According to research, acts of violence and insensitivity seems to be at in all-time high in too many communities across the USA. In many instances the root cause of the violence can be traced to back to fear, ignorance, misunderstanding, or sadly, a learned behavior from family members or friends. The ever-present viewing of violence shown and heard through movies, music, and personal experience, can lead children to begin to accept violence as a normal way of life, and as we all know, nature requires that we adapt to our environment to survive. This mindset only creates a cycle of violence that usually ends up as a tragedy.
At Urban School Specialists, LLC, we believe it is imperative to offer an alternative to this reality. We assist caring adults serving youth in schools, community-based organizations, or any type of youth centers, to create educational opportunities that allow children to a. Understand the root causes of violence b. Develop their social and emotional intelligence.
c. Develop skills that will allow them to form more supportive and healthy relationships with others. D. Develop their leadership skills allowing them to become mentors and advocates for peace.
We offer a Peace Education curriculum that is rooted in conflict resolution which can be imbedded in various existing curricula models, or taught in time-out sessions, or after school or Saturday programs. Our curriculum is based on attribution theory and focuses on self-regulation, impulse control, through mindfulness techniques.
We also assist leaders of youth serving institutions to develop restorative justice techniques and practices that create a paradigm shift from punishment for wrongdoing to healing and learning from mistakes.