Bridges: A School inter-ethnic relations program
A Project of the Orange County Human Relations Council

The Orange County Human Relations Council is a non-profit organization which has enabled a unique partnership between the Orange County HRC, the County of Orange, cities, corporations, schools, the courts, the United Way and individuals.  Their common mission is to deal with intergroup tensions and foster mutual understanding among residents, in order to make Orange County a better place for all to live, work and do business.

Over the past eight years, schools have experienced bias-related incidents that have prompted administrators and teachers to contact the Commission/Council to help build inter-ethnic communication, cohesion and a sense of community on their campuses.  Since 1988, the Commission/Council has worked successfully with schools throughout Orange County to address these challenges with their School Inter-Ethnic Relations Program.

By working cooperatively with the whole school with the whole school community, through training and encouraging students and teachers to use positive peer support to promote intergroup understanding, the program is designed to assist schools in the development of comprehensive plans to improve inter-ethnic relations and reduce violence on school campuses.

The program has four main components:  a task force, student retreats, staff in-service and school-wide projects.  The task force identifies needs and establishes short-term and long-term objectives to improve the intergroup relations climate on campuses.  This includes training sessions with parents, students, administrators, school staff, teachers and community members.  All-day inter-ethnic relations retreats increase student awareness, encourage dialogue about diversity issues, evaluate the school inter-ethnic relations climate and build enthusiasm for the task force efforts.  Inservice sessions are developed in collaboration with teachers in order to address the specific needs of staff.  School-wide projects coming from efforts of the task force, student retreats and staff sessions help the students and teachers convey their new understanding to the entire student body.  Examples include Freshman Multicultural Field Days, intercultural symposiums like "Walk in My Shoes,"  and videos such as "Stop in Your Tracks: Alternatives to Violence."

Resources such as curriculum materials, exercises and books on a variety of human relations topics, and videos are made available by the program to teachers and other school staff on a check-out basis.  Professional staff and volunteers are available as resources to schools and community members on intergroup violence, parental involvement and issues pertaining to the emerging diversity of Orange County.  Dialogues are also put together to provide a forum for parents to connect with others, to address stereotypes that they may have and to provide strategies on how to diversify parental participation in school activities.

The annual cost of the program is $6,500.  However, the Orange County HRC can assist with grants, raising donations or matching funds to bring this within reach of your school.  Participating schools are selected on the basis of commitment and enthusiasm to long-term program goals.  For more information, contact the Orange County HRC at (714) 567-7470