Solution+&+Action+Ideas

Based upon the knowledge and information we have learned and gained from interviewing and surveying students at Pascack Valley, stereotyping definitely exists, and 75% of the student body and faculty have admitted to stereotyping people, even if it was done subconsciously. Discrimination and stereotyping has occurred for centuries, and although everyone has their own opinions, it is somewhat impossible to change everyone's mind sets. While it may seem challenging for individuals to see past their differences and see everyone as equals, because humanity has essentially been battling with this exact issue for centuries; we can still take action in our own community to change this old unreasonable way. We can learn to accept and educate ourselves about other cultures and beliefs.

Chelsea and Jacky:
Some solutions or ideas on how to act on this issue are: - Educating the students and faculty on stereotypes, and demonstrating how it really makes people feel, have an assembly, public speaker, or even just a day dedicating to activities and lessons about stereotyping - Establishing a "focus group" on which students (or faculty) who feel stereotyped can attend, and discuss their feelings, and meet other people who are possibly being stereotyped for the same or different reasons that they can relate to - An assembly that connects the student body as a whole, enabling us to realize we're all the same no matter what we look like, what we wear, what religion we believe in, where our ancestors are from, or what hobbies we're interested in - Hire more faculty members that aren't just Caucasian (Beyond our control, but still an issue) The fact that there are only one or two non-Caucasian teachers, if a non-Caucasian student needed help, they might not feel comfortable talking to a Caucasian teacher about a problem that has to do with their ethnicity - Observe and study more holidays that are in celebration of other nationalities or ethnic/racial backgrounds

Jess:
It is human instinct to quickly label someone as soon we meet them. When we are faced new information, we try to make sense of it in the quickest way possible and group people together. Based on assumption, we place individuals into groups of relevancy. Then instead of giving people equal opportunities, we already pre-judge and have prejudice feelings. For stereotyping to be eliminated, the best thing to do is keep an open mind. Bring together people of different backgrounds together so everyone can learn to appreciate common interests, goals, experiences, and backgrounds. Put your feet in others shoes; commit to expanding your knowledge about other cultures and things you don't understand. Make it a goal to remove stereotyping and truly think about it. There are so many things we can learn about each other and our differences. Its a matter of if you have a good enough self-esteem and maturity to do so.

Sam:
While it may be nearly impossible to put an end to stereotypes completely, we must realize that what each individual says or does can make the world of a difference. One comment changes one persons complete perception of a certain person or idea; which is exactly the problem. There's a domino effect that is always occurring. If we didn't initially have negative thoughts about people maybe we would give them a chance or get to know them. It entirely has to an individual's mindset. While some people are not easily influenced by others, most are, especially throughout their adolescent years. These years are called the "toughest" for a reason. Stereotypes begin to become very frequent and common throughout these years. But this isn't where they start, quite frankly I believe most of these biased views start right in a person's home. So really what we can do as a community or even as a school is open people's eyes to the negative effect that stereotyping has. Have people who may be so hurt by these stereotypes speak to classes and students. Sometimes people don't realize what they're doing until they see it first-hand. Just speaking about "stereotyping" does nothing. It's vague, and mainly teenagers don't even listen when you try to tell them something that they don't think is relevant to their life. It seems counterproductive but having seriously effected teens speak to their peers, obtaining their undivided attention would make a difference.