Diversity Council on Global Education and Citizenship
Supporting the Holocaust Resource Center in achieving its goal of global education and engagement is the Diversity Council on Global Education and Citizenship of Kean University.
Founded in 1990, the Council collaborates with Kean’s College of Education and provides more than 110 member school districts with opportunities that empower educators to create safe, inclusive learning environments for all students by providing Common Core-aligned professional development.
The Council fosters the continued growth of active and compassionate individuals in order to reduce intolerance, harassment/intimidation, and to promote social justice in a democratic society.
The Council hosts annual elementary, middle, and high school conferences, as well as leadership seminars. These professional development sessions explore diversity-related themes including bullying, Holocaust and genocide education, civil rights, and confronting human rights abuses.
To learn more about membership and obtain a membership application, please email Sarah Coykendall, Managing Assistant Director, at coykends@kean.edu
Student Leadership Conferences
The Diversity Council offers two student leadership conferences during the academic year that engage students in discussions on diversity, inclusivity, social justice, being an upstander, and more. Our High School Leadership Conference is held in November and our Middle/Elementary Leadership Conference is held in March, both of which take place at the main Kean University campus. At each program, students hear from a keynote speaker and have the opportunity to ask questions and consider their personal connections to the keynote theme. In addition, participants work collaboratively with students from different school districts to learn about the experiences of others and to promote equity, inclusion, and understanding in their school districts and communities. To learn more about these conferences and to bring your students, please email Sarah Coykendall, Managing Assistant Director, at coykends@kean.edu.
In 2019, our High School Leadership Conference keynote was Kizito Kalima, survivor of the Rwandan Genocide and founder of the Peace Center for Forgiveness and Reconciliation. For 2020, our Middle/Elementary School Conference keynote was Catarina Guimaraes, a current high school adaptive athlete and two-time published author. Information on next year's keynote speakers will be available soon.
"The whole [student leadership] conference was so enlightening and nothing I've ever experienced before. I was meaningful to me because it helped me value my life and others more by hearing all their stories. I joined our diversity club at school because of the positive energy exerted by the club leaders and I felt that same energy throughout the whole event. I've always struggled with feeling included and self-confident around others but during the event, I was able to tell my story to people who listened, even though they were strangers. Overall it was just a great experience to be surrounded by my peers who wanted to learn and express themselves the same way I did. Thank you for presenting the opportunity to the club." (Student, Watchung Hills Regional High School)
The Joy Prescott Humanitarian Award
The Joy Prescott Humanitarian Award was established by the Holocaust Resource Center and Council on Global Education and Citizenship to honor Joy Prescott, a beloved Kean University employee, upon her retirement. Ms. Prescott dedicated more than 30 years of service to students and educators through her passion for diversity training, community building, and Holocaust education.
The Joy Prescott Humanitarian Award for Student Leadership and Dedication was presented to two student leaders at our Student Leadership Conference on November 22, 2019. These students demonstrated a commitment to human rights and the pursuit of social justice.
The 2021 Fritz Jonach Upstander Award
Fritz Jonach was a dedicated humanitarian, teacher and coach from Millburn High
School who was an active member of the Kean University Diversity Council. After
his sudden passing, a memorial award was established in his name. The award
criteria is based on implementing the Diversity Council on Global Education and
Citizenship’s mission statement into a project that encouraged civic engagement
and worked to create a culture of upstanders in their school.