This document discusses promoting cultural diversity and awareness in Central Oregon schools and communities. It outlines a goal of encouraging understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of diverse groups through increased exposure. Evidence suggests some lack of acceptance of minorities, and a survey found most feel schools and parents could do more to promote cultural awareness. The document proposes connecting students with local minorities through a video to increase exposure and acceptance of different cultures in their region.

1. Appreciating Diversity in Central Oregon December 10, 2008

2. Our Mission and Goal “To promote exposure of diverse groups in Central Oregon schools and communities in order to encourage understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of all people, including growing minority populations in our region.”

3. “A fish only discovers its need for water when it is no longer in it.Our own culture is like water for the fish. It sustains us.We live and breathe through it.”(Quappe & Cantatore 2005) Prejudice, stereotypes, violence, hate, racism, war, fear, and intolerance Asociety lacking in cultural awareness and appreciation of diversity Cultural awareness is the key to effective communication to militate misinterpretation and conflict become aware of our own cultural values, beliefs, and perceptions

4. Four Stages of Cultural Awareness as Follows: Parochial Stage. “People are aware of their way of doing things, and their way is the only way. At this stage, they ignore the impact of cultural differences.” Ethnocentric stage. “People are aware of other ways of doing things, but still consider their way as the best one. In this stage, cultural differences are perceived as a source of problems and people tend to ignore them or reduce their significance.” Synergistic stage. “People are aware of their own way of doing things and others’ ways of doing things, and they chose the best way according to the situation. At this stage people realize that cultural differences can lead both to problems and benefits and are willing to use cultural diversity to create new solutions and alternatives.” Participatory stage. “Brings people from different cultural background together for the creation of a culture of shared meanings. People dialogue repeatedly with others, create new meanings, new rules to meet the needs of a particular situation” (Quappe & Cantatore, 2005).

5. Attitudes That Foster Cultural Awareness Admit that you don’t know (question assumptions) Suspend judgments Empathy Systematically check your assumptions Become comfortable with ambiguity Celebrate diversity (Quappe & Cantatore, 2005).

6. THE PROBLEM: Somelack of acceptance of minority groups and cultures within the Central Oregon region Identified by anecdotal information intolerance seen on local electronic forums Research information

7. SYSTEMIC ATTITUDES REGARDING THE PROBLEM Education system attitude generally positive, accepting open to promotion of systemic change Family system attitude varies, depending on individual family’s value set

10. Our theory: more exposure to minorities will help young people understand, tolerate, accept, and appreciate minorities in their midst. POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS Import many minorities to Central Oregon unrealistic/very difficult  Showcase minorities from other parts of the state, possibly through an electronic format too impersonal

11. CONNECT STUDENTS Connect students with minority members of their own region through a DVD we would produce for a school assembly. To increase acceptance of the ideas, youth should be included in the project, including some from the site we chose for our audience.

12. Hate: in our local media

13. Hate: in our local media From the Bend Bulletin: Local residents with Obama signs in their yards received racist flyers in the mail. The flier showed a doctored photo of Obama’s face pasted onto a man’s body hunched over, shining shoes of a woman’s body with Sarah Palin’s head. On the back someone wrote in cursive: “Here’s a good job for your (racial epithet)”

15. Perhaps bias is learned from what they’ve heard in the national media

18. The hate crimes in Central Oregon Have gone up from 2005, in which there was one hate crime. In 2008 there were eight hate crimes committed The percentage of hate crimes in Central Oregon is very low Anecdote after anecdote

19. Understand on a Basic level Exposure or awareness DOES help people to be more accepting An example of this could be someone is exposed to football for the first time If they are continually exposed to football and taught about the rule, traditions and history of the game they will develop more appreciation for the game

20. Creating Awareness Rural less diverse communities Diverse communities Lack of the cultural diversity here in Central Oregon!!! healthy, functional society that does not operate off of biases or ignorance!!!

21. Organizations Out There Promoting Diversity RICE: Redmond Inter-Cultural Exchange CORIL, CAPECO, Central Oregon Peace Network, Human Dignity Coalition, SOAR, Boys & Girls Club, The Loft ODE, Oregon Department of Education Redmond high teaches a multicultural/diversity class organizations get a wide variety of people moving through them, so in a way, these kids are gaining experiencial knowledge of ethnic diversity

22. VIDEO WATCH!!!