Reaching out to Young People and Families

In its seventh year, the Diverse Minds Youth Writing Challenge was offered to high school students in New York City, as well as in the Washington, D.C., metro area (in partnership with new program sponsor, Pepco). The two winning books, We Are All Atoms (NYC) and Pepper the Porcupine and the Big Parade! (D.C.), are unique and engaging vehicles for sharing concepts of diversity and stories of tolerance. 3,000 copies of the books have been donated to public libraries, school libraries and community organizations. For the fourth year, B’nai B’rith donated several hundred books to the NBC TODAY Show Holiday Toy Drive for distribution across the TODAY Show’s charity network. To date, the Diverse Minds contest has published 20 books and awarded more than $165,000 in college scholarships and grants. The 2013 Washington-area winners did a book reading and signed copies of their book at B’nai B’rith Homecrest House, one of the properties in the B’nai B’rith Senior Housing Network.

B’nai B’rith took the start of school summer breaks to remind families to download the free "Smarter Kids - Safer Kids" booklet from the B’nai B’rith International website in an easy-to-read format which is also available in Spanish.

The booklet includes information about online security and practical information about what to do when alone at home, what to do if a child is lost or when he or she is faced with a situation that involves improper actions by someone they know.

The guide has been used in communities across the United States at school assemblies as well as by parent groups. It is a tool that every parent should have about subjects that can be difficult and uncomfortable to discuss. Sometimes parents, who have been sure their children would never do something unsafe, are surprised to learn that their children can be easily manipulated by offenders.