REDLANDS, Calif.
Anant Pai who started a club at his high school to give kids a chance to learn about different perspectives and cultures.The idea for the club, called Cultures for Youth, came two years ago, when Anant and a friend were walking down the street. Someone in a passing car yelled racial slurs at them, and that motivated Anant to do something that could promote change.
"I started Cultures for Youth to sort of redress that in the hopes that maybe I could use it as an instrument to catalyze change and allow children to see different perspectives and instill this sort of tolerance in the youth of today," he said. The Redlands High School student has managed to pack a classroom with his peers who are ready to make a difference. He has found more than one way to accomplish that goal with dialogue, guest speaker presentations and encouragement to learn about others' perspectives. Anant took a moment of hate and turned into a mission of teaching tolerance to others. He said the club is not about raising awareness about prejudice, but being able to motivate people to take action. "You're not doing just forums on race. You're not just arranging presentations. You're organizing volunteer events in the hopes that everyone will come together and sort of feel this spirit of community," he said.