PacNWC Youth Racial Reconciliation Resources

Racial Reconciliation Resources

Below are resources gathered from racial reconciliation and righteousness initiatives for students in the PacNWC.  These include Youth Journey to Mosaic, Invitation to Mosaic and Talking with Teens about Race.

Guidelines and Framework for Conversation:

  • There is inherent worth and value in all people.
  • We are talking about people, not “politics.”
  • Listen for and identify the real emotions behind the words.
  • Stereotypes and generalizations can be barriers to progress.
  • The conversation is only as valuable as our willingness to push through the tension and ask, “Tell me more.”
  • Keep the conversation going throughout the weekend and back home.
  • If someone shares an idea or question that helps your own learning, say “thank you.”
  • Put-downs are never okay.
  • Listen to understand what someone else is saying before rushing to judgment.
  • Make comments using “I” statements.
  • If you don’t understand something, ask a question.
  • Share the talking time—provide room for others to speak.
  • If someone says something that hurts or offends you, do not attack the person. Acknowledge that the comment—not the person—hurt your feelings and explain why.

Teaching Activities:

Labels:
The purpose of this object lesson is to create engagement with your audience while addressing various topics for your discussion. Facilitators are able to customize their focus based on the chosen teaching points, but generally, this activity helps to create a safe space to address issues of personal rejection and larger societal issues of race, bullying, and stereotypes.  [Click Here] for instructions.

Fishbowl:
Fishbowl is an activity in which a small number engage with a difficult topic, either through a guided discussion or through role playing, while the rest of the group watches and takes mental notes. After the activity, the entire group processes the things they heard and noticed.
Example: Set up a role-playing situation in which a new student with an accent walks into a lunchroom at a high school. The new student looks for a place to sit, but her classmates don’t let her sit. They keep asking questions like, “Why does she talk like that? Why does her food smell so bad? Why doesn’t she just act ‘American’?” After 3-5 minutes, take a break to process the interaction with the large group. Ask questions like, “How do you think the new girl felt? Have you ever felt out of place? What was it like? Why do we tend to exclude people who are different? As Christians, how should we act when we observe other students excluding people?”

Jelly Bean Activity:
This activity is purposed to teach students about any sort of privilege (race, gender, ability, education, class, etc.). Each student is given a small cup containing jelly beans (or other small things like M&M’s, dry beans, or marshmallows). The key is to make sure they all don’t have the same number. Give some kids 2-3, others 6-7, and still others 10-12. They must go around the room and challenge other people to a game of “Rock-Paper-Scissors.” Whoever wins the round gets a jelly bean. Once a player runs out he/she must follow the final person who beat them and cheer for them. By the end, there will be two large groups cheering against one another. To expedite the game, increase the number they lose if they don’t win the round. For example, after 5 minutes of game play, you can say, “Winners get 4 jelly beans now!”
After the activity, talk about what the experience was like. Was it fair that they didn’t start with the same number of jelly beans? How long did the people who only started with 2-3 beans last? What about the people who started with 10-12? Launch into a conversation about privilege. While America may feel like the land of opportunity, we all have different types and numbers of obstacles we must overcome to succeed.

Covenant Liturgical Common Reading of Welcoming the Stranger

Through this communal Covenant-wide reading experience, we’ll explore what God’s Word says about caring for immigrants and refugees. Join us as we prayerfully discern together, practice solidarity as a denominational family, and live into our calling as followers of Christ who welcome the stranger.

Liturgical Common Read – The Evangelical Covenant Church – https://covchurch.org/resource/liturgical-common-read/

Videos

Webinars for Youth Ministry Leaders

Short Videos Perfect for Sharing with Students

Teaching Videos

Movies:

Below is a curated list of theatrical movies that feature the experiences of minorities.  They are quality entertainment in their own right, and all do an excellent job of asking big questions about justice and racism. They are rated PG-13 and below.  Each has an accompanying discussion guide.  They come from a variety of sources.  You will need to read through each to decide how best to use it with your group.  Note: none of these movies is based.

Just Mercy – Movie about the African American experience

  • This recent highly acclaimed movie will entertain and challenge.  It tells the story of Bryan Steverson as he begins his career advocating for African Americans on death row.
  • The discussion guide was written by Dominique Gilliard, the Director of Racial Righteousness for the ECC.  This is a great next step for your group. (Link Coming Soon)

McFarland USA – Movie about the Latino American experience

  • This feel-good sports movie is very approachable for everyone.  It tells the story of Jim White, who moves to one of the poorest cities in America and helps Latino/a students succeed as long-distance runners.
  • The discussion guide is for teachers, but the questions will be helpful for youth groups as well. https://teachwithmovies.org/mcfarland-usa/

Indian Horse – Movie about Native American Experience:

  • This lesser-known Netflix movie follows the story of a native Canadian forced into a residential school as a child and finds escape through Hockey.  
  • The in-depth discussion guide was written for the Canadian Education System for the required study of the book this movie is based on.  We recommend picking one discussion question from each section for your group. https://www.indianhorse.ca/downloads/study-guide.pdf

Bible Studies

  • Micah 6:8
  • Isaiah 1:7
  • Revelation 7:9

Prayer Guides

  • 7 Day Prayer Guide for Racial Reconciliation – https://s3.amazonaws.com/LWbranding/racial-reconciliation/downloads/prayer-sheet-racial-reconciliation.pdf
  • Prayers for Racial Equality – https://strengthinprayer.com/prayer-for-racial-equality/

Handouts