Expanding National Reach
In Southwest Michigan, Calling All Colors began by using the original Coastal Carolina format - elementary school students from three communities coming together once a year for an all-day event. After two years of this format the planning committee, eager to provide greater continuity, expanded the program from one full day to a series of half-days. As a result, students from very different communities are now able to share the Calling All Colors experience at least twice in the same school year. In addition, teachers enrich and expand the program by arranging for classroom visits, shared field trips, e-mail exchanges, and other forms of contact.As Calling All Colors has grown in Southwest Michigan, a series of modules have been developed to help diminish children's anxiety about interacting with those of a different racial/ethnic group and to increase their understanding and respect for one another.
Trained facilitators create a safe environment in which children from different communities can meet, collaborate in small groups on shared projects, talk openly about racial differences and similarities (subjects often considered taboo in "mixed company"), and come to know each other as individuals, rather than stereotypes.
Each Calling All Colors event matches same-age classrooms from Benton Harbor and St. Joseph or Stevensville. After an introductory assembly, the students are divided into groups of twelve; each group is led by a facilitator to separate rooms, where they will participate in a variety of activities.
Initially, the group leader asks the children to introduce themselves by sharing their name, school, favorite foods, and favorite activities. As they go around the circle, their introductions often prompt grins and reactions like: "Oh, yeah, pizza, that's my favorite too"; "You play rocket football? So do I!".
Each child is then partnered with a "buddy" from the other school and the six pairs begin collaborating on the other Calling All Colors modules.
At the end of the day's activities, the children come back to their circles and talk about their experiences. Adult or teen leaders structure the conversation around a variety of open-ended questions.
In one third-grade group, the students were asked: "Was today just as you imagined it would be, or was it different? Was there anything about today that surprised you?" After a few moments of reflection, one Benton Harbor student pointed to his buddy from St. Joseph and said: "I was surprised he liked me". Gesturing toward the remaining students from St. Joseph, he added: "I was surprised they liked us". This led to a chorus of similar responses from other children from both communities; each one had anticipated rejection. The children talked openly about those expectations, their relief at finding acceptance, and their excitement about the discovery of common interests, likes, and dislikes.