Safe Schools – Core Locations for Safe Communities Presented 5/8/02 at 11 th International...

© 2002 Heartsprings, Inc. All rights reserved. PeaceBuilders is a registered trademark of Heartsprings, Inc. Reprints can be obtained from Max Vosskuhler at

520-322-9977 or [email protected] questions should also be addressed to him.

Safe Schools – Core Locations for Safe Communities Presented 5/8/02 at 11th International Conference on Safe Communities Fort Frances, ON Canada

Safe Schools - Core Locations for Safe Communities

An Update on the Safe Schools Workgroup and a Look at Successful Models of Safe Schools Expanding

Toward Safe CommunitiesPresented by: Max Vosskuhler, Director

Heartsprings, Inc. PO Box 12158 Tucson, AZ 85732 USA [email protected] 520-322-9977 ext 104 www.peacebuilders.com

mailto:[email protected]




Safe Schools Workgroup Update Formation at 10th International Safe Communities Meeting –Anchorage, AK

Meetings by teleconference and in person by small groups of interested parties in continuing the conversation.

Overarching View that Schools are Central to Success of Safe Communities

Schools need their own benchmarks for “Safe” Moniker to reduce intentional and unintentional injuries

Next Major Meeting is at 6th World Conference On Injury Prevention and Control in Montreal 13 May, 2002 Room 511C in the Conference Center.

Plan is to have 40 to 50 members of the committee after Montreal to design benchmarks for schools

Benchmarks will be followed quickly with design of process to award schools “Safe Schools Award” under Safe Communities




Joining the Workgroup

1. Join us in Montreal.

2. E-mail: [email protected] • [email protected]

3. Keep an eye on Safe Community Weekly News for updates






Schools and Communities

• Larger Municipalities Are Transient

• School as a Community Unto Itself

• School as Community Anchor

• School as Community Bridge

“[People] believe that everyone in the community should be more involved with the local schools, and that schools should be community resources….” – KnowledgeWorks Foundation Ohio’s Education Matters http://communityschools.org/newsletterv.2.7.html

http://community/




Shifts in Schools Cause Shifts in Communities

Erfurt, Germany

Dunblane, Scotland

Port Arthur, Australia

Tourcoing, France

Santee High School, California

Columbine High School, Colorado

Pearl, Mississippi

School Shootings Give Communities Calls to Action for Change

Positive Climate Shift Programs Launched in the Schools Change Communities

Burbank, California USA

Naranca Elementary El Cajon, CA

Davis County, Utah USA

CES 132 Bronx, New York USA

Towoomba, Queensland Australia

Santa Clara County California USA

Monroe County, New York USA




An Example Process of Moving School Based Programs to the

Greater Community

PeaceBuilders®

• Establish a safe, positive, supportive, environment in the school

• Create the school as an inviting place for students, staff, administrative people and community members to be

• Use simple marketing techniques to generalize to the greater community.




Creating a Safe Positive Environment

Use of multiple programs can achieve this. One program that has proven very effective in the case model is PeaceBuilders®. The program bears Common Language and Cueing Systems that are easily spread throughout the school and then generalized throughout the community.

For more specifics on PeaceBuilders and how it works in the schools, please attend Dr. Gayre Christie’s presentation PeaceBuilders: “How to implement long-term strategies to reduce violence,crime and personal injury in communities and their schools.” Thursday, Arena Session B, 10:45 AM Fort Frances.




Source: Byrne Violence Prevention Grant Results: Lake Washington PeaceBuilders Project Year 1 Data, 1998.




Simple Marketing Techniques to Generalize Change from School

to Greater Community• Modeling – Child to Parent, Teacher to Child, Administrator to Teacher, and vice versa.

• Recognize Achievements

• Invite the Media to Share Your Successes

• Conduct Public Celebrations

• Enroll Businesses and Community Organizations (i.e. libraries, police departments)

• Train every stake-holderFOLLOW the W.H.O. Safe Communities Model implemented so

beautifully in the Rainy River District, Ontario




Annual Community PeaceBuilders Games




Results from Communities• Decreased Community Violence and Increased Community Interest in Local School – “I knew that we had made a change not only in our school but in the community when the neighboring housing project was no longer aiming firearms at students on the playground. Instead we had a waiting list to enter our school, we were a national award winning school and the neighborhood had people moving

in so that their children could enroll in Naranca.” Linda Fisher, Former Principal of Naranca Elementary – El Cajon, CA USA

• Increased Cooperation with Law Enforcement

• Individuals resolving interpersonal disputes without violence in neighborhoods due to coaching by of parents by children and vice versa. – San Bernardino, CA USA

• Higher acceptance of school and ESL programs for adults in evening courses due to knowledge of local school now being a place of respect, safety and refuge for all. – Santa Clara, CA USA

• Calmer interactions with parents, police and community surrounding the school. – Bronx, NY USA




Closing WordsIn the words of Mr. Steve Issman, Principal of a large elementary school approximately 20 miles from ‘Ground Zero’ of the former World Trade Center, “ In the wake of September 11th, my school has remained peaceful, quiet and calm. PeaceBuilders has created a peaceful environment. This environment creates the foundation where learning takes place. Combined with comprehensive school reform and early childhood learning programs, I see constant improvement in my school academically and all around. This has changed my school, the staff, the students and even how parents interact with the school.” – Steve Issman, Principal CES 132 Bronx, New York, USA

Next Safe Schools Workgroup Meeting 13 May, 2002 Room 511C Montreal Convention Center 19:00h as part of the 6th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Control.

Safe Schools – Core Locations for Safe Communities Presented 5/8/02 at 11 th International...

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