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 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.