Disability Rights Education & Defense Fund

This organization uses laws and policies to protect the civil rights of the disabled. If you want to learn more about how disabled people are treated in the law and in our society, this is a good resource. You can also learn about what’s being done to make things better! (P, T)

Search for the keywords “accepting” and “friends” and you will see a wide variety of articles and advice on handling your child’s developing social life. There are easy to read articles on topics ranging from “When You Don’t Like Your Child’s Friends” to “Dating Without Fear,” which gives you tips on monitoring your kids’ dating life.

Fight For Your Rights Pamphlet

This is a great resource for learning about prejudices and discrimination. A major roadblock in accepting peers and friends is often prejudice. This pamphlet, put out by MTV's Fight For Your Rights campaign, helps you to identify different harmful ways of thinking. For each kind of discrimination you may see at your school, there are resources listed for getting more info. and outside help. (T)

“Growing Safe Schools”

This site addresses the school violence that seemed to result from intolerant school communities. This is a good resource for those interested in making their school a better place to be – from conflict resolution to learning tolerance. (P, T)

This is a great resource for parents, teens and kids on many subjects. The format is easy, enter keywords (in this case words like “friends”) into the search and instantly be provided with many interesting and easy-to-read articles on a variety of topics. There are articles on helping your child make friends, instilling tolerance of people who are different in your children, what makes a good friend and on why friends are important.

National Association for Multicultural Education

This organization is dedicated to promoting understanding of cultural and ethnic heritage. The goal is not just to tolerate others’ cultures, but to “respect and appreciate” cultural diversity. This is a great site to visit if you’re looking for more info. (P, T)

National Education Association

This is a link to a page on the NEA’s website. It is the No-Taunting Pledge, which was started after the Columbine shooting tragedy. If your school has problems with building an inclusive community, you might want to check this pledge out. Who knows, maybe you can get it started at YOUR school! (P, T)

Search for articles on your kids’ friends on parenting.com to find knowledgeable advice on topics such as “Your Child’s First Friend,” “Sleeping Over Friends’ Houses,” and “Teaching Social Skills.” The information is mostly about younger kids.

The National Conference for Community and Justice

This organization’s mission is to fight bias, bigotry, and racism. If you’re interested in building a community and world that is inclusive for people of all religions, this would be a good place to start! The site specifically addresses relations between Christian and Jewish communities. (P, T)

Tolerance.org 

This is a cool site dedicated to helping teens cross social boundaries. The motto is "fight hate and promote tolerance." They even publish YOUR experiences with trying to "mix it up" and post them to their site. To see what other teens are saying, go to the stories page. You can also learn about the "Mix It Up at Lunch" program, which encourages teens to branch out and learn more about the peers they don't normally hang out with. *** (T)