Weekly Dialogues:

As part of the ICH program, residents will have opportunities to learn about themselves, their fellow housemates, and race relations in the United States. Throughout the fall and spring academic semesters, the ICH holds weekly structured dialogues that explore various issues on race and racism including white privilege, race and the media, institutionalized racism, and affirmative action. The ICH aims to encourage participants to question and recognize some of their underlying assumptions about race. While these dialogues are often run by ICH staff or members of the Pittsburgh academic community, as part of leadership development, residents are required to lead one dialogue every semester. These weekly dialogues are also intended to assist the mentoring program by bringing light to the social structures and challenges that affect children in schools. Understanding is essential to the success of the ICH mission, but understanding must come from open discussion. Therefore, these weekly dialogues are integral to the personal development of residents throughout the academic year.

Mentoring Program:

The mentoring program is our main activity concerning community involvement. The mentoring is designed so that residents, in groups of two or three, can conduct team-mentoring. We visit the school weekly with a prepared lesson plan to help young students gain a critical consciousness about their surroundings that will enable them to develop positive identities and empower them to activate social change.

The ICH aims to foster a two-layered mentoring process – the first layer being the mentoring between ICH residents and Montessori students and, the second layer, being the mentoring between Montessori students and their fellow underclassmen. With the guidance of ICH residents, Montessori students themselves learn to develop and present powerful, thought-provoking, and challenging pieces to their underclassmen.

Special Events:

Unique to the ICH program are the “special events” scheduled during the academic year. ICH residents come together to create and run events that increases community awareness of the ICH and promotes racial understanding throughout the Pittsburgh area. Residents take full ownership over the events and make decisions including: what the events will be, how they are promoted, and how they are run. We at the ICH believe that people should enjoy promoting racial understanding. By cooperatively designing the events, residents ensure that they will be both fun and informative. Previous events have included hosting spoken word, movie night, panel discussion, and racial simulation activity.

Programming Goals:

• Affirming Identity
• Building Community
• Cultivating Student Leadership

Learning Outcomes:

• Members will value and respect their own racial identity.
• Members will value and respect the racial identity of others.
• Members will build a community of learners.
• Members will develop their intercultural communication skills.
• Members will cultivate their leadership in the greater Pittsburgh community.

Residents Aim To:

• Encourage Montessori students through members’ own lived experiences.
• Build a trusting and mutually understanding relationship.
• Build students’ confidence and belief about their aspirations.
• Encourage Montessori students to combat socially constructed limitations, stereotypes, and prejudices.
• Become the example for alternative ways of thinking.
• Build the momentum for change in society.