Reference no: EM133221848

Stopping Youth Violence: An Inside Job

Every year, nearly 1 million twelve- to nineteen-year-olds are murdered, robbed, or assaulted-many by their peers-and teenagers are more than twice as likely as adults to become the victims of violence, according to the Children's Defense Fund. Although the problem is far too complex for any one solution, teaching young people conflict-resolution skills-that is, nonviolent techniques for resolving disputes-seems to help. To reduce youth violence, conflict-resolution skills, such as learn nonviolent ways, reduce violent incidents, and receive anger -management training should be taught to all children before they reach junior high school.

First and most important, young people need to learn nonviolent ways of dealing with conflict. In a dangerous society where guns are readily available, many youngsters feel they have no choice but to respond to an insult or an argument with violence. If they have grown up seeing family members and neighbors react to stress with verbal or physical violence, they may not know that other choices exist. Robert Steinback, a formerMiami Herald columnist who worked with at-risk youth in Miami, writes that behavior like carrying a weapon or refusing to back down gives young people "the illusion of control," but what they desperately need is to learn real control-for example, when provoked, to walk away from a fight.

Next, conflict-resolution programs have been shown to reduce violent incidents and empower young people in a healthy way. Many programs and courses around the country are teaching teens and preteens to work through disagreements without violence. Tools include calmly telling one's own side of the story and listening to the other person without interrupting or blaming-skills that many adults don't have! Conflict Busters, a Los Angeles public school program, starts in the third grade; it trains students to be mediators, helping peers find their own solutions to conflicts ranging from "sandbox fights to interracial gang disputes," according to Youthwatch:

Statistics on Violence, May 2009, Schools in Claremont, Connecticut, run a conflict-resolution course written by Dr. Luz Rivera, who said in a phone interview that fewer violent school incidents have been reported since the course began. Although conflict resolution is useful at any age, experts agree that students should first be exposed before they are hit by the double jolts of hormones and junior high school.

Finally, some communities should receive anger -management training to confront stress triggers. Although opponents claim that this is a "Band-Aid" solution that does not address the root causes of teen violence, recent investigations sustain that conflict-resolution training saves lives. The larger social issues must be addressed, but they will take years to solve, whereas teaching students new attitudes and "people skills" will empower them immediately and serve them for a lifetime. For instance, fourteen-year-old Verna, says that Ms. Rivera's course has changed her life: "I learned to stop and think before my big mouth gets me in trouble. I use the tools with my mother, and guess what? No more screaming at home."

The violence devastating Verna's generation threatens everyone's future. One proven way to help youngsters protect themselves from violence is conflict-resolution training that begins early. Although it is just one solution among many, this solution taps into great power: the hearts, minds, and characters of young people

A. Answer the following questions.
1. Identify the most important word in each paragraph.
2. Provide a synonym for each word that you select.
3. What is the thesis statement?
4. Paragraph No. 3 indicates that conflict-resolution programs help to reduce violent incidents. How many reasons does the author use to
explain this point? Explain.
B. Then, develop an outline as discussed in this lesson.