How can young people help lead a movement to fight hate in their schools and communities?
That question is being answered in Pittsburgh as 25 schools across Allegheny County adopt year-long action plans for students to address hate and foster belonging.
Three hundred students gathered for the Student Summit at the Eradicate Hate Global Summit on October 22, 2024. The event kicked off with a screening of Repairing the World, a documentary produced by Not In Our Town (NIOT), which explores the Pittsburgh community’s response to hate and antisemitism in the aftermath of the killing of eleven people at the Tree of Life synagogue.
Watch this video [1] to learn how students in Allegheny County were empowered to lead a movement to stand up to hate.
Learn how the Eradicate Hate Global Summit, the Not In Our Town film Repairing the World: Stories From the Tree of Life, school district leaders, educators, survivors of the attack in Pittsburgh, and community leaders helped support the students of Allegheny County to take action against hate.
The success of the Student Summit and the engagement of students is a lesson in the value of collaboration and the positive power that can be released when school leaders and community leaders provide a framework for student learning and action. Here are some key factors that led to successful youth engagement to address hate in Allegheny County schools.
SUPPORT FOR STUDENTS: The guiding message of the Summit has been,” Let the students lead.” The first Eradicate Hate Club was formed at South Allegheny High School as students took the lessons from Repairing the World into their own lives; support from the school superintendent and teachers helped the students host their first-ever Hispanic Heritage Month and Black History Month and recognize LGBTQ clubs and events. Their actions inspired other schools to join.
CONVENING: The Eradicate Hate Global Summit provided a high-profile venue for convening, film screenings, and discussion for students. Film Pittsburgh’s Teen Screen organized the first event and continues to support schools as they take Repairing the World back to classrooms and assemblies. Community leaders, philanthropists, and local education experts involved with the Eadicate Hate Global Summit helped open doors and support the Youth Summit.
SCHOOL DISTRICT AND CIVIC LEADERSHIP: The Allegheny Intermediate Unit, which oversees education for the entire region, saw the success of the original convening in 2022 and the engagement at South Allegheny High. The AIU Director Bob Scherer invited additional superintendents and principals to get their schools involved. Fifteen schools joined in 2023, and 25 participated in 2024.
PROGRAM Repairing the World: Stories From the Tree of Life is a film created to spark community and youth action to address hate and promote belonging. The story of Pittsburgh’s response and the engagement of young people in the film encouraged students to see themselves as positive actors in their own communities. Survivors of the attack spoke at the Summit after the film, making the content authentic and personal for attendees. Through the 10.27 Healing Partnership Project, REACH survivors have continued to engage students at events in schools across the region.
ONGOING SUPPORT FOR STUDENT ACTIVITIES: The LIGHT Initiative, supported by the Allegheny Intermediate Unit, leads and convenes regional school events. Educators and school leaders continue to help guide and support student activities. Local funders have stepped up to support youth activities as Superintendents and principals are taking the discussion more broadly to their schools and communities.
Tree of Life Survivor Andrea Wedner connects with a student leader at the Summit.
How can you spark school and district-wide action in your community with a screening of Repairing the World or another Not In Our Town Film?
Get in touch with NIOT. [2]
South Fayette High School students meet with NIOT’s Patrice O’Neill at the Summit.
South Fayette High School hosted a screening of Repairing the World for 1,100 students a few weeks before the Summit. Afterward, two students interviewed survivors of the Tree of Life attack who are part of the 10/27 Healing Partnership REACH program. “Their questions were the best we have heard since we started meeting with students,” said Stanley Mallinger, son of Rose Mallinger, who was killed in the attack.
During the talk back after seeing Repairing the World, students participated in deep discussions, sharing personal experiences of hate and bias in their schools and brainstorming strategies to stop these harmful behaviors.
The event provided tools and resources for the students to bring back to their schools, enabling them to lead anti-hate initiatives and foster a culture of respect and inclusion. Below are tools from NIOT and LIGHT Initiative
As students return to their schools with renewed purpose, the Pittsburgh Student Summit at Eradicate Hate is a testament to the power of youth engagement and collective action in creating lasting change. Stay tuned for more updates as NIOT continues its mission to support communities united against hate.
See more on how students are taking action in their schools below: