Weekend Retreat Kicks Off Diversity “Dream Teams”

Date: October 20, 2009

Before the dorm halls were filled with the usual activities of college life, students from 23 New Haven area districts came together for a weekend-long retreat at Quinnipiac University and the first workshop of the school year to address issues of prejudice, discrimination and diversity.

As a part of the Southern Connecticut Conference "dream team" program, 23 schools that are members of the SCC high school athletic league select a team of five students and a teacher advisor who serve as "Dream Teams" - diversity advocates and role models in their respective schools.  The teams participate in an extensive ADL A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute diversity training series which includes a weekend retreat and five workshops. 

The students participated over the summer in a weekend-long retreat at Quinnipiac University where they met each other and engaged in two and a half days of interactive workshops, activities and discussions.  The first session of the school year was held last month, during which the students continued the difficult conversations and hard work they began over the summer, and initiated the first steps of action planning for the development of a specific strategy and proposal to address diversity issues in their own respective school communities.

The program provides an important opportunity to build relationships among students who come from urban, suburban, public and parochial schools and who rarely, if ever, have a chance to know one another, and to generate dialogue between them.  Participants learn about themselves and each other and ultimately learn to take personal responsibility for combating prejudice.

ADL's A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute is a leading provider of anti-bias education and diversity training programs and resources. The Institute seeks to help participants recognize bias and the harm it inflicts on individuals and society, explore the value of diversity, improve intergroup relations, and combat racism, anti-Semitism and all forms of prejudice and bigotry.

Students and adults involved in this program have described it as a life-changing experience – diversity education at its best.