Nurturing Tolerance in Your Teen
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Why Tolerance Matters:
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The United States is made up of diverse people. Your teen will be better off if s/he can get along with different kinds of people.
When teens lack tolerance, they are at risk of letting bad things happen to innocent people; the innocent person might be your teen.

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The Southern Poverty Law Center in
Montgomery, Alabama was founded in
1991 to fight hate and intolerance.
Their tolerance web site provides useful information for parents, teens, and teachers. They talk about 10 ways that parents can nurture tolerance in their children.

10 Ways to Nurture Tolerance
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Talk about tolerance with your teen.
Identify intolerance when your teen is exposed to it.
Challenge intolerance when it comes from your teen.
Support your teen when s/he is a victim of intolerance.

10 Ways to Nurture Tolerance
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Foster healthy understanding of group identities.
Showcase diversity materials in your home.
Create opportunities for your teens to interact with people who are different from them.

10 Ways to Nurture Tolerance
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Encourage your teen to call upon community resources.
Be honest about differences.
Model the behavior you would like to see.

Activities You can do with Your Teen
The Southern Poverty Law Center has a number of activities you and your teen can do together. Examples include:
“One World Mural”
“Hate on the Internet”
“Hate Music Tutorial”

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Topics You and Your Teen can Talk
About
On the Tolerance website, there also is guidance for talking about important topics, such as:
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Taking the Sting Out of Social Cruelty
What Does 'Gay' Mean?
Making Room for Size Acceptance