"It is our generation that will be the ones to do something about the division of economic status in the KC area. We will create steps to stop the economic and educational division."
~ Race Project Student
Student Experiences
Each year we put participating schools into cohort groups that we hope provide encounters they would not naturally have in their daily lives, with students from different neighborhoods and backgrounds, from across our informal segregation lines. The cohorts come together for events exploring the idea of race from four different themes:
The final event of the year is a culminating symposium that includes all schools from all cohorts at once. We bring together authors, artists, and experts to offer keynote and breakout options for a full day of significant, insightful conversations. Students leave feeling informed and energized.
For a deeper sense of how we approach these topics, here, as an example, is an introduction we’ve used for some of our workshops: Windows & Mirrors.
- Identity – Students look at how race informs who they are and how we think about each other.
- Health Equity – Students explore health disparities in our communities, seeing how well-being is directly linked to race and place.
- Representation – Students consider how we present ourselves to others through art and other forms of self-expression, led by educators from the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art.
- Community – Students take a Segregation Tour to experience how history has impacted the shape of our community today.
The final event of the year is a culminating symposium that includes all schools from all cohorts at once. We bring together authors, artists, and experts to offer keynote and breakout options for a full day of significant, insightful conversations. Students leave feeling informed and energized.
For a deeper sense of how we approach these topics, here, as an example, is an introduction we’ve used for some of our workshops: Windows & Mirrors.
