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Melissa Wallace
Issue Extension Portfolio Project Final Paper Part I
Community Engagement Project
December 16, 2008
Kidsbridge, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the celebration of human diversity,
encourages young students, families, and educators to understand and appreciate the strengths
and opportunities that are essential in the various cultures of our community and world. The
organization hopes that by providing programs that create measurable improvements in life skills
and character education, they are teaching children about issues such as racism and sexism and in
doing so, are attempting to make every step towards eradicating these issues. Kidsbridge
functions solely on volunteer work to help aid in achieving these goals. It is apparent that
racism, sexism and discrimination are recurring problems in society; Kidsbridge and other
organizations like it are able to instill tolerance into children at a younger age through the
utilization of volunteers in order to put an end to the vicious cycle and provide these children
with hopes of better futures.
A study done by psychologists at Iowa State University of more than 600 African
American adolescents from Georgia and Iowa discovered that those who experience racial
discrimination prior to the age of twelve are twice as likely to use drugs by the time they are
teens. Incidents of racial discrimination are the strongest judges of later drug use among African
American teenagers (Gibbons 5). Researchers found that, “Among those who experienced early
discrimination and also exhibited some form of conduct disorder –such as vandalism or burglary
–more than half reported drug use within five years of the experience” (Gibbons 5). As children,
society’s ideas dealing with stereotypes and discrimination are just starting to be introduced. By
talking to children about these issues at a young age, they can be taught the right things to do
about these issues. The Kidsbridge Museum helps children respect people for who they are and
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their individual merits, despite any differences. It is vital for children to be properly educated on
discrimination and differences people have so these children can have a broader outlook and an
appreciation for a variety of people. Also, by doing this, children will have a stronger possibility
for a brighter future.
In Prisons for Our Bodies, Closets for Our Minds: Racism, Heterosexism, and Black
Sexuality, author Patricia Hill Collins writes about the connections between class, race, gender,
sexuality, and age. She gives the reader an example of an African American female named Sakia
Gunn who was literally attacked because she was black and a female and then murdered because
the killer discovered that she was a homosexual (“Prisons for Bodies” 115-133). This incident
shows how discrimination based on sexuality, race and gender are all evident in society today
and explains how each are closely linked with one another. Once again, by helping children
become aware of these issues, one is providing a chance at a better future not only for these
children, but is also a step towards providing a better future for the rest of society and the world.
In Emily Martin’s segment, The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a
Romance Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles, Martin argues that biological scientists
cannot escape the influences of culture in their descriptions of reproduction biology, thereby
explaining the processes of reproduction with language reflecting the gender stereotypes
embedded within our culture. She goes on to say that the scientific language of reproductive
biology implies that female biological processes are inferior to the male biological processes and,
by extension, women are inferior to men (“Egg and Sperm” 248-253). To explain the theory of
the passivity of the female egg and the invariable activity of the male sperm, Martin writes, “The
stereotypes imply not only that female biological processes are less worthy than their male
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counterparts but also that women are less worthy than men” (“Egg and Sperm” 248-253)
Inferiority between the two sexes springs from birth, as the author argues.
Along with teaching children at a young age about racism, there should also be a need to
teach children about sexism and discrimination between males and females at an early age.
Kidsbridge, and other museums like it, attempt to do this. By instilling tolerance into children
about the superiority of men over women and how every effort should be made to prevent this
from happening, one is preparing them for a more unified future and giving these children a
chance to change the world in which they live in.
In Sexual Science and the Law: Regulating Sex –Reifying the Power of the Heterosexual
Man, author Jane Ussher writes of the portrayal of women as temptresses and their bodies as
instruments of evil and corruption. She also writes of thoughts of the incapability of women
having intellectual thoughts and having the God given destiny of birthing children (“Sexual
Science” 377-411). Ussher states, “Both science and sex law act to reify the mythical power of
the phallus by emphasizing the active, powerful sexuality of man in contrast to the passive,
receptive (or absent) sexuality of women” (“Sexual Science” 377-411). This statement and
Ussher’s message throughout her article provides evidence of the discrimination women have
had to endure from the very beginning. By teaching children about this issue, as Kidsbridge does,
they are making every effort to put an end to this discrimination. By helping children become
aware of what is going on in the world, one is giving them a better chance of the possibility of
changing how the world works, one of the goals mentioned in Kidsbridge’s mission statement.
Kidsbridge hires volunteers to coordinate the programs that go on throughout the
museum. The museum could ultimately not function without the help of these volunteers. It is in
this area where the theory of activism and community involvement correlates with Kidsbridge’s
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stated vision. The volunteers are in charge of running the stations and leading short discussions
with the children about areas of racism and discrimination. The volunteers are told to focus on
three things in their discussions with the children –discrimination, stereotypes and racism. The
volunteers are in charge of instilling tolerance into children about these issues. Kidsbridge
celebrates human diversity and has a mission to encourage people to understand and appreciate
the strengths and opportunities that are crucial in the diverse cultures of society and the world.
The volunteers at the museum fulfill the organization’s mission statement and greatly impact the
affect the museum has on children.
Kidsbridge celebrates human diversity and attempts to encourage students and families to
understand and appreciate the strengths and opportunities that are fundamental in the various
cultures of our community and world by utilizing volunteers to help accomplish the
organization’s goals and follow through with its mission statement. Kidsbridge hopes that their
programs will teach children about racism and discrimination and will put forth every effort
towards eliminating these issues. The issues of racism, sexism and discrimination are apparent
problems in society today and in the past. Kidsbridge attempts to instill open-mindedness into
young children in hopes of eventually abolishing these issues and provide these children with a
chance at a better future.
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Final Paper Part II
Community Engagement Project
The Kidsbridge Tolerance Museum at The College of New Jersey is a nonprofit
organization devoted to the commemoration of human diversity and inspires people to
“understand and appreciate the strengths and opportunities that are inherent in the diverse,
mosaic cultures of our community and our world” (Our Vision). The life skills programs were
unique and clearly affected children and their attitudes towards racism and sexism. The programs
at the museum allowed the children to open up about their experiences within these issues and
other issues, thus allowing me, as a volunteer, to educate them about their experiences and
provide them with ways of preventing these incidents from occurring again. Through my
volunteer work, I was able to witness firsthand the affect Kidsbridge had on children. The
organization provided children with a better understanding of our community and our world, and
therefore, confirms that Kidsbridge is aligned with its mission statement.
Kidsbridge accepts students from The College of New Jersey and other local colleges to
help work the stations and talk to children about problems they are having, in specific areas such
as racism and sexism. The museum features hands-on and interactive learning sections with
names such as, “Name That Stereotype,” “Turn and Learn About Differences,” and “The Peace
Diner” (Media and Public Relations). I worked at almost every one of the stations dispersed
throughout the museum and saw the affect these stations had on the children. One of my hopes
for this assignment that I had written in the initial essay was to give the kids a chance to open up
and talk about the problems they were having in their lives. Lynne Azarchi, the Volunteer
Coordinator at the museum told me and the other group of volunteers to find a way to relate to
these kids. I really wanted to be able to do this and talk about my experiences with them. I
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accomplished this goal several times, and in doing so, I also helped the children understand
diversity and the community, thus helping to fulfill the organization’s mission statement.
One experience in particular really left a mark on me. On one of the days I worked at the
Power Charger station, where the kids received a piece of paper asking questions such as, “I can
make a difference by…” and “I can help others by…” The students are supposed to write their
responses down on the paper and then fold the paper into a fortuneteller. The kids are then asked
to play the game with their classmates and ask each other the questions listed on the piece of
paper. Many of the kids had some good responses. One child in specific wrote, “I can help others
by being nice to them when someone calls them a name.” The young boy then went on to tell me
and his other classmates in our group a story about how an older, Caucasian boy had called one
of his African American schoolmates the “n word,” while they were playing during recess one
day. The boy then went on to tell me that he felt that if he talked to the other boy, who was
clearly upset, and comforted him, than the boy would feel better. I then talked about an
experience I had like this. I really felt like I was connecting with the children and providing them
with awareness to what is going on in our world.
Another experience that stood out was the day I worked at a station where the kids are
supposed to create a play about an experience they had and perform it in front of their group
members. Most of the children came up with plays about racism, but one group in particular had
a play different from the rest. One of the girls provided an experience where she was told she
couldn’t play in a soccer game because only boys were allowed to. She told us about how she
felt demeaned and inferior because the group of boys discriminated against her because of her
sex and, thus was weaker than them. I also provided the group with a similar situation that I was
involved in. We discussed it further and I felt like I really got the kids to open up about the issue.
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They learned about what is going on in the world and were made aware of certain situations and
how to deal with them. By doing this, it provided the children a better understanding, and thus
proving that Kidsbridge is aligned with its mission statement.
By allowing kids to talk about their experiences, we are teaching children to be aware of
what is going on in their community and in their surroundings. President of The College of New
Jersey, R. Barbara Gitenstein says, “The benefits of this partnership are monumental. Not only
are our students gaining invaluable teaching experience, they are also playing an integral role in
the character development of children in our community. I am pleased that the college has this
opportunity to work with Kidsbridge, and that we’re doing what we can to increase the
appreciation and understanding of our diverse society” (Media and Public Relations).
Volunteering at Kidsbridge provided me with valuable life experiences and a better
understanding of the prejudice that goes on not only in our community, but also in our world. I
feel that the museum also provided the children that came to the museum with valuable life
experiences and a better understanding, and thus proving that the organization is aligned with its
mission statement.
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Works Cited Page
Collins, Patricia Hill. "Prisons for Our Bodies, Closets for Our Minds: Racism, Heterosexism,
and Black Sexuality."Gender, Sex, & Sexuality. 1st ed. 2009.
Gibbons, Rick. "Racism's Hidden Threat." Diverse: Issues in Higher Education 24(2007): 5.
Martin, Emily. "The Egg and the Sperm: How Science Has Constructed a Romance
Based on Stereotypical Male-Female Roles."Gender, Sex, & Sexuality. 1st ed.
2009.
"Our Vision." Kidsbridge Tolerance Museum at The College of New Jersey. Kidsbridge.
24 Sep 2008 <http://www.kidsbridgemuseum.org/main/vision.cfm>.
"TCNJ welcomes children's mini-museum to campus." Media and Public Relations. The
College of New Jersey. 24 Sep 2008
<http://www.tcnj.edu/~pa/update/06march/kidsbridge.html>.
Ussher, Jane. “Sexual Science and the Law: Regulating Sex –Reifying the Power of the
Heterosexual Man.”Gender, Sex, & Sexuality.1st ed. 2009.