NEW MARKET - After the issue of school safety was brought to the forefront by tragedies like the Columbine High School shooting in April of 1999, most schools have responded by making themselves into fortresses - increasing supervision and surveillance, restricting access and setting stricter policies with tougher consequences.
Yet, until recently, schools and communities have largely ignored the most powerful source for stopping school violence and cruelty: the students themselves.
"Students see, hear and know what adults don't," said Community Matters trainer Hope Clark. "They can intervene in ways adults can't, but usually they don't. They often fear retaliation or simply don't know what to do."
On Wednesday, Southmont hosted Safe School Ambassador training for 37 students and eight adults. The program, developed by Community Matters in Sebastopol, Calif., trains diverse and socially influential leaders to intervene with their friends and classmates when they see teasing, bullying and other acts of cruelty.
For many students, schools are places where they don't feel welcome, safe or included. According to a national study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 75 percent of students say they have been bullied at school. The National School Safety Center reports that 25,000 students are targets of attacks, shakedowns or robberies in secondary school school every day.
The Safe School Ambassador program seeks to remove the fear of retaliation by carefully identifying and selecting socially influential "opinion leaders" from the diverse cliques and groups at school. They are trained in non-violent intervention and communication skills to use among their peer group to prevent and stop cruelty.
"Students can't learn and achieve well in an environment where they are teased, left out and sometimes bullied," said Mary Scheidler, school counselor. "We see the program as a valuable resource in our efforts to improve school climate, attendance and academic performance."
Scheidler said the selected students really enjoyed the training, which ended Wednesday at 3 p.m. This is the first time the program has been used in Indiana.
The Safe Schools training is funded by the AHEAD Coalition, Nucor Steel, Rotary and Southmont JSN program. Community Matters is a 501C3 nonprofit organization dedicated to youth development.
Since 1990, Community Matters has worked with hundreds of schools, districts and other youth-serving organizations to help them engage, empower and equip young people with the knowledge, tools and experiences to be effective contributors to their schools and communities.
For more information, visit www.community-matters.org
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