Hudson High School Cultural Exchange

Breaking Stereotypes and Building Community

This important cultural exchange program was started by BDEA Humanities teacher Constance Borab in collaboration with Hudson High School teacher Brian Daniels as a forum for students from different racial, geographic, and economic backgrounds to engage in profound discourse on stereotypes and to build connections based on discussions celebrating similarities and differences.

BDEA and Hudson students participate in a two-day retreat at the beginning of the school year, where they engage in ice-breaking and community-building exercises, constructive conversations, and unstructured time for students to get to know each other.

After the retreat, students travel to spend the day at each other's schools twice during the year. Students continue the conversations started at the retreats, deepen the levels of communication, and expand topics to broaden their understanding of one another.

Between exchanges, BDEA students engaged in the program meet monthly to reflect on the visits, conversations, and retreats and plan for upcoming program activities.

Looking Ahead...

The cultural exchange program has opened minds and deepened understanding of students from both schools. As one BDEA student puts it: "“Talking about the way people see us and the way we see other people was a highlight for me…we all find out, at the end of the day, that we are in a different place than the place we started because we have all gone through something real. Getting to know each [person] was the biggest challenge but the biggest reward also.”

Hudson and BDEA students alike share the desire to expand this program to include other schools and grade levels. One Hudson student noted: "Every student...should have the chance to be part of this program. I took the class in order to participate in this program and to have conversations about issues that matter...it has changed the way I understand things."

Among the activities being planned are: including another high school in the conversations, and delivering the program through student leaders to middle school students.