SAR HS hosted students from University Heights High School and Fieldston for the fourth Building Bridges meeting of the year. The last time they met with each other, the activities, discussions and debrief centered around issues of race, class, power, privilege and identity. During this meeting, students shared a personal story with a partner that related to these issues. Then, in larger groups, each student told the story of their partner, in first person, taking on their voice.

It was an eye-opening experience for students to hear their stories told by others and to tell the stories of their peers. In the words of participants, “It forced me to reconsider my identity as I heard my story told by someone else;” “I felt pressure to do justice to my partner’s story and experience;” “I was struck by the fact that while our specific struggles were different, we all struggled with something;” “I loved the fact that while we have different identities, we could all laugh and play together at the end.”