Violence Prevention in the Curriculum

As the prevalence of violence in our society and its devastating effects become more evident, never before has the need for violence prevention in our schools been more urgent.

CHOICES for Positive Youth Relationships provides an effective opportunity to incorporate abuse prevention and early intervention into existing curriculum. There are many ways to integrate learning about non-violence into the curriculum. History, literature, and social studies provide non-violent role models whose lives and work can provide inspiration. Current events provide an opportunity to examine critically the role of violence in our world and to consider alternatives that might result in more peaceful and productive outcomes.

Examining the roles that inequity, disrespect, lack of empathy, poor communication, inattention to safety, low self-esteem, intolerance and emotional immaturity play in creating and escalating conflict helps students to understand the underlying values that give rise to violence.

Teaching young people through experiential learning and skills application how to deal with their emotions, to practice problem-solving skills such as negotiation, conflict management, and mediation, to develop tolerance for differences and to build appropriate assertiveness and safety-awareness is the essential methodology of an integrated approach to violence prevention.