What People are Saying about DiversityWorks:

"DIVERSITYWORKS means love, understanding, and unity. DIVERSITYWORKS opened up my eyes to things I did not know about myself, some good and some bad." –Javarte Bobino, Program Participant

"The program inspired me to be more open-minded—to become the person that I am today." –Daena Satterwhite, program participant

"DIVERSITYWORKS has allowed me to expand my outlook towards other people. I feel honored to be a part of something so special." –Tutram Nguyen, Program Participant

"Meeting new people and learning about them is what the program was all about. It was cool to be with people of all different races and backgrounds and meeting new friends." –Daena Satterwhite, Program Participant

"Peer education is the key. You listen to your peers." -–Steven Tyson, former BOARD MEMBER

"I think that the more we know about each other, the more we can come together as a community...We're more alike than different and if we're not afraid to talk about it, that's a good thing...Thumbs up for DIVERSITYWORKS." –Sharon Nesbitt, high school counselor

"I got involved with DiversityWorks because I thought it was a very innovative approach to teaching young people about issues of diversity." –Lissette Flores, former BOARD MEMBER

"DIVERSITYWORKS helped me by giving me and others the training we needed to go into the classroom, to talk, act, and work with the students. To go in front of a group of my peers and act gay or like I had homophobia took a lot out of me that I didn't know I had." –Javarte Bobino, Program Participant

"I think DiversityWorks is effective because I've seen the young people who through the program really develop as people, really look at their own perceptions of homophobia, racism, of how they perceive their peers." –Lissette Flores, former BOARD MEMBER

"DIVERSITYWORKS was a great experience for me. I learned many things about how people react to different situations...This is a great program and I would love to join it in the near future." –Edward Smith, high school student, workshop participant

"It touched very sensitive topics in today's society. Racism, sexism, etc. Not only did they present it to us but let the audience participate in the production. I even got the chance to act out one of the plays they presented to us in my own way. It promotes and encourages diversity, difference, respect, and being who you are. I definitely would join this class in the future." –Andrea Walker, high school student, workshop participant

"I liked DIVERSITYWORKS and think that they should go on for many years so that they can keep challenging the minds of teenagers with powerful plays, discussions, and activities." –Ana Baires, high school student, workshop participant

"We're tackling issues that you only hear negatively about, whether it's race relations, whether it's homophobia...Rarely do you hear about a group of young people trying to tackle those problems in their community." –Lissette Flores, BOARD OF DIRECTORS

"DiversityWorks is a program that I blindly walked into, and came out of with my eyes wide open. I had a new understanding for all types of issues like other people's feelings, thoughts, beliefs, religions, sexuality, cultures, etc. It also helped me learn about myself." –Daena Satterwhite, Program Participant

"While in DIVERSITYWORKS, I expressed feelings to people I only knew for a fraction of my life. That was something that I would have not done anywhere else, and to people from different backgrounds....I never trusted a group of people so fast in my life...I wish it could happen other places in my life." –Javarte Bobino, Program Participant

"We had a ropes course retreat which was the most challenging of them all for me. Climbing to the highest point, using balance skills, sliding down the 'zipper', crossing the humoungous monkey bars, and many other challenging things. That retreat required a very brave soul and I truly thought I was not one of them. But I made it through and still had fun." –Daena Satterwhite, Program Participant

speaking about her service project, "That experience for me was very unbelievable. The fact that I was teaching someone how to read was something that I never pictured myself doing. That was just another part of me that DIVERSITYWORKS has brought out." –Daena Satterwhite, Program Participant

"DIVERSITYWORKS has given me the confidence and the skills that enable me to reach out to my peers, and make them become aware of the problems that exist in our society and the problems that exist within themselves as well, and how to respond and fix the problems in a way that will bear many fruits." Linh Hoang, Program Participant

"I liked the skits they did on racism and homophobia and cheating. I liked the fact that they didn't use phony words in the skits, but they used actual words they would say if it was a real situation." –Tiffany Hodges, high school student, workshop participant

After going to the Names Project with DIVERSITYWORKS, "AIDS is a reality which is targeting my generation of minorities. What I failed to do was educate others. Like many teenagers I hid in silence. Silence kills." –Libby Rubin, Program Participant

"You can't really judge people until you get to know them. That's what we've learned." –Tamara Harris, Program Participant

"It's good to know that you're making a difference, speaking to younger audiences and knowing that they're going to retain some of it and maybe use it in their everyday lives." –Tamara Harris, Program Participant

Referring to the participants, "I've seen them question their own beliefs and I've seen them think about how to present that to other people, the knowledge that they've gained, which I think is a very powerful learning experience...having to think outside the box." –Larissa Adam, Advisory Board

"I think that diversity is important for every community...What makes something whole is all the different aspects that go into it. You can't have a cake without all the ingredients and because we all are our own ingredients, when you put all those ingredients together, that's what makes a community. And that's why diversity in my opinion is so important." –Elaine Glueck, Program Participant

"True to its name, DIVERSITYWORKS is a group where there are so many different kinds of people...and we don't hate each other which is different than the rest of the world. Not only are we different in color, we're different in our ideas, our backgrounds, and it doesn't make any difference and we're all able to relate to each other." –Tutram Nguyen, Program Participant

DIVERSITYWORKS never ceases to amaze me in its ability to bring young people and adults together to make space and talk about real issues affecting people everyday: sexism, racism, homophobia, ableism, religious intolerance. If we can engage these complex issues and empower young people to – we have a chance to create a more just and livable world." –Kim Sarnecki, Advisory Board Member