Biases are the stories we make up about people before we even know them.

What story do we make up about the youth in our lives? Do we assume things about them from the way they dress? Their apparent gender or the color of their skin? 

Thinking “we don’t have a biased bone in our body” isn’t really possible. Having implicit biases is how human beings make sense of the world – how we categorize and sort. We need to realize our biases can get in the way of meaningful relationships with youth. 

Working with youth who appear different than ourselves is an opportunity to learn and grow. If we can see youth for who they really are, we won’t make judgments based on the color of their skin, how they dress or their accent. 

Ending bias starts with us!

In a funny and impassioned TED Talk, Vernā Myers’ asks us to move toward our biases in order to overcome them.