You can prevent prejudice and stereotyping (if you get kids early)

Children have a natural inclination towards stereotyping, but prejudicial behaviour can be prevented if caught at an early age.

Researchers from Jena University are working on a program for pre-school aged children to help prevent a natural positive bias towards their own social group leading to bias against others. The program works by increasing the contact children have with other children from different social, ethnic or gender groups.

One of the program’s researchers, Dr. Andreas Beelmann said those “who can identify with many groups will be less inclined to make sweeping generalisations in the evaluation of individuals belonging to different social groups or even to discriminate against them.”