A California middle school traveled across the country to interact with students at R. B. Hudson Middle School at a youth forum held Friday. 

The forum allowed students from Sun Valley Magnet School in Sun Valley, Calif., to get to know each other a little better, all while learning about the different areas they call home. The event wasn’t just a meet and greet occasion.

“[The mission] is to provide our boys and girls with a very relevant and meaningful learning experience,” said R. B. Hudson’s assistant principal Cicely Curtis.

“They’re getting a cultural exchange with students from another region. They’re learning about diversity, and they’re also networking with students whose cultures are totally different from the culture here in Selma.”

To get the students talking, activities and exercises were conducted. Students were asked personal questions, and if a statement applied to them they were asked to move to the middle of the room.

The activity granted the students the opportunity to see what they all had in common.

Mayor George Evans also participated in the forum of about 25 students. He addressed the importance of history and the city of Selma.

He also wanted students to remember the history that will propel them into the future.

“Let’s not end it here,” Evans said.

“Let’s keep building for the future. Keep history alive.”

History is what brought the California students to the Queen City, when they usually attended leadership activities in Washington D.C. and New York. Sun Valley leadership coordinator Stephen Franklin said the Bridge Crossing Jubilee and the 50th anniversary of the Selma to Montgomery marches were what put him and his students on the road to Selma.

After a visit to Selma, he contacted Georgia Congressman John Lewis, members of the Selma Chamber of Commerce, the Mayor’s office and R.B. Hudson Middle School.

“As a teacher, I’ve seen so many groups of kids get together,” Franklin said. “They look really awkward and feel uncomfortable. I was pleasantly surprised and thrilled they all got together.”

Franklin said he’s excited students from different backgrounds could meet at the forum.