In speaking with experts and in our daily interactions, we have found Baltimore to be extremely divided. Racism, sectarianism and a lack of understanding seem to be common place in so many of our neighborhoods and communities. Rarely do different ethnic groups find the chance to interact together and too often questions are left un-asked and therefore unanswered. Our hope is that through the Be More project, children from the various groups that make up Baltimore, will be able to find common ground and begin to break down the barriers that we as older generations have created.
Be More works with boys and girls between the ages of 10-12 years old from different communities from the Baltimore area and brings them together in a twinning program once a week for four weeks. By bringing together children from different backgrounds, and successfully mixing them into new, diverse teams over a four week period, we have seen a transformation in the way they react to and interact with each other.
Each month-long session has 60 children who are split into five random teams of 12. The newly formed teams go off into separate corners of a gym where they spend 15 minutes doing ice breakers and getting to know each other. During that time they are given their uniforms and work together to pick a team name. Over the next four weeks these teams will remain together each time the children come back.
The sessions last for two and a half hours. There are five different stations that the newly formed teams rotate through every twenty minutes. One of those stations is a dialogue station that has the kids explore their similarities and their differences while discussing issues that affect them as young people growing up. The other four stations are sports drills.