For the fifth year, facilitators and staff from ADL’s A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute provided free bullying prevention programs to Desert Sands Unified School District students thanks to the generosity of the Jewish Federation of the Desert. This year’s Becoming An Ally workshops and Step Up! assemblies were provided to all six middle schools in the district as well as six of the district’s elementary schools. Several schools requested multiple days of programming, and ADL was happy to oblige to strengthen and expand the learning opportunities to more students. ADL’s programs in the Coachella Valley this fall directly impacted more than 900 students, and those students will in turn create safe, welcoming and affirming schools for thousands of more students.
Following the fall’s programs, Lyndon B. Johnson Elementary School Principal Dr. Barry Stockhamer shared his thoughts on the two days with his students: “The kids were very engaged and we continue to playback the ‘ally theme.’ We appreciate both the thought and the time that goes into your impressive programs and I hope we can count on your organization for many years to come as a fixture in our calendar in reaching young minds with a such a powerful and important social message. These are such important years, and you delivered a well-timed, well-calibrated, relevant theme for the kids to ‘own’. Thank you.”
When asked about the most important things they learned, students said:“We are all human and we make mistakes but we have the power to change the world.’” – Middle School Student at Colonel Mitchell Paige Middle School
“One of the most important things I learned was that now I know that I’m not alone and that that there are people who have gone through what I’ve gone through.’” – Middle School Student at Desert Ridge Academy
“I learned not to judge a person by the way they look. Don’t be a bystander, be an ally.” – Elementary School Student at Andrew Jackson Elementary School
If you are interested in bringing ADL programs to your school, please contact A WORLD OF DIFFERENCE® Institute Project Director Dave Reynolds at dreynolds@adl.org or (310) 446 – 4234. For free bullying prevention resources for students, families and school staff (available in English and Spanish), please click here.