| Posted: Mar. 28 2005,21:43 |
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PROGRESS: Has your organization seen
progress toward a culture of peace and nonviolence in your domain of
action and in your constituency during the first half of the Decade? |
In
the past 5 years there has been significant progress in collaborative
work in the school district, especially collaborative decision making.
Effort is made to have all stake-holders participate in the process.
The issues have included determining strategic plans for the
district and independent schools, resolving tough problems (budget
choices, for example). The internet has made it possible
to get information out quickly to all concerned which has
facilitated the work. The sense of community is enhanced.
A strong focus on respect (including anti-bullying),
responsibilty and conflict resolution has increased a sense of a safer
community for all. The implementation of such programs has
become part of the fabric of the system. We have a significantly
stronger culture of how we provide training and teaching of
nonviolence.
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OBSTACLES: What are the most important obstacles that have prevented progress?
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Diminishing
funds in the past few years have challenged many of the
projects we consider important for developing a strong healthy
community. State funds are cut, local funds are stretched so
that it is difficult to support some of the effective programs we have
started, such as the Respect Retreat for grade nine and peer
mediation. Lack of funds also meant the discontinuation of
counselors in all the elementary schools. Their work is added to
that of the social workers
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ACTIONS: What actions have been
undertaken by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence during the first half of the Decade?
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Under
a 3 year grant from the US Department of Education, the Northfield
District is offering teachers seminars and training sessions about
immigration into Minnesota and how to teach it. An influx
of immigrant students and families makes this of special interest now.
The first year covers immigration up to 1880, the next year
up to 1965, and the third year from 1965 to the present. This
study follows training for school administrators on the Holocaust.
The focus on immigration leads to consideration of human rights
and racism as well. Participants receive compensation;
those who cannot attend the seminars can benefit from special resources
and smaller meetings and activities in a program called Seeds.
All Northfield Public School counselors,
social workers, and psychologists are reading the book The Bully,
the Bullied, and The Bystander with discussions and follow-up
strategies regularly included. The police liaison works with this
topic also as well as with issues of domestic violence.
Students learn what they can and should do in response to
violence against themselves or others.
Bridgewater,
Greenvale Park, and Sibley Elementary Schools have common goals of
fostering a strong community spirit. While each school has
similar programs, there are variations in how these are implemented.
Students are trained in conflict mediation. Two mediators are
visible at all recesses to intervene in any conflicts and to assist the
students in working out the problem. Principles of restorative justice
are used to resolve serious breaches. Friendship groups of
students are offered to increase social skills. Discussions of
teamwork and how to deal with problems, bullying, values to
incorporate into daily lives. School-wide celebrations focus on
respectful and appropriate behavior, continuing emphasis made in
classes and activities throughout the year.
Students have projects
to help others: money for tsunamie victims to build boats,
restoring their livelihoods; gifts to families at holiday times.
The Middle School builds on the Elementary work, continuing
friendship groups, mediation work, understanding--and
stopping--bullying, regular messages promoting respect and positive
character development. For 2 years there has been a No
Name-Calling Week. Daily messages, a no name-calling pledge
students can sign, bracelets outlining the S.A.F.E. way to deal with
bullying are part of this. A necklace with an action clipped on
for them to reach out to other students encourages definite
participation. SLAM is an 8th grade leadership team (Student
Leaders Always Moving) They sponsor durg and violence free
activities such as a movie night/bowling night for middle schcool
students and a mix-it-up day at lunch where students are encouraged to
sit with a student they don't know.
The 3 Rs for students
at Northfield High School are Responsibility, Rigor, and Respect.
The principles of care and respect for the other are
also
emphasized. Ninth graders atttend an all-day Respect Retreat that
focuses on tolerance, respect, nonviolence. The aim is to go
behond tolerance. Follow-up comes in English and Communication
classes. The day generates bonding and awareness through the
experiences the students share that day and the ones (positive and
negative) from other years that they reflect on.
A curriculum review 5 years ago showed how our
curriculum emphasized wars. Now we are working to build peace studies
into the curriculum changes in many ways. We have service
learning projects in courses like Leadership, Spanish V, and FOCUS.
An academic peer-to-peer tutoring project and student
Teaching Assistants at the Middle and elementary schools give
opportunities for students to share skills with others. School-wide
drives to gather supplies for needy villages, underserved public
schcool children, disaster victims offer times to understand needs
and our interdependence. The RALIE student group
works with freshmen. The Diversity Club works for deeper
understanding of groups at school and in the community.
The Alternative Learning Center has had an important
paired with Hope Center in Faribault, serving all of Rice County.
Hope Center providds advocacy services for victims of family
violence and sexual assault through healing, outreach, prevention and
education. Speakers from Hope come to the ALC classrooms to
discuss healthy relationships. There is focus for children
dealing with domestic violence. All students learn to know the
possible ways to deal with such violence and places where they can go
for help. These encounters facilitate change in the lives of
students. Sensitive to the causes of violence, the students can
adjust their own behavior now to avoid developing destructive patterns.
This on-going effort helps to create peace within our school and
community.
Throughout the Northfield school system there is
emphasis on 'school connectedness'--how to get all students to
connect into the school system. We are using intentional strategies
during the school days. On a list of all students,
teachers checked off which students they felt connected to
in ways beyond presence in a class. For those students who had no
checks, those not known by a teacher, efforts are being made to
correct that absence.
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ADVICE: What advice would you like to
give to the Secretary-General and the General Assembly to promote a
culture of peace and nonviolence during the second half of the Decade? |
Please
continue to maintain a focus on children world-wide.
Children are our most important resource and we must pay special
attention to their education, health and welfare
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PARTNERSHIPS: What partnerships and
networks does your organization participate in, thus strengthening the
global movement for a culture of peace? |
Northfield
Public Schools have a good relationship with the Northfield Police
Department. The City of Northfield and the schools share the cost
for a Police Liaison who is in the schools every day, supporting
the work for respect, for understanding one's rights and
responsibilities. The officer also assists the program on
bullying and domestic violence and how to deal with these.
The
schools work with the City programs of Healthy Community
Initiative, Community Education, the City recreation program.
County, city and school district collaborate in programs
in support of youth and families. Fraternal and social
organizations contribute to our work. During the 2004 election
Rotary assisted with voter education activities in the classrooms.
Students voted at special booths set up in the precinct voting
areas; some with special training conducted exit polls.
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PLANS: What new engagements are
planned by your organization to promote a culture of peace and
nonviolence in the second half of the Decade (2005-2010)? |
We
are working to maintain and enhance the programs that have been
developed. We are working to continue the services we
offer to students and to maintain a staff adequate to meet the
needs of our students.
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Postal address of organization
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1400 Division Street
Northfield, MN 55057
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E-mail address of organization
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Chris.Richardson@nfld.k12.mn.us
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Website address of organization
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http://www.nfld.k12.mn.us
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Highest priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Education for a culture of peace
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Second priority action domain of a culture of peace
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Free flow of information
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Highest priority country of action (or international)
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Second priority country of action (or international)
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