Our February Peer Ambassador meeting was presented by several new Peer Leaders: Diana Victory, Noor Fleifel, Tess Schaefer, and Ariel Griffin.
The subject of the meeting was Cliques and Stereotypes. The leaders explained how easy it is to separate themselves into their familiar groups and exclude others who may want to join them.
This was illustrated by how the Peers had separated themselves into their own friend groups, even though room chairs were placed in a circle. To encourage the Peers to venture out, the Peers were instructed to number themselves 1-4 around the room and then each same numbered Peers were to get together in their numbered group and were instructed to share some information about themselves to the others.
The Peers were encouraged to be inclusive to others around them throughout the day, and to make more friend groups when the opportunity presents itself.
Stereotype oversimplification can lead to individuals being separated into excluded groups for many reasons: race, gender, religion, sports, etc. Peers were encouraged to pay close attention to these types of actions by others and be upstanders for those that are being branded and separated into less desirable categories for exclusion. “Reducing a group to a slur or stereotype reduces us all” – DaShane Stocks.
Two videos were shown to illustrate the topic of Cliques and Stereotype
– Rachel Young, Peer Ambassador