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Paris High participates in Challenge Day
By Mary Madewell
Published October 24, 2009
Bullying, violence and other forms of oppression are a part of a typical day at school for millions of young people, including many in Paris and the surrounding area.
Many students are afraid to walk down the halls for fear of being teased or humiliated. Others feel so alone and frightened that they cannot even pay attention in class.
Thanks to funding from the Diversity Task Force of Paris and a grant from United Way of Paris and Lamar County, the nationally acclaimed Challenge Day program comes to Paris Monday through Wednesday at Paris High School.
More than 300 youth in grades eight through twelve and 75 adults will experience the innovative workshop, which is designed to break down barriers and promote school and community environments based on understanding, acceptance and love.
“Challenge Day is the largest project that the task force has supported,” said Mary Clark, Diversity Task Force co-chairperson. “We have long said that developing relationships and respect among those who are different from each other will change this community.”
The program addresses negative judgments, thoughtless jokes, rumors and other oppressive behavior.
“Barriers are broken down, but it goes further,” Clark said. “Our
students and participating staff and community members will be challenged to be the catalyst for positive change in the school and community.
Clark said both the Diversity Task Force and the Challenge Day program have the same goals.
“We’re very excited about the momentum that will come from these days of training,” she said. “Our future depends on our students being able to work with and appreciate diversity. Challenge Day has the same goals.”
Motivated by a vision that love and connection are possible in schools, Rich and Yvonne Dutra-St. John created the Challenge Day program in 1987 in Martinez, Calif.
Through their years of professional experience with teens and families the couple states on the program Web site they recognized that teasing, bullying and other forms of social oppressions are symptoms of a grater underlying problem: separation, isolation and loneliness.
The two designed the program to build connection and forgiveness between young people an to inspire youth to become positive of change in their choose and communities.
Challenge Day was formed as a nonprofit organization in 2001, and today its programs have reached hundreds of thousands of young people across North American and around the world.
The program has received numerous awards from the Juvenile Justice System, the Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) Officers Association and government officials, It has been featured in the New York Times best-seller “Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soup” along with the Emmy-winning documentary “Teen Files: Surviving High School” and on the Opray Winfrey show.
Lamar County United Way President Robert High said local funding for the program is an example of the world-wide change of United Way focus from a collector and distributor of funds to one that focuses on community education, income and health.
“Challenge Day certainly embraces this new philosophy and it’s an honor and a pleasure for the United Way of Paris and Lamar County to be a part of it,” High said. “We encourage everyone to take part in this most worthy endeavor aimed at encouraging our youth to make wise choices.
“In so doing they will become productive members of society and not a burden upon it.”
To learn more about the work of Challenge Day, visit www.challengeday.org.
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