VENICE, CALIFORNIA - September 10, 2002 - Internet Software and Services company Imagistic has launched the online component of a new youth activism campaign called "Mix It Up" for Teaching Tolerance and Tolerance.org. The campaign is one of several anti-bias education projects that the Southern Poverty Law Center has developed and launched. The initiative explores ways to identify and bridge the boundaries that separate people in their daily lives.
"Despite the gains of the last 50 years, many unspoken rules continue to divide people by color, religion, class, ability, sexual orientation and other factors," said Jim Carnes, director of Teaching Tolerance. "Nowhere are those boundaries more evident than in the average lunchroom."
Kick-starting on November 21, 2002—the first annual Mix It Up at Lunch Day—the initiative begins with a simple action: students all over the country will make the commitment to step out of their cafeteria comfort zones, take a new seat and see what happens.
Mix It Up invites students and teachers to take a fresh look at the social boundaries that criss-cross their schools and communities. The Mix It Up Web site at http://www.mixitup.org, is the hub where all aspects of the initiative connect.
In the teens' area of the site, several exciting features greet youth activists, including:
- Stories by and for teen activists
- Guides on how to Mix It Up
- Polls and other opportunities to speak out
- E-cards, free posters and much more
In the teachers' area, educators will find:
- Free Mix It Up at Lunch starter packs
- Lesson plans
- Stories about schools already working to bridge divides
- Funding opportunities and much more.
AboutTeaching Tolerance
Teaching Tolerance is an award-winning anti-bias education project that serves K-12 educators. Winner of more than 20 honors from the Educational Press Association of America and recipient of an Academy Award, Teaching Tolerance provides free resources—including its self-titled magazine, video-and-text packages and poster sets—to more than 600,000 educators nationwide and abroad.
About Imagistic
Founded in 1997, Imagistic (www.imagistic.com) is an Internet software and services firm that specializes in Web application development. The company has developed numerous Web-based initiatives for such clients as California Pizza Kitchen, Bank of America, Boston University, UCLA, CarsDirect.com, Southern Poverty Law Center and Estee-Lauder. Imagistic is based in Venice, California and works with local and remote clients in all businesses and industries.
