This is an activity from the Southern Poverty Law Center’s Teaching Tolerance Program that can be very beneficial to schools looking to break down the social barriers that separate students. This activity can be adapted for any grade level, and for the particular needs of any school. The basic goal of a Mix It Up Lunch Day is to encourage students to sit with someone new in the cafeteria. While this seems simple, its ramifications can be significant. The SPLC has determined that the school cafeteria is the place where divisions between students are most clearly drawn, and have concluded, therefore, that this is a place where an intervention would be beneficial to unifying the school community in meaningful ways. They cite their intention to encourage children to “identify, question, and cross social boundaries,” which means that a successful program would go beyond having children switch their seats. Depending on grade level and school demographics, the different ideas suggested on their program website include various conversations, games, and activities that have students get to know new people in meaningful ways while also considering the reasons why they usually would remain separated. In this way, Mix It Up Lunch Days can be a powerful and practical tool for creating long-term connections between students who would usually be divided by lines of race, class, gender, and religion.
These Lunch Day programs typically take place early in the year so that students have a chance to form connections that could potentially last the duration of the year. The teacher, or facilitator’s role is to roam through the tables ensuring that students are, indeed, meeting new people, and to ask questions that prompt more insightful and thoughtful conversations. Asking students to introduce one another, to talk about their shared school experiences, and to find common ground can be a powerful tool in creating a successful day.
I chose this activity idea because it is a simple, practical, and meaningful way to create a more inclusive and equitable school environment. While there are many activities focused on individual classrooms, changing student attitudes, and having children confront the realities of disadvantage, this activity is focused on positive action and the school as a whole. Fostering a sense of community, where students know and care for one another outside of their separate groups can go a long way. However, this activity, obviously, does not stand alone. While this might be a good introduction activity, it needs to be paired with a more extensive curriculum about division and disadvantage in order for its message to really be valuable.
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