CHILD
CH
'. line
Pleventlon run by
Department rl ttl m1
It aC\l1iculwn deYe10ped
by Dr. Debotah ProttJow..stith, a
physidanam deano �
.. _ ....... v Sdro ciPublic Health.
1m project cxn:entm� in
� city's two poorest nciglOO'
mods, (ft predomina1ely Blade,
am <R pmdonlimlely white.
A 10«ssi0n OOUISC fOr high
scmol students focugeson the .
ofviolen:em11Dmicideaniintro
dua:s altcmltiYe ways ., J.t:SOlve
cooftids. St\XbJIs learn that I1XlSt
vblelre occes between people
wOO kmw each otm. 1my learn
bt wtile &qF. a ID11l8l emo-
on, it doesn't have ., � k>
violent beilMor.
..
STUDENTS PRACTICE
roIe.playing b gain experie� in
de&ingwithoonflidsoonviolently.
� curricu1wn is oow used in
about 4,(0) scmols arowx1 �
00UIlIIy.
'The project's goal, bowever, is
rooreambitious thanjust room
irBtnJ::tion. It aims to peneuu,
both comrmmities with an anu
violeoo:�. So � project
recruits and trains community
groupi - cburdles, boys and gim
duM, Iralth ceners, recreational
p,rognum, plt>IIV' Wvla....ma OIQJ�
-m . f"1
�athat are � �r tOOr
se-''O' .
� project b� i� nasage
., adolescerm admit1ed k> Boston
aty Ibpital with intentional in
juries and nairs pediatric neses k>
work withseriolSly injuredado1cs
cents am tOOir friends and family.
In 0aklarKt, Oilifomia, a two
year-old peer education program
called Teem on Target (IN1)
recruits ani tJaiR; stOOentsat risk of
violent lnjwies k> become advo
eaes for viole� pt:e\'enDOtl:
Aca>rding to Paul Brekke
MiesB7, program manager of the
0aldarx1 Unified Sdool District's
I-blth am Safety program and a
CO-SPOIlS(X" of 1Nf, this scbJol
year � program will recruit some
of ·its peer edocatolS from aroong
st\lJem woo are caught bringing
weapons b sdml or wOO are dis
ciplined for msaulting O�lS. ,
THE STUDENTS makes
treirown video tralningtapes to me
during their anti-viole� presenta
tions to younger stuJems in tOO
city's scmols. The peer edWlDs
� ise an audio rap tape produced
by 1Nf studerm.
1Nf students are paid an oour
Iy mirimum wage for the 15 oours
a week they �l1llly speOO in
training and presentanors. All told,
they have reached about 3,(0) of
their fellow tuden in violence
ridden Eest 0aklarKt, where the
program is corxen��
"The presentatiom are real ef
fective," says Brekke-Meisner ..
"Of all the prevention inerven
lions, peer education and peer
counc;eling have the not impact.
:Many teens just don't listen to
adults, but tm;e are strcetwise kids
wOO oow talk a d.ifferent lire."
SOON, TNT STIJDENTS
will begin deUvering their anti
violence � to youth brought
k> � local oounty OOspital with
gursbot wounds and �r inten
tional injwies. The program also
will begin organi7ing �nt s�
portgro�.
lam �by tb:.seprojects
am otOOIs making strides k> help
our children But trere is mtrlt k>
do. No one slDuld sleep with a
dear corsderee until every cbild
grows up talthy, educated, arx1
liviIlI in a safe, s�I1ive rom
mmity.
Marian Wright Edelman is
prr!Sidett cjthect:/thn 'sDefr,nse
Fund, an«iaral WJ«:e f�chikten.
Tun T L 0 cited
problems with the Department of
Social Service and need for
dome tic violence and ub tance
abuse oounseling.
HIGHLAND PARK
"IN A WAY, I would think the
go of DSS and HPCC are the
amc-to get people educated and
independent 0 that there are fewer
people to give thi i tance to.
We're both trying to get the job done
o that our community can have
people who will come and give
back."
Davis belSelf i giving back. After
graduating from HPCC in 1983., he
,i not to
16.
I
HPCC Ombudsman 0 0
needs lnsld nd 0 de the cl
Th
earned a bachelor' degree in
psychology from the University of
Michigan. She returned to HPcc,
bere be orked a placement
worker for three years before ooming
to ber current post in February.