Cross Cultural Bridge Building in Elementary School

SEAC’s Cross cultural Bridge Building Program targets youth and families in the ethnically/ linguistically diverse Chicago communities of Uptown and Edgewater.

"Building Bridges" tackles the problems of destructive interethnic rivalry, bigotry, violence, gangs, drugs, and family breakdown in its classes at McCutcheon and Goudy Public Schools. Workshops focus on cooperation, social and emotional skills, and academic success for students aged 6-13. Students learn to more profoundly understand themselves and their own cultures, and others and their cultures. They learn to understand people from different generations and those who are different physically from themselves. Students learn to solve problems and resolve conflicts peacefully, how to think deeply and feel sensitively. Students increase active participation in school and community, and they develop social and life skills -- the basis of self-esteem.

SEAC's program objective is to take a more positive approach to cross cultural education, thereby promoting societal harmony, personal maturity and self-fulfillment. This approach builds self-pride by rewarding effort, affirming positive interpersonal relations and encouraging constructive behavior.

The positive approach of the program stresses the commonalities of all human beings. Students learn that we all have histories common in atrocity and common in beauty. Students learn that we all have common needs, although we may go about fulfilling them differently. "Building Bridges" teaches that we belong to one human race more than to individual races; that we need to work together for all to win; and that the rewards of cooperation and helping others are high. In the same tone, the curriculum teaches nonviolent and constructive approaches to solving conflict and dealing with emotion.

To set up a Cross Cultural Bridge Building Program in your school, contact Paul at the center.

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