I am so passionate about the important work I do with the Board at Beyond Differences. I joined the Beyond Differences National Teen Board in 9th grade after seeing the deep impact that Beyond Differences’ curriculum made on students through a program in my middle school. Since I joined the...
My name is Paarth, and I’m from Kalamazoo, Michigan. I have been part of Beyond Differences since the start of my sophomore year in high school, and joined because I wanted to use my experiences as a middle school student who felt socially isolated to make positive change in the world. One of the...
Beyond Differences’ National Teen Board Member Alysha Lee will become the youngest person to ever receive the Surgeon General’s Medallion for Health Award. Alysha will be receiving this award for her work with Beyond Differences’ Stand Up for AAPI Youth Project where she led a student group...
Beyond Differences just released its featured curriculum on Queer Visibility written by members of its National Teen Board. This dedicated group of high school students created a rich curriculum for middle schools with compelling lessons that include: A history lesson that highlights two mothers...
Beyond Differences released its first-ever Featured Curriculum written by our National Teen Board as part of the 2022 Know Your Classmates® program. The Teen Board members who worked on this curriculum either identify as having a disability or are caregivers to a family member with a...
Today, July 26th, marks the 32nd anniversary of the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in 1990. We would like to honor and celebrate the radical, disabled activists who broke the chains of silence and isolation to bring forth this bill and the multitude of anonymous...
My name is Sofie and I joined Beyond Differences National Teen Board because I wanted to help middle schoolers free themselves from the pain of social isolation.  I had experienced unseen social isolation throughout my life and knew how devastating it can be. Especially, throughout elementary and...
Whenever I opened my Superman lunch box in elementary school, by the reactions of my peers you would have thought I had just unleashed a wave of noxious gas. Every kid within a 15-foot radius of me wrinkled their noses in disgust. “EEEWWWW, what is that smell!” A dozen fingers would then all...
I have been involved with Beyond Differences since 6th grade at my school and jumped at the chance to join the National Teen Board this Spring. I was excited for Activist Academy because I knew I would be able to learn from a dynamic group of young, social justice activists and receive the...
Beyond Differences applauds all of the teens who lifted up a boy in Colorado this week. Today.com reported that Cody Ridder, a 12-year-old boy from Westminister, Colorado, told his mom that his 6th-grade classmates would not sign his yearbook. He was so disappointed that so many kids said,...
Allowing students the freedom to be themselves in school is essential. Sometimes a student can be bullied and socially isolated in school for expressing themselves. As an adoptee and as a queer youth, I’ve seen the repercussions of self-expression in the classroom firsthand. Fostering...
The pandemic fueled a rise in xenophobia towards the AAPI community. Every day, more news covered stories about verbal and physical assaults. As a Teen Board member of Beyond Differences, I heard about an opportunity to share my story at a rally to bring awareness to this issue and elevate youth...