JUST Community 101

Even though I don’t teach anymore, I still get excited about the beginning of a new school year. One of the best things about a new school year is the opportunity to meet a new crop of students who have the potential to impact your life and teach you as much, or more, than you can teach them. Well, my opportunity to learn came a little early this year. On a sunny and hot day in July, I had the opportunity to spend the afternoon with thirty-three energetic, interesting and thoughtful students from the greater Cincinnati area.

So, in the spirit of the back-to-school season, here are some lessons I learned at JUST Community 2011:

You are never too old for a great game of Musical Chairs.
Long-time volunteer Eddie lead the group in a high-energy game of musical chairs after lunch. I initially thought this was a just a fun way to prevent the students from getting sleepy; however, I was in for a huge surprise. After a few rounds of musical chairs, he reminded the students that the same energy they used to play the game is the same energy they would need to challenge bullying and bigotry in their schools and communities.

Honesty + Vulnerability = Enlightenment
Over the course of the week at JUST Community, the students had to take part in various exercises designed to get them to think about race, gender, sexual orientation and a whole host of other issues that would intimidate most adults. One such exercise, “60 Seconds,” required them to think about their own bias and use of stereotypes. By the end of the exercise, the students learned that when they are honest about the stereotypes they believe in and vulnerable enough to confront them, they can then begin to see the real person, not a label.

Gold is good, but platinum is better.
One of the first things you learn in home or school is the Golden Rule. Although the Golden Rule is still an important, JUST Community participants abided by the Platinum Rule: ‘Treat others the way they want to be treated.’ The Platinum Rule shifted the focus to the feelings of others and gave the students a new and improved way to relate to their peers and counselors.


Diversity and Inclusion aren’t synonymous.
Diversity can mean having a lot of different people from a variety of backgrounds and experience. JUST Community did indeed have a large group of young adults, from different schools, all with a range of different experiences. But the group that I saw was more than a diverse community; the group was an inclusive community. In an inclusive community, everyone has a voice and a role to play. By the end of the day, each student had an opportunity to participate. While some students were more vocal than others, it was obvious that even the quiet students appreciated the opportunity to engage with their peers and develop a sense of their leadership potential. One of final activities for the day included the students developing their own back-to-school Action Plan in which they outlined the ways they could change their respective communities by using what they learned. In doing so, they learned from each other and I learned a lot from them.

BRIDGES has a GREAT Program Staff
I already knew that the Program Staff was wonderful and JUST Community gave me another great opportunity to see their commitment and talent in action. Many thanks to David, Shawn,Tynisha, the Public Allies and all of the volunteers for a great JUST Community 2011.


MW