Start a community or school group | Page 5 | Not in Our Town

Start a community or school group

I am really wanting to start a group for youth here
 Since early November, the Colorado College Not In Our Town (NIOT) Committee has sought to start dialogue creatively among CC students through several different measures. The committee researched past activities of Not In Our Town campaigns at other schools and in communities and developed a plan of action for implementing our own campaign. Starting in January and extending through March, the committee placed post cards with thought-provoking statements and questions in students’ Worner Student Center mailboxes. At the same time large posters with markers (“graffiti boards”) where students could reply anonymously and publicly to these same prompts were placed in both the Worner Student Center and the Tutt Library.
 When instances of homophobia took place in a Residential Hall in the fall of 2009, Colorado College had to ask what it was going to do to stand up against hate. Inspired by the individuals in Billings, Montana, Colorado College has joined the national movement that is now in its second decade of existence, alongside colleges like Rutgers University and the University of California at Santa Barbara. A committee of students advised through the Student Life Division has brought to the forefront conversation around community values and what is and is not acceptable at Colorado College.
Unity in the Community is a local grass roots organization concerned with human rights, interfaith and cultural diversity issues.  The group formed in 1995 and has been active in Prince Wiliam Co., Manassas, and Manassas Park, Virginia ever since.  We work to insure that all residents are respected and treated fairly.  We work closely with community religious groups, local police, and schools.  We were integral in forming Prince William Study Circles which has brought communities together for dialogue and cooperative action.  The program has won state and national recognition.  The film 9500 Liberty was produced in our county and features a number of our members advocating for the rights of the immigrants in our community.
    The Fort Collins Not In Our Town Alliance is a community-based effort to create and support collaboration among individuals, agencies, organizations and local governments to address the causes and effects of prejudice, discrimination and hate motivated behavior. Fort Collins Not in Our Town Alliance, a non-political group, sponsors quarterly op ed articles called soap boxes in the Fort Collins Coloradoan newspaper.  The group has a Response team which meets with victims of incidents and advises them on possible ways to deal with these incidents.  It also has a Prevention Team which sponsors educational events for the community.  It sponsors a monthly book club to read and discuss books with themes on diversity, discrimination and various perspectives on related social issues.  It also maintains a hot line phone number monitored by the NIOTA Council, who are elected at an annual meeting by the membership.