NCJ Number
184382
Date Published
October 1994
Length
2 pages
Annotation
This paper describes two violence prevention programs based on the premise that violence is a learned behavior; they are rooted in the belief that children must be taught nonviolent means of resolving conflict.
Abstract
The Resolving Conflict Creatively Program (RCCP) is a school-based conflict resolution and mediation program begun in New York City in 1985. RCCP's year-long curricula focus on active listening, assertiveness (as opposed to aggressiveness or passivity), expression of feelings, perspective-taking, cooperation, and negotiation. Teachers are encouraged to do at least one "peace lesson" a week, to use "teachable moments" that arise because of what is happening in the classroom or the world at large, and to infuse conflict resolution lessons into the regular academic program. RCCP recently began a pilot program for parents; two or three parents per school are trained to lead workshops for other parents on intergroup relations, family communication, and conflict resolution. The Violence Prevention Project (VPP) is a community-based outreach and education project operated by Boston's Department of Health and Hospitals as part of its Health Promotion Program for Urban Youth. VPP teaches staff from community-based youth agencies how to use lessons from the high school curriculum in their own violence prevention programs. VPP's community education program was coupled with a mass media campaign to raise public awareness of adolescent violence. VPP's peer leadership program uses a small group of youth leaders who do conflict resolution and violence prevention work among their peers. This paper also addresses ways the media can be used as an adjunct to school and community programs to prevent violence.