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Dunkirk, NY – An award winning diversity training program is heading for Buffalo on
Tuesday for a summit on nonviolence along with a contingent of 65 Chautauqua County residents. Developed by local artist and social activist Valerie Walawender, Faces In The Crowd has received high marks from
parents, students, educators, business people and human resource agencies.
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Walawender said this “remarkable interactive tool” Is geared toward people who have “ever wondered what it would be like to be richer or poorer, older or
younger, or of a different race, class, gender or ethnic group.”
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This diversity, sensitivity and violence prevention kit has been presented to special education groups at the Museum of Tolerance, Simon Wiesenthal Center in
Los Angeles and, most recently, at the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence, Christian Brothers University in Memphis.
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The Freedom to Change Violence Prevention summit is expected to attract more than 1,000 participants to the Buffalo Convention Center.
The event is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday with keynote speaker Erin Gruell, an English teacher who was instrumental in reducing violence at a California high school with a 70-percent dropout rate. The students studied the diaries of Bosnian youth who witnessed first-hand the violence in this war-torn country.
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“This group will be touring Western New York schools and communities to talk about stopping violence and being a catalyst for change,” Walawender said. Local
summit participants include: Chautauqua Opportunities Inc., Chautauqua County Rural Ministry Inc., Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County, county Probation Department and the Cassadaga Valley, Dunkirk,
Forestville, Fredonia and Silver Creek school districts.
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Faces In The Crowd has received support from, among others, Dan and Marie O’Rourke, Dunkirk Boilers/ECR International Inc., county government and the Northern
Chautauqua Community Foundation.
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“You can’t get much more appropriate (than with Faces in the Crowd), “said Silver Creek High School Principal John Hertlein. “You have a variety of students
in every school district and we need to appreciate the uniqueness of kids." Last year, seventh graders at Silver Creek Middle School participated in a Faces in the Crowd workshop. The workshops include
interactive exercises such as: assumptions, race course, social twister, labels, secrets, comfort zones, gender genius, immigrants, age acrobats and class act.
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"The program is consistent with educational learning standards and goals 2000," Walawender said. "It addresses issues such as inter-cultural
appreciation, creative problem-solving, communication skills, violence prevention, sexual harassment, conflict resolution, group dynamics, name calling, stereotypes, self esteem, bullying, cliques and racism.
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A Forestville resident, Walawender said she created Faces in the Crowd "to catalyze creativity, compassion and a deeper awareness in the world." She
is recognized for her expertise in the "complexity and richness of human relationships. "The majority of models (for the mask photos) are from Dunkirk," Walawender said. "The masks represent 20
different countries and about a dozen different religions.” "We live in a diverse community," she added. "It is really a reflection of America."
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Walawender is the recipient of a fellowship from the Chautauqua County Council on the Arts and several grants. She has created many community initiatives,
including the Springville 3-C Program, the Dunkirk Community Challenge Program and the Pied Piper Program. Her most recent workshops include COl's Head Start Program, the county Office for the Aging, students at
Fredonia State University College, Cornell University Institute for Labor Relations, Rich Products management staff, American Society of Training and Development, Gowanda Correctional Facility Regional Diversity
Program and the YWCA. The kit was recently purchased and the program adopted by the Washington County and Warren County Youth Bureaus in the Albany area.
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A New York State Certified teacher with a bachelor of fine arts degree in art, Walawender is currently seeking her master's degree through
Empire State College. Her background includes work as an exhibit specialist for both the Miami Metro Zoo and Buenos Aires Zoo, certified National Geographic teacher consultant, glass sculptor, advertising director
for a national manufacturer, writer of newspaper columns and documentary photography. "I'm extremely pleased with the response so far to Faces in the Crowd," Walawender said, "and that the program
keeps growing in popularity."
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Faces in the Crowd is available for youth workshops, school groups (all age levels), and school, agency and organization staff development programs. The
program was the subject of a feature story published in the Observer Saturday section on May 15, 1999. For more information or to arrange a workshop, kit rental or train the trainer program, contact Valerie
Walawender at: 2847 Route 39, Forestville, NY 14062, 679-3359.
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