Conflict Resolution Education - National Criminal Justice Reference ...

♦ Mentoring at-risk youth. Every child needs at
least one adult who provides unconditional love.
Many children suffer from attention deprivation.
When parents are unable or unavailable to provide
the consistent nurturing and support that
children need, mentors can have a profound
impact in fulfilling that role.
♦ Mentoring and training parents. Since much
early antisocial behavior is caused by inconsistent
and harsh discipline, parent training curriculums
are important tools for breaking cycles of coercion
(abuse and/or violence) and instilling positive
parent-child interactions.
♦ Targeting bullies. Peer harassment is an early
indicator of lifelong antisocial problems. Without
intervention, childhood bullies often develop into
violent adults.
Educating parents in conflict resolution is a natural
way to bring children’s experiences at home and
at school closer together. Helping families deal constructively
with the inevitable conflicts of family
living allows parents to disengage from inconsistent
and harsh, punitive behaviors. When parents model
effective behaviors in conflict situations, they present
powerful teaching examples to children. In their
book, Battles, Hassles, Tantrums & Tears, Beekman
and Holmes offer parents strategies for coping with
conflict and making peace at home. 5 Their program,
C.H.O.I.C.E.S. for Managing Conflict, offers guidelines
for adult responses to conflict (see figure 5).
Although vital to early childhood education, parent
initiatives are a potential link between schools and
homes, regardless of the age of the youth involved.
The more youth experience constructive approaches
to conflict, especially at school or at home, the more
likely they will internalize these behaviors.
Parents as Teachers Program. Most early childhood
education programs include parent involvement
and parent education components for intervening
in behaviors that promote a cycle of violence. The
Parents as Teachers program, which originated in
St. Louis, Missouri, is based on the idea that early
childhood experiences are critical in laying the foundation
for success in school and life, and that parents
are children’s first and most influential teachers.
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Parents as Teachers is a home-school-community
partnership designed to provide parents with information
and support in the development of prosocial
skills. The goal is to help parents prepare their children
for success in school and life throughout the
critical years from birth to entry into kindergarten.
Through personal home visits by child development
professionals, group meetings with other parents,
and play groups for parents and children together,
parents are given alternatives to corporal punishment
along with developmental information that
promotes realistic expectations for their children’s
behavior. This program provides a foundation of
sharing, empathy, and accountability in young
children that prepares them for conflict resolution
education when they are older.
Parents Anonymous, Inc. Recognizing the link
between child abuse and juvenile delinquency, the
Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
(OJJDP) began to support Parents Anonymous,
Inc. (PA), in 1994. Because minority children
are overrepresented in the juvenile justice system,
this collaborative effort between OJJDP and PA
focuses on bringing PA’s comprehensive model of
neighborhood-based, shared leadership to families
in low-income, high-crime areas. This national initiative
is being implemented in 11 States by PA organizations
dedicated to serving a range of ethnic
groups, including Native Americans, African Americans,
Asians, Latinos, and Appalachians.
Conflict resolution is one of the elements of PA’s
multifaceted program. Parents are given the opportunity
to observe, practice, and learn conflict resolution
skills and problem-solving processes. These
skills and processes are taught in the context of
family life, the worksite, and personal friendships.
They are practiced in weekly group sessions as
conflicts occur.
Franklin Mediation Services and Head Start of
Franklin County, Massachusetts. These two agencies
joined to create a project providing comprehensive
direct services in the form of mediation, parent
and staff mediation training, and bias awareness
training. Parents of Head Start pupils, Head Start
staff, and community residents attend workshops
to learn conflict resolution techniques. In addition,
Head Start clients receive direct mediation services