Diversity Project
About the Project
The McLean County Diversity Project was started in 2002 by Jeffrey A. Schwartz, Mayor of the Village of Downs, as a way to educate residents on the value of diversity within a community. The Project focuses on educating youth, since studies show teens are still learning and forming opinions about differences and acceptance.
The mission of the Project is to foster a functional and rational acceptance of the differences that reside in us all. Our goal is to accomplish this by providing opportunities and activities that are unique and would otherwise not be available to our students.
We achieved both the mission and goal the first year, by partnering with the Boys and Girls Club in Bloomington, Illinois to take a diverse group of students from Downs and Bloomington to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Students learned about and discussed the emotional and physical events that took place during the Civil War and the entire era.
Since that time, the Project has partnered with other cultural entities and is now open to students throughout McLean County. The Project has also evolved into a year-round opportunity for students.
All content is ©Copyright 2009 McLean County Diversity Project