Unity Tools Framework

By Edith Crawford

The UNITY Lab creates transformational experiences where people learn about the consequences of prejudice and violence, practice tools that foster harmony, and make choices that empower themselves and others to build unity.

The Tools for Change have been developed around measurable learning objectives. These goals are based on Bloom's taxonomies of learning domains, the authoritative model for classifying learning skills. Of the Lab's 24 Tools for Change, the following eight focus specifically on cognitive and affective learning skills that relate to participants' knowledge, attitudes, behavior and values:

Forgive-- participants will learn how the tools of forgiveness toward themselves and others can dismantle the barriers to building unity Embrace Culture-- participants will recognize that valuing their cultures and embracing diversity enables them to build unity Protest-- participants will encounter the effectiveness of nonviolent protest, evaluate its effectiveness, and determine how they can use it to build unity Teach-- participants will discover that all people have skills they can teach to empower others to build unity Volunteer-- participants will understand the essential role that volunteerism serves in building unity Advocate-- participants will attain skills to make their opinions matter through persuasive speech and political action Organize-- participants will realize how organizing with others who share their concerns is a powerful tool to build unity Express-- participants will recognize and practice the tremendous power of creative tools for nonviolent change. See the Tool in action-- scroll down for screenshots and a video.

What are Youth Developmental Assets? Each Tool for Change is designed to strengthen Youth Developmental Assets-- individual qualities and social supports identified as critical to young people's academic, psychological, and social success. Youth Developmental Assets are standardized according to a six year, nationwide study by the research firm Search Institute, and applied today by educators, youth organizations and policymakers across the country.

Our First Completed Tool: Express Yourself Through Express Yourself, The Lab's first completed Tool, participants learn to articulate their perspectives through creative expression. It's the collaborative product of teachers, researchers, and professionals in the field of artistic design and media and educational technology. Express Yourself combines political poster making, film editing, and spoken word poetry recording, inspired by youth-engaging video profiles of people whose creative work has caused real social change. The activities are hands-on, interactive, and build participants' digital media literacy. Express Yourself is being used by students and educators in the George Washington Carver School's Digital Arts Lab in Sacramento, Calif.