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Amber Gonzalez isn't alone anymore.

Becka Buck broke down barriers she didn't know she had.

Rich Richardson vowed to be more careful if he jokes about race.

More than 436 students were able to connect and interact with one another Monday as part of the seventh annual It's Time to Talk Youth Forum on Race.

Participants broke out into small group discussions on various subjects, mainly focusing on racism and prejudice, and brainstormed action plans to take back to their schools.

Students hailed from various public and private schools across the city, and more than 60 student facilitators and teachers took part in the daylong forum, held at the University of Arizona.

Buck, an 18-year-old senior at Catalina High Magnet School, said the experience took her out of her comfort zone because she was placed in a group with deaf and blind peers, people she was previously uncomfortable to be around because she didn't know how to approach them.

She said getting to talk with them was a big step, because she got to learn how others feel about their surroundings.

"In general, you learn a lot from everyone," she said.

Kenya Masala, one of the event coordinators, said the activities helped students get a sense of the "false boundaries" they maintain, such as sitting on the opposite side of the cafeteria with someone at lunch, or shunning others with different musical tastes.

Emotions ran high in some of the discussions, with students crying and apologizing to one another other for past behaviors. Masala said a common theme throughout the day was students just asking for love and respect.

Richardson, a self-proclaimed jokester, said the forum was a positive experience for him because he got to think about how racial jokes can hurt people.

"My world was in a box," he said. "But seeing everyone today, it just grew out of control."

Jess Weinstein, a student facilitator, said a main goal of the forum is to make people aware of their actions, because many don't realize when they perpetuate a stereotype.

Weinstein, a junior at St. Gregory College Preparatory School, said these issues are just as important as classes such as English and science, and he thinks schools should teach more about prejudices and diversity.

"There's a lot of diversity in ourselves that we don't even see," he said.

Gonzalez, a junior at Howenstine High Magnet School, said she found solace at the forum because she realized she wasn't the only one who had lost someone to gang-related violence.

"I learned a lot of people go through the same things," she said. "I know I've put down certain people, and I'm trying to grow and mature as a person."

Through the afternoon, the students, helped by advisers, prepared action plans to take back to their schools. Students can submit these plans for grant consideration through a youth advisory committee of 10 students who judge the proposals.

The event is sponsored by the YWCA of Tucson and the Every Voice in Action Foundation, an organization that gives grants to non-profit agencies to enhance youth voices in the community.

Last year, more than 7,000 students participated in programs fueled by the action plans conceived at the forums, said Janet Marcotte, the local YWCA executive director.

"It's a wonderful way to make connections and dispel some myths," she said.

Tackling prejudice head-on