NCBI Generation Diversity School Youth Program
The NCBI Generation Diversity School Youth Program is dedicated to the training and ongoing support and mentoring of student leaders who play pivotal roles in the prevention of disenfranchisement, discrimination, violence and mistreatment arising in their schools and communities.
After completing Diversity Leaders Training, Students work cooperatively to engage their peers through anti-prejudice “Welcoming Diversity” workshops, and act as resources to address diversity and conflict at their schools. We are currently expanding our ongoing school program to middle school students, which has been geared primarily to high school students. Students from Seaside, Colton, Los Arboles and Carmel Middle Schools will join with student leaders from Carmel, Marina, Palma and Seaside High Schools and CSUMB. Middle school students will learn to lead “Welcoming Diversity” workshops while the high school students will serve as mentors. Experienced high school leaders will receive advanced training to prepare them for this vital role.
Students will be trained in the skills of prejudice reduction and conflict resolution with the goal to overcome barriers of racism, sexism, religious intolerance and other forms of prejudice that can interfere with educational opportunities and campus safety. During their school careers, student leaders will train 1,200 – 1,500 of their peers through “Welcoming Diversity” workshops, and will provide presentations and information to area elementary students. In addition, as a result of their enthusiastic participation in the formal programs, they will informally influence countless young people and adults in their schools, families and communities.
NCBI Student Alumni Sound Off!
“I was part of NCBI for four years and President of the club my junior year. NCBI changed and greatly impacted my high school years and has even followed me into college. Promoting diversity and educating people in differences and stereotypes was such an enriching and important experience. NCBI taught young adults to accept anyone and everyone for who they are. Instead of saying “We don’t see color” we promoted the opposite. It is OKAY to see color. Why wouldn’t we? What we should do instead is SEE color and accept these differences that exist in our world. We taught that differences are okay and that there are many slurs, words and actions that can damage and hurt someone if an individual is not considerate of what others feel. We educated people about triggers and words that could cause people to be uncomfortable or took them to a negative place. After four wonderful years of being a club member in NCBI, I won a scholarship that helped me towards my attendance at UC Santa Cruz in fall of 2014. NCBI has made a huge impact on my life. I carry its lessons and experiences with me wherever I go.”
— Brenda Carrasco, Marina High School ’14
“NCBI has helped me to form my understanding of how to be a leader. It has helped me to learn the skills to better myself and community, while embracing diversity at the same time. I have used the skills that I learned through my many years participating in the NCBI program to continuously apply them to my everyday life. I believe that the program has helped to open my eyes to a wider range of possibilities and solutions to problems that I probably wouldn’t have considered before. There are still some aspects of the program that I use almost every day, such as being an attentive listener as well as being able to accept others’ limitations and abilities. I always look for solutions that will better everyone. I am quick to react when I see something that I think is wrong, or needs to be adjusted. I credit NCBI with a great portion of my success in life thus far. I am grateful to have been able to participate in such a great program.”
— Cody Kievlan, Marina High School ‘11 CSU Monterey Bay ‘14