“...92% of students felt better about themselves, more than 90% of parents reported an increase in their own communication and problem solving skills.”
 
Resolving Conflict
Creatively, 1998
 
 
“...In one year, the ..out-of-school suspension rate was down an astounding 97%.”
 
NDPC/N
 
 
“...it’s a prevention program, in that it aims to help everyone to learn to be empowered to resolve their everyday situations, conflicts, and problems without getting to a point where they lose their cool.”
 

HIP Program Manual, AFSC
 
 
 
 
Per CDC, “Violent injury and death disproportionately affect children, adolescents, and young adults in the United States.” Conflict is a natural part of life that we must all learn to work through. Some may respond to conflict with violence or by avoidance. Neither of these responses is productive.

The Community and School Programs have groups made up of students, staff and community members that work together to learn the skills necessary to have creative conflict resolution at school, at home and in the community.

An assessment is made with the particular group that identifies what the major goals are and then a customized program is developed to help meet those goals.

There are three core modules that are part of all Building Points of View’s programs:

Building Alternatives to Violence
The Basic Workshop which has experiential topics such as:

  • Affirmation-to help each participant re-establish their personal value
  • Brainstorming on ‘what is conflict?’, ‘what is violence?’, ‘how does conflict lead to violence?’ to establish the framework for the sessions
  • Construction and Team Building
  • Language-how to defuse conflict and violence; how to speak without creating more conflict or violence; how to express anger without making someone else be defensive
  • Role plays of pertinent situations to provide all the practice of actually applying what is being learned
  • Follow up sessions (generally every 6 weeks) for additional topics based on the group’s needs, especially problem solving and beginning mediation skills training

Building Conflict Mastery
An advanced workshop which provides more in-depth topics and tools for both conflict resolution and for peer mediation. It is expected that participants will have completed the “Building Alternatives to Violence” workshop.

Building Facilitators
Workshop designed for those in the school or community that want to be facilitators. The objective of this module is to provide a group with its own facilitators that have been trained to facilitate both the basic and advanced workshops. Additionally, the facilitators are prepared for the Community Outreach workshops that the group may choose to offer.

Community Outreach
This module is structured for a community group beyond the starting group. Its basic purpose is to expand the experience out into the community at large, to provide additional support for everyone to be agents of change in their own lives and communities.

 
© 2004 Building Points of View, LLC All rights reserved.