Fabius Pompey and Ed Smith Elementary Schools Exchange

This wonderful project pairs up 3rd graders from the Fabius-Pompey Elementary School with the 3rd graders from the Ed Smith school, in Syracuse . The children will meet twice this spring, once at Ed Smith and once at Fabius-Pompey, to learn about life in rural and urban America , and to exchange understanding across racial and ethnic lines.

In 2002 Fabius-Pompey Elementary School asked CWD for help in addressing racial tolerance issues when it became clear that children's perceptions of black men were being shaped by television stereotypes. CWD, working through the Syracuse City School District and with CWD's extensive network of diverse volunteers, developed a two-day exchange project with a city grammar school, Ed Smith School, and trained forty (40) volunteers to provide small-group dialogue exchange discussions for 188 forth grade children. The children engaged in exercises, games, readings, and discussion that left them saying things like, "those kids are just like us." CWD continued the project in 2003 with 172 third graders from these same schools.

Want to Help?

•  Facilitators to work with small groups of children are needed!!!
•  May 18, 2004
•  June 1, 2004
•  Volunteers need to be available both days
•  Donations to help pay for the exchanges can be sent to:

CWD - Exchange Project
3049 E. Genesee Street
Syracuse , NY 13224

Want to do this at your school? CWD would like to help your school do exchanges too!
Here's what we can help you do:

•  Design the curriculum for the Exchange days.
•  Recruit and train facilitators to work with the children.
•  Manage the Exchange days on-site
•  Help with follow ups.

For more information on how to do this at your school, contact Beth Broadway at (315) 449-3552 ext. 116 or by email at cwd1@irccny.org