Students of different backgrounds unified by Tolerance Trip

Credit : Ahmet Jan HAFIZ*

At the start of the autumn 2003 semester, teachers in Vanier College's Jewish Studies program began planning a trip to New York City and Washington DC with the aim of creating a leisurely but stimulating learning experience during spring break, 2004. Collaborating with various departments and groups within Vanier's strongly multicultural community, the trip planners, led by Professors Jack Hirschberg and Matthieu Sossoyan of the Psychology and Anthropology departments, respectively, created an itinerary that took a busload of students and educators to important historic, cultural and religious sites where everyone was encouraged to reflect upon tolerance -- and upon the social, political, and cultural causes of racism, ethnocentrism and intolerance.