Combating Violence ... An Action Plan
SADD has always worked to prevent injuries and save young lives. SADD's efforts to end underage drinking and impaired driving have achieved much success. Impaired driving is no longer the number one killer of young people. However, America is experiencing a new deadly epidemic -- violence. Violence encompasses a broad range of troubling behaviors and emotions shown by students -- including serious aggression, physical attacks, bullying and dangerous interpersonal behaviors.
To continue its leadership in working to save young lives, SADD must attack the issue of violence. SADD members must apply their caring energy to the challenge of creating a better, less violent world and to work to extend their caring powers to others. The following is an action plan that SADD chapters can use to work with others to make this world a safer place.
What Parents Can Do to Stop the Violence
- Teach your children to be kind to others and to be caring. Show them by example.
- Be aware of what you say and how you say it. Don't engage in name-calling, bullying or teasing. Children learn from their parents.
- Involve your child in setting rules for appropriate behavior at all times.
- Discuss the school's discipline and behavior policies with your child. Show your support for the rules and help your child understand the reasons for them.
- Talk with your child about the violence he or she sees on television, in video games, and possibly in the neighborhood.
- Help your youngster understand the consequences of violence and other inappropriate behavior.
- Be aware of the games your children are playing in the yard, on the TV and on the computer.
- Monitor the TV programs and movies your children watch.
- Provide filtered access to the Internet for your children so that they have access to the Web but not to the offensive sites you don't want them to see.
- Teach your child how to solve problems. Praise your child when he or she follows through.
- Help your child find ways to show anger without verbally or physically hurting others.
- Note any disturbing behaviors in your child. Frequent angry outbursts, excessive fighting and bullying of other children, cruelty to animals, setting fires, behavior problems at school and in the neighborhood, lack of friends, and alcohol or drug use can be signs of serious problems. Don't wait! Get help for your child.
- Keep lines of communication open with your child, even when it is difficult. Always know where and with whom he or she will be. Get to know your child's friends and what they are involved in.
- Get to know the parents of the kids with whom your child spends his time. Talk about what they are doing. Be sure it is appropriate.
- Listen to your child if he or she shares concerns about friends who may be exhibiting troubling behaviors. Share this information with a professional at school.
- Be involved with your child's school life by reviewing homework, talking with teachers, attending school functions and parent conferences, etc.
- Encourage your school to offer after-school programs.
- Talk with the parents of your child's friends. Discuss how you can work together to create safe schools.
Violence is a learned behavior -- it can be unlearned!
What Your SADD Chapter Can Do
- Listen to what is being said around you. If you hear or see bullying or name calling, don't ignore it. Talk to the appropriate person.
- Listen to your friends if they share troubling feelings or thoughts. Encourage them to get help from a trusted adult.
- Help your peers to be kind to others.
- Set up a welcome buddy for any new student who moves to your school to help that person feel wanted and involved, not alone.
- Work with local businesses and community groups to organize youth-oriented activities that help young people prevent school and community violence.
- Organize an assembly and invite your school's psychologist, social worker, and counselor as well as student panelists to share ideas about how to deal with violence, intimidation, and bullying.
- Get involved in planning, implementing and evaluating your school's violence prevention and response plan.
- Work with faculty and administration to create a safe process for reporting threats, intimidation, weapon possession, drug selling, gang activity, graffiti, vandalism, bullying, etc.
- Help your peers understand the necessity of reporting suspicious and dangerous activities.
- Invite a law enforcement officer to your school to conduct a safety audit and to share safety tips, such as traveling in groups and avoiding areas known to be unsafe.
- Help to develop and participate in activities that promote student understanding of differences and respecting the rights of all.
- Visit local elementary and middle schools to speak about bullying, name calling and teasing. Talk to the students about how these behaviors make other people feel and why they are nasty and inappropriate.
- Plan an Anti-Violence Month. Plan a poster contest, make daily announcements on the PA, hold a rally, or have a rap contest for best anti-violence rap.
- Create a Peace Wall spotlighting leaders who used nonviolence to deal with injustice.
- Initiate a "Student of the Month" award for students who use ingenuity and intervention rather than violence to deal with a potentially dangerous situation. Highlight them in your school newspaper and the community newspaper.
- Hold an "Anti-Violence Talent Show" of skits, music, dance, etc. Ask local businesses to donate prizes.
- Work with your local newspaper and with radio and TV stations to provide equal coverage for the positive things happening in your school and community, not just the negative.
- Be role models. Take personal responsibility by reacting to anger without physically or verbally harming others.
- Urge your local radio and TV stations to host an evening talk show to discuss the issues of bullying, name-calling, and teasing and how to handle those situations.
- Develop some skits that can be used at elementary schools, middle schools and high schools that imitate bullying and how it makes people feel.
- Use your imagination to develop other activities against violence. Let SADD National know about them. By working together, we will stop this rushing tide of violence.
What Your School Can Do to Stop the Violence
- Enact a zero tolerance law for bullying, name calling, and teasing.
- Develop consistent disciplinary policies, good security procedures and emergency plans.
- Train school personnel and students in conflict resolution, problem solving without violence, crisis intervention and cultural sensitivity.
- Work with students, parents, law enforcement agencies and the community to develop drug- and weapon-free school zones.
- Work with students to provide a procedure for students to safely report bullying, threats, crimes or suspicious activities to school personnel.
- Emphasize positive relationships between students and staff.
- Involve families in meaningful ways.
- Develop links to the community. Everyone must be committed to improving schools.
- Discuss safety issues openly.
- Treat students with equal respect.
- Help students feel safe when expressing their needs, fears, and anxieties to school staff.
- Have a system in place for referring children who are suspected of being abused or neglected.
- Offer extended day programs for students.
- Promote good citizenship and character in addition to the academic mission.
- Identify problems and work toward solutions.
- Provide training for teachers to learn the destructiveness of bullying, name calling and teasing in school and how they should handle these situations.
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