Ideas for Increasing the Peace

By Matika Palmer

The month of February has been designated “Violence-Free Youth” month. In our community, there are many programs that promote messages of anti-violence and peace. In addition, there are activities parents can do with and for their children to emphasize the importance of these peacemaking issues. Police Athletic League of Greater Reading (PAL) offers programs such as peer mediation, teaching conflict resolution skills, and organizing and participating in activities throughout the community that work toward non-violent and peace-keeping goals.

The Bully Free Zone is a PAL collaboration with Berks Advocates Against Violence, designed to teach students, staff, families, and communities exactly what bullying is, and how it affects everyone involved. The program empowers students, by helping them understand bullying, and what they can do about it. Students are trained to let staff know when bullying is occurring, and staff members are trained to handle both the bully and the target. When the program is successfully executed, the bully understands that his/her actions will not be tolerated, and the target understands that he/she can help eliminate bullying by speaking out against it.

Another PAL collaboration with Poet Craig Czury resulted in a state award granted by the Department of Health’s Violence-Free Youth Challenge. The Challenge encourages young people to be advocates for violence prevention. Schools, communities, and individual students can participate through multimedia works and/or written entries. Students from the Mentoring and the Arts program created a poem with Craig Czury called Peace Out, which expresses things they see each day in their homes, at school, and in the streets. The poem candidly ends with the line “I wish people’s minds were like chalkboards and we could erase all the violence from their heads.” Their entry encouraged them to think about the violence they see every day and speak out about it. It also allowed them to witness what a little effort and a lot of imagination can do. Winning community organizations and schools receive $5,000, while individual students can win a $500 savings bond. For information about the Challenge, and for more tips about activities you can do with your child to stress the importance of anti-violence, visit the Pennsylvania State Dept. of Health Website at http://webserver.health.state.pa.us/health/site/ and click on the “Violence-Free Youth Challenge” link. There is also a calendar that notes state activities and events regarding youth and anti-violence.

There are many other local organizations and activities that promote the message of anti-violence. Berks Advocates Against Violence provides counseling, group therapy, and bully prevention training for groups and individuals. PRIDE, sponsored by The Council on Chemical Abuse, is a group of students who perform skits and dances relating to drugs and violence in the community. Week Without Violence Red Ribbon Week, held in October, is a collaboration of community organizations, churches, schools, and individuals who organize events to educate the community and send the message out that violence will not be tolerated. Activities such as poetry and essay contests, TALK WITH CHALK, “Increase the Peace” dances, Zero Tolerance marches and rallies, and moments of silence throughout the schools to acknowledge the victims of violence are all ways to advocate and spread the message of peace. At home, parents can talk with their children about their emotions and how to handle them. Helping your child to understand his feelings and productively cope with his frustrations can help him manage his anger and be more sensitive to others. If you believe your child would benefit by counseling, don’t hesitate to reach out for help. Other important resources are community after-school programs, offered at places like the PAL, the YMCA, the Olivet’s Boys and Girls Club. These programs are designed to help students learn valuable social skills and increase their support systems. Better support systems can decrease the chances of a child getting involved with the wrong crowd. PAL is also one of many organizations that comprise the Weed and Seed Program, which aims to weed out crime and violence in our communities, and seed them with positive and productive components that will help our children and communities grow healthy and safe. For further information about anti-violence efforts and community events, please contact your local community organizations or The Police Athletic League at 610-376-7229.

Matika Palmer currently works as the Coordinator for the Mentoring and the Arts Program at the Police Athletic League.

This article originally appeared in Parents' Source, January 20, 2003.
Re-printed by permission.