For example, I thought the south has most of the racism problems, but I’m actually living in the most segregated state in the US.”
- “The more people we can make aware of racism in our world, the more of a chance we can make a change.”
- “I realized how few minorities I actually see or interact within a day.”
- "This made me more aware of people's feelings and therefore I will treat them with the respect they deserve."
- “I used to be kind of blind to racism, but Calling All Colors has opened my eyes.”
- “Racism is out there. With Calling All Colors, we actually get a chance to talk about it.”
