Longview, TX — The City of Longview Partners in Prevention’s Race Relations Committee and Pine Tree ISD will host a World Café event for Pine Tree Junior High School students on the topic of anti-hate and preventing bullying in a diverse world. Seven World Café sessions with approximately 40-45 students each will be held from 8:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., Friday, October 21, at Pine Tree Junior High School, 2100 W. Loop 281.

The World Café is a conversational process based on small group conversations that can be adapted to a variety of topics. The purpose of the World Café is to provide a safe place for students to convey ideas, discuss diverse perspectives and experiences, and connect with peers, and share discoveries learned through the process.

Each World Café session will be approximately 35 minutes with questions centering on diversity and anti-hate. Students will have 15 minutes to discuss two questions and then will have 20 minutes to share their small group discussions with the whole group. Race Relations Committee members and Pine Tree Junior High School staff will help facilitate group discussions.

According to Jennifer Roberts, Pine Tree Junior High School Counselor, “Pine Tree Junior High is very excited to partner with the City of Longview for this special event. We feel that The World Cafe discussion groups will tie in perfectly as one of our projects for the No-Place-For-Hate campaign kicked off last month. This is one of many activities we are using in the Pine Tree district to prevent bullying, and I believe it will prove to be a unique and rewarding experience for our students as well as the many Pine Tree school employees and Race Relations members that are facilitating The World Cafe discussion.”

Keeta King, Program and Outreach Coordinator with Partners in Prevention, said, “We appreciate the opportunity to hear the ideologies of the youth in our city. We’re grateful that Pine Tree has taken on the anti-hate initiative, and they chose Race Relations as a vehicle to help bring about positive change. I believe the students will discover a great deal about themselves as well as their peers through this World Café. I think in most cases that illumination brings about change, which makes World Cafe a good process for the anti-hate initiative."

For more information about World Cafés or other Race Relations Committee projects, please contact Partners in Prevention at 903-237-1019 or visit PIP.LongviewTexas.gov. For media access on the day of the event, please contact Vickie Echols at Pine Tree ISD at 903-295-5136.


About the Race Relations Committee:
The Race Relations Committee meets the first Monday of each month at 12 p.m. at the Longview Public Library. Race Relations seeks to overcome barriers to the inclusion of all community members by protecting human rights, challenging discrimination, and celebrating diversity.