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Stopping Youth Violence: An Inside Job Every year, nearly 1 million…
Stopping Youth Violence: An Inside Job
Every year, nearly 1 million twelve- to nineteen-year-olds are murdered,
robbed, or assaultedmany by their peersand 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 skillsthat is,
nonviolent techniques for resolving disputesseems 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 former
Miami 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
controlfor 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 Youth watch: 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
