Safe School Ambassadors’ TestimonialsJan 25 2010by Kathy Fong, Associate Director, Community MattersCommunity Matters has trained over 25,000 students and adults in the ten years since the inception of the Safe School Ambassadors Program. What do these young people feel and think about their experiences as Safe School Ambassadors? Here’s a sampling of what these courageous young people are doing and saying to break the code of silence. From 16-year-old Dani in northern California: “In our training as Safe School Ambassadors, we learned how to spread tolerance and equality throughout our school. We learned how to defuse conflicts that arise in everyday life and how to create a community of peace and unity. “This is the campus I walk onto every morning: a safe and caring place. It sounds simple, but, today, there are so few safe places for young people like me. “I truly believe that the Safe School Ambassadors program has helped our school become one of those safe places. I know that my school has grown from this program. We have learned to resolve our differences, stop the cruelty, and reach out a hand to those who need it. “This program has inspired me on a very personal level. Because of the Safe School Ambassadors program, I went from being the girl who needed a hand to being the young woman who is offering my support when anyone else needs help. Being an Ambassador gives me hope that things can change, and that one day, the ideas brought to our school by this program will be brought to the world.” From the students at Bayside High School in New York: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrrltOn_ljA&feature=player_embedded#t=12 “The Safe School Ambassador program is a program that encourages eminent scholars here at John Muir Middle School to prevent violence on campus. During our prep program, we were asked to use our voices to express the want and need for a safer school. Being a Safe School Ambassador, I believe that me and other participants in the program have prevented fights, kept friendships together and have overall made Muir a safer campus. I applaud all the effort that the school staff and students who participate in the SSA program have put forth.”
Recent PostsFifth Grader Takes Action Against BullyingZiainey Stokes, a young student from West Philadelphia certainly provides timely evidence that schools are in critical need of programs such as Safe School Ambassadors to prevent violence and bullying in schools. CM Executive Director Delivers Keynote Address at Bullying Prevention Conference in BostonAs the Keynote Speaker, Community Matters Executive Director, Rick Phillips, shared with the audience that building a safer school climate is a complex process that requires a balance between attending to security as well as relationships. The Cost and Benefits of Caring in Spite of Bullying and Violent TraumaWhen schools tap into the power of the students and take time to show that they care, especially students affected by trauma, students become empowered. Bullying, Stress and Health: A Crisis in the MakingHere are some facts we have collected (and there are hundreds more) about the short- and long-term health effects of bullying: Chicago Public Schools: Violence and Death or Peacemakers Prevail?Like many urban areas, Chicago faces many challenges. The turf wars in various neighborhoods, the gang activity among youth, and the lack of resources for safe schools has compounded the obstacles facing school administrators and teachers. |