Bre tt Mou n ta in Hopeful For Future Teen Forum panelist reflects on experience of sharing cultures. Brandon Grodman Walled Lake Central student Maggie Schwanitz, 17, of West Bloomfield asks a question. break g Stereotypes Teen Forum panelist pushes students to leave their comfort zones. Athraa Hannawa STEREOTYPES DO EXIST, are flawed or different in some way. but we have to walk through them. The open teen forum got a lot of The Building Community Initiative/ the students more interested because Walled Lake Schools Teen Forum in they participated by asking questions; February taught me that Judaism, they wanted to learn more about these Catholicism and Islam all have some- religions and how they could break the thing in common: We all have faith stereotypes at their own school. in ourselves to stand up for what we I have never noticed how the Jewish believe in. and Chaldean communities were so I grew up in Baghdad, Iraq. My fam- alike. We are all close-knit, family-ori- ily is very old-fashioned when it comes ented, hardworking and of good faith. to raising me, but they did a great job. Just because our religions do believe They taught me how to respect myself in different things, it doesn't mean that and others, no matter where we act differently toward each they came from. other. We embrace each other. I have had to deal with We need to start educating many misconceptions about the students of Walled Lake my religion and all the stereo- about giving people of differ- types about how my parents ent beliefs a chance instead of own a liquor store and how I shutting them down. won't end up going to college At the teen forum, we dis- after high school. They don't cussed why staying within know that my parents work Athraa H annawa our own groups is easier then seven days a week so I can breaking out and hanging out have a better life and educa- with other groups. Its impor- tion. tant that we try and break away The teen forum, where I was a pan- from our comfort zone to appreciate elist, showed students from all three the diversity that we are surrounded by Walled Lake high schools that we daily. shouldn't judge a book by its cover or It has taught me to interact with a person by their religion. After listen- people I normally wouldn't — if I ing to all the speakers at the forum, it hadn't gone to that forum. The more got me thinking about how I can start time you spend with anyone different breaking these stereotypes at my school. from yourself, the more you see past his Our society has become so accus- or her religion, background or anything tomed to stereotypes that when some- else. BC one uses a racial slur we barely think twice about it. We need to not have Athraa Hannawa, 18, of West that mindset of accepting and allowing Bloomfield is a student at Walled people to ridicule others because they Lake Western High SchooL BEING PART OF THE BUILDING COMMUNITY MUTATIVE/ Walled Lake Schools' Teen Forum in February was a highlight of my school year. It was an honor to share my ideas and opinions and to hear those of the religious leaders and of my fellow students. It was a fun atmosphere, yet it was still extremely informational. I enjoyed how the teen forum was set up. Each student on the panel was introduced, along with the different religious leaders. Each student had a chance to identify a couple of stereotypes he or she has faced from students Brandon at school. After the students Grodman spoke, the religious leaders gave a summary of their religions — Jewish, Catholic and Muslim. Then it was time for the question- and-answer portion. The questions and responses gave every student in the crowd a chance to understand their peers better. I also liked the presence of the religious leaders, who offered a sense of guidance and leadership in the room. If any kids on the panel didn't know an answer, they were there to back them up. At the forum, I also found it useful that students from all three district high schools were there. It gave students a view of the diversity present in each high school. I also learned about the similari- ties in stereotyping that other Jewish kids endure at Walled Lake high schools. It is human nature to judge and catego- rize other people without getting to know them well. This is why stereotyping and bullying is such a large part of our society today. Unfortunately, stereotyping also has been taught from generation to genera- tion through parents, peers and neighbors. This forum gave us, as stu- dents, the opportunity to get to know each other better and to appreciate our differences. Something I learned was that both cultures, Jewish and Chaldean, are truly more similar than the eye may suggest. In both cultures, we choose to imitate our parents; we use what they have taught us in order to work hard and earn our own fortunes. Both cultures also truly appreciate family, close and far. Learning about each other's cultures is big step. The only improvement I wish to see in the forum is to take what we have learned about each other and to expand that to the other cultures, including African Americans and Asians as well as other cultures present in our district. If our district were able to do this, I think they would take a giant step toward putting a stop to stereotyping and bullying. BC Brandon Grodman, 17, of West Bloomfield is a student at Walled Lake Northern High SchooL Parking Meters Got You Down? NO WORRIES 1 Hour FREE Parking When Dining at Leo's Coney Island Royal Oak! 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