The Day I Put My Cellphone Down...

We've had a pretty busy couple of months at Greenville Forward. We started 2010 with a bang and haven't really stopped moving since. During January and February it seems like we had an event every other day. In February alone we had 15 events ranging from a public screening of the documentary Food Inc. to a panel on homelessness. Needless to say, things are exciting around here.

This brings me to the point of this post. Because of all of these events, etc, I have been remiss in sitting down to share an experience that I had

with some students from Greenville High School. I can only say the day was, without a doubt, one of the most powerful experiences I have ever been through in my life. That's not saying too much, is it?

A project group of DLI (Diversity Leaders Initiative) at The Riley Institute at Furman University developed a project to bring a program called Challenge Day (www.challengeday.org) to one of the local high schools in

the county. Challenge Day is a program that provides youth and their communities with experiential workshops and programs that demonstrate the possibility of love and connection through the celebration of diver

sity, truth and full expression.

I walked into the gym at the West End Community Center with a feeling of "well this is going to be another diversity training exercise that will last all day". Don't get me wrong, I really enjoy those exercises, but I was not ready for what was in store for me. I drank my coffee and talked to some folks that I knew. None of us were ready.

The students came in shortly thereafter and the day began. Now, let me say that Challenge Day is 100% participants and 150% facilitators. I know that doesn't equal up! Don't judge me. The two facilitators (and that is not an accurate term. more like energetic tag team comedy duo) began the day laying out some groundrules. Respect. That was the word for the day.

Respect those around you. Respect those who have something to say. Respect those who have an opinion. Respect yourself.

We played games most of the morning. Volleyball amongst the students. The adults cheered. We passed out hugs to everyone. All sounds a little silly, sure. But it was leading to somewhere. Right before lunch we broke up into groups. Our "family groups." These were the small groups (typically 5 to 6 folks) we would be coming back to frequently throughout the day.

When we got into these groups we finished the two following statements:

"If you really knew me, then you'd know...."

"If you really, really knew me you'd know..."

The answers to those questions were wide-ranging, and not to be shared. There were some that simply said, "i don't want to share right now" and behind their eyes was pain that anyone could see. But, no one pushed. No one prodded. We just sat there and gave them all the respect in the world.

After lunch we went through and exercise that I was completely unprepared for. On the floor were two long tape lines running the length of the room. They had the whole group stand behind one of the lines and then asked a series of questions. If your personal answer to that question was "yes" then you crossed to the other line and looked back at those that were still there. These questions ranged from, "Have you had someone in your family die from a smoking related illness" to "have you ever been homeless." The people that crossed on any given question was staggering. But, the earth shaking point to me was how many times I crossed and on what questions. Little did I know how much I had in common with those around me. Business leaders whom I had known for years. Students who I just met that day. Tears flowed down the cheeks of most around me. And, as we looked around each time we crossed or didn't cross, we realized how similar we all were. How alike our experiences in life are. We may have different colored skin, or speak a different language, or have a different home life, it didn't matter there. We were all together, speaking the same language. And we saw

that those beside us struggled and wrestled with many of the issues we face daily. And, every time someone crossed, they were hit with all the love in that room.

It was a powerful day. One that I doubt I'll ever experience again. Unless I participate in Challenge Day once more. But, I learned a lot. About myself. About respect. About life. And, I know that those around me, those that I pass, those that I see are not far removed from me. That we have similarities somewhere. And, that sometimes they may just need a little love.