NCJ Number
163290
Journal
School Safety Dated: (Winter 1996) Pages: 20-22
Date Published
1996
Length
3 pages
Annotation
By focusing on changing the attitudes and behaviors that foster violence, the Get Real About Violence program encourages students to adopt nonviolent guidelines by showing that nonviolence is both possible and desirable.
Abstract
The program, which was developed at the Narrows View Intermediate School in Tacoma, Wash., has three modules. The first module personalizes violence issues and shows the students that they are not immune to violence. Students role-play the perpetrator, the victim, and the victim's parents to illustrate the concepts of empathy and consequences. The second module encourages students to identify and perceive factors that contribute to violence, including peer pressure and portrayals of violence in the media. This module also demonstrates how attitudes and behaviors, such as spreading rumors or crowding around a fight, can spark or intensify violent acts. The third module provides instruction in building social skills designed to prevent violent situations. This article also profiles a modified approach for elementary students and outlines the elements necessary for the success of a schoolwide model. An evaluation of the Narrows View program showed that more than 140 potentially violent incidents were avoided, and more than 50 seventh graders volunteered to talk about what they had learned. The school was decorated with more than 120 posters, each illustrating a nonviolent message. Also, the students began reporting gang recruitment activity to the school counselor. Students now feel empowered to solve some of their own problems and also go to adults for help in defusing more serious cases.