Teach yourself and other young people anger management techniques so that they learn to recognize and prevent violence in themselves and others.
Some basic techniques include: recognizing the physical signs of anger (such as tension/stress), learning to take a “time out” and walk away, and figuring out the ways to calm yourself when you feel anger arising.
Spearhead efforts to help mobilize the community, such as organizing a day to pick up trash or plant trees in a central location.
Ask the local library to provide you with space for a peace exhibition or ask friends to draw, write stories and poems regarding different things that could be done to prevent violence in your community.
Lead and encourage efforts at school to have an awareness campaign regarding youth violence prevention. (for example, the National Youth Violence Prevention Week is funded by the National Association of Students Against Violence Everywhere, and is organized with the Guidance Group and the National Youth Violence Prevention Campaign. The campaign involves challenges and activities to promote peaceful approaches and safe behavior in violent situations.)
Join a youth city council and work against youth violence, or if there is none, ask the local council to form a youth council to actively work and combat youth violence.
Mobilize different agencies in the community to coordinate their programs to prevent gang involvement. These programs might include: at-risk youth education, training and employment programs to deter gang involvement, actively reaching out to gang-involved youth and their families.
Explore local opportunities to learn and participate in the ongoing conversations and programs that address violence prevention
Encourage positive communication and support within the family.
Communication is key, so agree on rules and decisions together as a family. Assign responsibilities to every member of the family.
Make family time a priority – try to have family dinners at least once a week, or set aside free time to have a movie night or game night with the entire group.
Take the time to talk and listen to your child and teach them to respect and trust others, while also teaching them to be careful and aware of those around them.
Help your child become a good friend and member of society.
Acknowledge: angry feelings/changes in their bodies
Calm down: breathe deeply, count to 10, walk away, or find an escape mechanism (punch a pillow, run, play music)
Think and Talk: figure out ways to fix the problem; talk about why you are mad and how to fix the problem without fighting
If someone tries to start a fight, your child can be the one to stay CALM:
Calm down: keep a safe distance from the other person, take slow, deep breaths, stay alert and stand tall
Avoid: name calling/insulting and avoid other kids who may want to fight
Listen: calmly and figure out what the person really wants
Move On: find ways to solve the problem without fighting (such as through humor, reasoning, or walking away)
In the case that your teen gets into a fight:
Find out what happened and encourage open communication about it.
Help your child resolve the problem rather than allowing them to provoke further fighting.
Develop a safety plan for the future.
Support your teen in the aftermath of the violent episode by spending time with them and making yourself available to them if they’d like to talk about their feelings or concerns.
Engage in conversation on a daily basis and familiarize yourself with your child’s life (ask them questions about their friends, school, and other activities).
Set up positive communication with clear limits and expectations.
Recognize warning signs in the case that your child might need help or is at-risk.
Some warning signs include changes in school performance, skipping school, or a change in communication style.
Keep your teen safe:Start or join a parents’ support group.
Know where he/she is after school (as the highest levels of violence occur the two hours following the end of school hours)
Join the PTA or parent’s council at your child’s school to get involved in their academic life.