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Program aims at ‘breaking the cycle’
Article published on Tuesday, May 13, 2008 |
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PINELLAS COUNTY - In recent weeks alone, residents of Tampa Bay have seen more violence than anyone should have to deal with: the fatal shooting of a woman, the near-death of a man shot by a high-powered rifle, the gruesome scene of mother and two children killed in their Lutz home, gang-related activities from the Haines Road Cru, and sexual attacks on a Dixie Hollins school bus.
Call it good timing, but such violence is exactly what concerned Pinellas County administrators plan to address with Breaking the Cycle, a program they will introduce to local schoolchildren this week.
On Wednesday, May 14, 9 a.m., at Boca Ciega High School in Gulfport and at 1:15 p.m. at John Hopkins Middle School in St. Petersburg, students will gather to wrestle with a subject that may not appear on their report cards, but looms just as large in their day-to-day lives.
That subject is nonviolent conflict resolution. The students will be addressed by Johann Christoph Arnold and Sergio Argueta.
Johann Christoph Arnold is an award-winning children’s advocate committed to living and teaching the ways of nonviolence. His book “Why Forgive?” is a popular resource for conflict resolution programs. A sought-after speaker around the country, Arnold has also brought his message to Mexico, Israel, Iraq, Nigeria, and Northern Ireland.
Sergio Argueta failed the ninth grade and spent his teen years on the street. But after the beating death of a fellow gang member, his life took a turn. Today, with a MSW from Hofstra University, he directs his own nonprofit and educates and empowers at-risk youth. A renowned gang specialist, Argueta has appeared on CNN, Telemundo, Univision, and Hot 97.
Conceived in the wake of the Columbine massacre of April 1999, Breaking the Cycle was launched with its founders’ belief that the rising tide of school violence is best countered through proactive prevention.
Since then, this award-winning program has been brought into hundreds of public and private schools, mostly in the greater New York metropolitan area, but as far away as Denver and London.
Simple in approach but effective and accessible to teens, the program stresses honest communication and forgiveness as a way of resolving conflicts and, just as importantly, easing the tensions that linger after them.
Breaking the Cycle brings hope to tens of thousands of teens each year by sharing the real-life experiences of known advocates for peace and reconciliation.
Breaking the Cycle underscores the efforts of principals and teachers to counteract school violence by confronting its most common roots: bullying, gossip, racism, and other forms of intolerance.
As part of the program, free books on overcoming anger and nurturing forgiveness are offered to participating students.
The assemblies organized by Breaking the Cycle (which are followed by Q&A sessions and informal receptions) strengthen positive links between school employees, parents, students and local law enforcement officers by engendering dialogue on a topic that is of vital importance to every citizen.
Further, they fulfill requirements placed on Florida schools through the state's Sunshine Laws, which mandate instruction of each district's student body in nonviolent conflict resolution.
For more information, visit www.breakingthecycle.com or send an e-mail to Ian Winter, iwinter@breakingthecycle.com.
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Article published on Tuesday, May 13, 2008
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