Springside Chestnut Hill Academy (SCH)  will welcome high school and mature 8th-grade students from dozens of schools around the region at its 8th annual SCHout Diversity Conference on Saturday, Jan. 28, from 9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. 

The conference is part of the school’s commitment to foster spaces within the school where meaningful discussions can take place and where students show up and engage. 

“Through the SCHout Diversity Conference, we offer these same curated spaces to students in our local community,” said Upper School Diversity Coordinator Polly Kimberly. “The conference aims to connect students from diverse backgrounds and equip schools across the region with new knowledge and the opportunity to learn from equally passionate, diverse peers and speakers.”

Students will hear keynote speeches by the school’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Council leaders, participate in a story exchange designed to cultivate empathy, and engage in dialogue throughout the day in a series of social action workshops. 

In keeping with the conference theme, “Students of the Present, Voices for the Future,” SCH leaders will each deliver a short address in which they will share personal stories and messages.

The conference features 15 workshops that have been designed to instill a sense of urgency: to connect, collaborate, and take action for social justice. More than 40 SCH high school students will facilitate the original workshops they have conceived and developed. 

For a taste of the range of topics participants can choose from, the student authors of three workshops share their roadmap: 

Microaggressions in Social Media: This workshop asks participants to take a deep dive into the racism that is downplayed and normalized in social media. Through learning about it, participants will take a moment to reflect on the microaggressions they have seen or participated in while online. After learning to recognize the harm that is caused, we will practice ways to call out and respond when we see it.

A Ride Along the 23: The Intersectionality of Race and Socioeconomics: This workshop discusses how a person's race and socioeconomic status interact, and how these two identities could influence where they live. We'll use the 23 Bus Route as a guide down Germantown Avenue, from Chestnut Hill to Kensington. Along Germantown Avenue, there are several neighborhoods with a wide range of socioeconomic statuses. We will examine the question: Why is this the case? Our purpose is for participants to analyze privileges, ones that they may or may not have. We hope that individuals consider how their own racial and socioeconomic identities impact their own access.

Beauty Isn’t Skin Deep: This workshop will explore how the standard of beauty has changed, particularly throughout the 21st century, and the negative impact this standard has on teenagers.  We will discuss how the beauty standard harms young people who are in the process of growing and defining what makes them beautiful. This workshop will also be a space for participants to share their own personal struggles with their self-image and recognize their own beauty.

Taking place on the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, SCH’s SCHout Diversity Conference is designed to speak to his powerful words: “We are now faced with the fact that tomorrow is today.  We are confronted with the fierce urgency of now. In this unfolding conundrum of life and history, there ‘is’ no such thing as being too late.  This is no time for empathy or complacency. This is time for vigorous and positive action.”

To learn more or to register for the 8th Annual SCHout Diversity Conference, please see: sch.org/school/diversity/schout-conference.