One Milford

New program engages students in community EDUCATION

In 2024, four years after the Black Lives Matter movement took off in earnest, towns and cities are still grappling with how to respond to the need for a sense of belonging for all. It’s recognized that this is all important in general society, but this kind of culture shift is more important than ever for our children who deserve the tools to succeed. “One Milford,” was created in order to foster that community and give students the right tools to be active and engaged members.

This was shown through an apt metaphor in the October 2023 presentation of One Milford: “Every good gardener knows that if your veggies aren’t growing, you need to make sure that the right conditions are in place. They must receive sufficient water, adequate sunlight and fertilizer, and you must be attentive to pest control. In our classrooms, the essential conditions are safety, inclusion, belonging and social and emotional support. When these conditions are present, children thrive – and they learn.”

These initiatives, led by Marisa Acampora, the Instructional Supervisor of Equity and Engagement for the Milford Public Schools, noted what this means for Milford and what this does not mean as well. It is, she presented, “building relationships that communicate respect and dignity” as well as “Identifying when factors exist that are not supporting an inclusive climate, naming the problem and collectively solving it.” IT is not “prioritizing the success of any one person or group,” or “Promoting blame or shame of any person or group.”

Still, as recently as early April 2024, CT Insider was running articles about “The backlash against diversity, equity and inclusion.” While it focused mostly on the business world, there have been instances in Connecticut public schools that have shown that the need for equity and inclusion training is needed even in school age children.

The American Psychological Assocation states that “an important goal in diversity education is helping students recognize their biases. Whether they are implicit or explicit, biases stem from reliance on common cognitive heuristics that help people navigate their complex social world.” In other, simpler, words, “they are part of being human.”

Students who are given the tools to navigate being human are likely to be perceived to be more successful than those who are not. In a less contentious example, think of how a student who has learned manners is perceived when they say “please” and “thank you” versus a student who has only learned to demand what they want.

In Milford, that education is going to help them foster “One Milford,” that is a Milford that already exists, one that is for everyone. It is foundationally very American to believe that America is a melting pot – which we describe elsewhere in this issue – and through this program students will learn not only that that is true, but why it is true and why that’s important.