Participants are asked to create their own personal map by writing their names on top of their paper and then identifying and listing all the "communities" that they identify with. For example, some may identify themselves as certified people, and others as Irish Americans, women, ex-Catholics, step-mothers, college professors, pet owners, environmentalists, Democrats, runners, and so on. It often helps if the facilitator shows a pre-written example of his or her own map, so the participants understand what is expected of them. Once participants finish their maps, students should be provided with time to walk around and view other participants' maps. Once all participants have had time to examine all the maps, the following questions can help to facilitate the discussion: € What did you learn about others that you didn't already know? € Did you find that you were similar to others in ways that surprised you? € Did you find that you were different from people that you thought were the same as you? € How many of the listed characteristics about a person would you have been able to tell by merely looking at them? € What are the implications of this activity when working with multicultural populations? The ensuing discussion of the above questions will compel people to engage in a face-to-face discussion of their preconceived feelings about other groups of people. Bringing these feelings out in the open can defuse anxieties that one person may have about others, and hopefully will increase his or her comfort level with people from different backgrounds.
A stereotype is a preconceived judgment about an entire group of people, where all are believed to have the same characteristics. A stereotype often clouds the judgment of a person, preventing him or her from seeing the youth as a person with individual characteristics. For example, if a person is perceived as being an alcoholic, one might believe he or she is less trustworthy, less ambitious, or good for nothing. But what about stereotypes that appear to be positive, such as the stereotype that all African Americans are good athletes? If one assumes that all African Americans are naturally athletic, then the athletic trainer may overlook the possibility that an extra flexibility or strength training program would improve the performance of an African American athlete. The bottom line is that all stereotypes are negative, even if they have a positive connotation. Stereotyping is also dangerous because if often leads to prejudice. Prejudice is an attitude, feeling, or pre-judgment that often results in negative action against members of a group. To help debunk the merit of stereotypes, an analogy of a beach often clears things up. Think of the number of grains of sand on a beach. There are billions of grains. Stereotypes may have a grain of truth to them, but one grain is nothing compared to the billions of grains of sand that make up a beach.
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