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Classifieds

Publication Date: Friday, March 16, 2001

An offer of help to combat violence

Editor:

Last week at CHAC (The Community Health Awareness Council) our staff spoke at length about the latest high school shootings. It is incredibly alarming and sad that innocent youths are faced with such horrendous situations in their lives and that other young people can be so damaged that they do such harm to fellow students.

This observation led to our wondering what further we can do to help in our schools and community. CHAC offers training, support, and additional help through the implementation of an award-winning year-round curriculum that teaches empathy, problem solving, conflict resolution, positive social skills, and anger management for elementary and middle school levels. We also offer training, support, materials and guidance in implementing a conflict manager program for the elementary, middle, and high school levels.

At the high school level we offer a peer counseling program that could work in conjunction with any type of conflict resolution program on any campus. We can also speak to staff and students about how to "bully-proof" your school and identify danger signs, as well as what individuals can do safely about them. We can offer classes on resistance skills and anger management for any grade level.

It is our opinion and recommendation that all schools, both public and private, and youth groups take a proactive stance and consider incorporating into their curriculum or group activities programs that would address the issues that lead to these tragedies.

Monique Kane

Executive Director, CHAC