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PEACE Keepers Program
Since 2000, Family Service & Guidance Center and local school districts have collaborated to take a proactive role in addressing the critical problem of school violence. The U.S. Secretary of Education estimates that there are approximately 16,000 antisocial incidents each school day, or about one every six seconds.
The PEACE Keepers Program - Practicing Effective Approaches to Conflict Everyday - was developed by Family Service and Guidance Center for children in grades 3, 4 and 5. PEACE Keepers is a semester-long program that targets children displaying antisocial behaviors in the classroom. By developing coping and problem-solving skills, the program offers children the opportunity to connect to their schools and communities through nonviolent, proactive approaches to conflict and appropriate expression of emotions. Through highly-interactive, "hands-on" activities and one-on-one mentoring sessions with a trained PEACE Mentor, this innovative program manages to reach children wherever they may be, both developmentally and academically, increasing participation and comprehension.
PEACE Keepers groups meet twice a week for 45 minutes on-site at their school. Groups are led by FSGC staff called "PEACE Mentors" and are important to the violence prevention strategy because they involve building teamwork skills and allow for group interaction in a safe and structured setting.
PEACE Keepers participants may also meet individually with a PEACE Mentor to discuss problems at home or at school or just to talk.
The critical skills taught in these groups to prevent school violence include Personal Responsibility; Self-Esteem; Social Skills; Life and Decision-Making Skills; Stress Management; and Appropriate Expression of Emotion.
PEACE Keepers psychosocial groups will provide young children with opportunities to learn and practice these critical social skills in a safe, structured and supervised setting. The development of these skills can play a very important role in preventing incidents of school violence as the child gets older.
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