Creating an inclusive school climate is directly related to reducing violence in your school and community. No matter what age group you are working with or where you live, promoting tolerance and respect must be a priority. Below are some ideas on ways to increase awareness about the importance of inclusion and equity in your school:

• Hang posters around campus citing hate crime statistics and the consequences of harassment and hate crimes.
• Identify examples of respect and lack of respect for others in history and in literature.
• Have students pair up with a student from a different culture and allow them to “shadow” each other for a day so they will each see what it is like to walk in someone else’s shoes.
• Create a poster or brochure on diversity.
• Paint a peaceful mural over graffiti on the school or around the community that incorporates the theme of unity.
• Host a “Mix It Up In The Cafeteria Day” and encourage everyone to sit with different people at lunch (for more information visit www.mixitup.org).
• Conduct an essay contest on respect and tolerance. Read the winning essay at an event or over the morning announcements.
• Use team-building activities that utilize sharing and group participation.
• Sponsor a Cultural Awareness Fair where dress, food, activities, and decorations reflect different cultures from around the world.
• Pick a group in your school or community that rarely gets recognition and have a day or activity to “appreciate” them.
• Research the different cultures in your school and designate a different day to honor each one.
• Organize a service project where all students and members of the community can come together and make a large impact in the school or the community.
• Sponsor a speech contest on different cultures and how they show respect to one another.