Mix it Up - 2006.
 

My school is one of a couple I know about that is participating in the Mix it Up Activity this year.

For those of you who don't know what mix it up is, it can be basically be described as several in class activities to help "brake down the walls" that divide today's schools. These events lead up to the main Mix it Up event, which takes place on November 14, 2006 during the lunch time of perhaps millions of students.

At my school, we have had activities where we filled out a survey about how and why we think our school is divided, and things that could be done to change that matter. We've also diagrammed out our cafeteria and wrote where we sat on a daily basis to see which people tend to group together. We have had class discussions about controversial issues and why we think they affect the social grouping the most of us tend to do unconsciously.

During the lunch time, students are asked to sit a table different from where they normally sit, with people they may have never spoken to before, be it for choice or they've never had the opportunity.

More information can be found at http://www.mixitup.org/.
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When my school first introduced us to the idea, I was with the majority of the students having a skeptical attitude that the whole idea was stupid and pointless that it was going to get us anywhere. Since we've started doing the activities it has changed my opinion about the whole concept. It helps get students to relate to each other. I've always tended to be somewhat of an outsider, I've had the same friends since freshman year, sat at the same table since then too. We're the group of people that get stereotyped as the unsocial group. Having this activity at our school, has helped me realized that people outside my group of friends really aren't that cold-hearted and mean as I thought they were.

This activity may not completely do the job of helping students get along and eliminating creating potentially dangerous situations and who's to say that one thing will ever accomplish that. But I feel that this activity will help accomplish that.

I want to help get the word out there about this program. Even if some people don't take the program seriously, it could have tremendous affects on the ones that do.
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I'm looking for other FIRSTers who's schools are participating in this activity.


What is your school doing to promote this activity?
How do you feel about this activity?
If your school does not participate in this activity, do you think it would be a good idea / would you be willing to help get it started for next year?
Do you think this activity helps "break down the walls" that socially exist in schools?
Are there any aspects of FIRST that you believe also encourage the desegregation of today's youth?



Thank you you everyone for your time

and since this post may be a little boring...here is a penguin.

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

I really am looking forward to how they're going to manage to organize us that well.1. My school is practically doing nothing for it, except for the lunch mix-up.
2. I think its a good idea, especially to see how people are going to respond to being totally out of place, though forcing everyone into certain seats is going to be quite difficult. I won't exactly be able to help it get started at my school next year as I'm graduating, and I plan to be in another part of the country.
4. I HOPE it breaks down some of the barriers, though I know at my school it probably will create more problems between the groups, as there are way too many people that don't like each other at the school.For the record, Happy Feet rocks.

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

We did mix-it-up at RMHS back in the day. It was really well organized and publicized. We had a DJ dance party and the kids in the class that lead it had shirts. We did one of those bingo people games (ie: has a dad named Jim or Was born in another country) and it was actually pretty successful. I dont think Columbia is doing anything for it. My college is already pretty mixed up and we have no cafeteria to sit in anyways.


Good luck Michelle!!!

-Kelli

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

Michelle,
Let us know how things go. I am on the Diversity Committee at work and we are always looking for new ideas and struggling with the same kinds of issues.

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

I apologize for the delay in my response, I have had very hectic schedule for the last few days.

The even at my school probably didn't go as well as the administration had planned. Students were given either a yellow, pink, orange or green sticker and once they entered the lunch room they were so posted to sit at the corresponding table with that color.

The problem with my school's cafeteria is that we have round tables and square tables, the round tables were all pink, and they are by themselves, not connected to any other set of table and they only seat four people. People who had pink stickers found their friends with pink stickers and just claimed a table. The rest of the tables are indeed square and aligned in rows, but people would again just find people they knew with the same color sticker and sit near them.

I saw several people trading sticker colors with other students and a couple of students who somehow acquired a set of all four colors. Our school gave us the option of participating. We have indoor and outdoor seating. The color seating only applied to the indoor seating. My friends and I sit outside, and we just over passed the fact that it happened on the inside. We did have a few people who we didn't know sit with us who were trying to avoid the chaos inside of the cafeteria. I guess that counted as "Mixing it up".

I think that if the school would of approached3 the matter in a different way the event would of been more successful.

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

Our school participated in mix it up and it was very successful! Different clicks were broken up and met new friends!

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

My school's Mix It Up day was more or less a failure. Everyone was given a piece of candy during homeroom. That piece of candy told you where you were sitting in the lunch room. During lunch, everyone basically found their friends who had the same candy type they did and sat with them. Everyone was given free pizza and soda/water. After people finished eating, instead of conversing in their new group, they stood up, and started walking around to find their usual friends. The administrators realized they had lost control and basically gave up trying to get us to mix it up.

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

My school is doing something like this, only we are having the people come in that were on Oprah's Challenge Day. I really hope that this goes well as I can see a big division within my school. Also, sorry to hear that your day was not that great of success Adam!

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

We tried this, sort of, but slightly different. I notice it doesn't work when the admins force it upon people. If it's a choice, then it's great.

Re: Mix it Up - 2006.
 

Back in my day the school wasn't worried about mixing us up... its sad to see that even all these years later...and after what has happen in schools. That cliques are still around. Of course today I guess they would be called gangs, posies ect...
Mix it up is a great idea. But as one of the posters state , forcing it on the students isn't going to work.
Congrats to the young folks that tried it... good luck to those that are thinking of or going to be giving it a try. Learn from the lessons here.