(2) Violence;

tfouru F02. JUSTICEYOUTHPLAMMI16 e0N1fr1irreefog1997OHIOMary Addison-CarterJoseph M. Gallagher MiddleMichael L. LeeDirectorSchoolOffice of Criminal Justice ServicesDaniel AustinMark LynskeyOhio Department of EducationRegina MersyStudent, Portsmouth High SchoolDonna BakerU.S. Grant Middle SchoolKaren ButtaroU.S. Representative RalphRegula's OfficeBudd A. DingwallExecutive Director, Ohio Centerfor Law-Related EducationRobert MessickPatrick DooleyStudent, Hayes Learning CenterMelissa DunnOhio Commission on DisputeResolution and Conflict ManagementBeth NufroOhio Office of Criminal JusticeServicesOhio RepresentativeJon Myers OfficeSharon ReichardGloria EyerlyOhio State Bar AssociationTom GibbsColumbus Public SchoolsDr. Bill GoldwairOhio Department of YouthOhio Violence Prevention CenterServicesNicole GreenStudent, Finland Middle SchoolMichelle Hall, Esq.The Supreme Court of OhioSummer HarrisStudent, Hayes Learning CenterMike KerenskyHayes Learning CenterKevin LangenFinland Middle SchoolSPECiALTO/WKS:Office of Attorney General BettyMontgomeryVan Buren Middle SchoolLt. David MillerFarmersville PoliceVictoria NashBill RichardEast Cleveland Straight TalkTy SellsYouth-to-YouthMike SuverOhio Senator Bruce Johnson'sOfficeHope TaftParents for Drug Free YouthChristy TullYouth For Justice Program DirectorOhio Center for Law-RelatedEducationMary WalkerRadcliffe Middle SchoolPenny WellsVolney Rogers Junior High SchoolPhotographers:Steve Harrisson, Ohio Department of Administative Service; Matt Motley,Ohio Attorney General Betty Montgomery's Office; Bill TijerinaYouth for Justice Agency Support:Representatives at the Summit from:Alcohol and Drug Addiction Services; Cities in Schools, Columbus; Columbus AreaCouncil on Alcoholism; Commission on Rehabilitation Services; Communities andSchools; Community Action for Capable Youth; Community Relations Commission;Community Research Associates; Cuyahoga County Juvenile Court; Department ofRehabilitation and Correction; Family Focus Center; Franklin County PoliceDepartments; Governor George V. Voinovich's Office; Interface for Peace; Madison CountyHospital; Marion County Juvenile Court; Office of Criminal Justice Services; Office ofAttorney General Betty Montgomery; Office of Secretary of State Bob Taft; OhioAssociation for Court Administrators; Ohio Auditor of State; Ohio Chief Probation OfficersAssocia;tion; Ohio Civil Rights Commission; Ohio Commission on Dispute Resolution andConflict Management; Ohio Commission on Minority Health; Ohio Department ofEducation; Ohio Department of Health; Ohio Department of Human Services; OhioHouse of Representatives; Ohio Judicial Conference; Ohio Parents for Drug Free Youth;Ohio Public Defender; Ohio Senate; Ohio Treasurer of State; Ohio Violence PreventionCenter; Ontario Community Substance Abuse Program; Piqua Police Department; Seal ofOhio Girl Scout Council; Supreme Court of Ohio; Youth to Youth . . . and many others!vi

eP12.036CTAeour tiouru F02. JuoriceThis booklet contains a collection of ideas from hundreds ofOhio youth that identifies and proposes solutions andaction steps to address the multiple problems of violence byand against youth. It is part of the third Youth for Justiceproject organized by the Ohio Center for Law-RelatedEducation (OCLRE) in partnership with Ohio schools,students, teachers, the Office of Criminal Justice Services,and OCLRE sponsors Ohio Attorney General Betty D.Montgomery, The Supreme Court of Ohio, the Ohio StateBar Association, and the ACLU of Ohio Foundation.Sixty-four teams from middle schools in all regions of thestate spent five months researching and preparing theirideas for this project. On April 30, 1997, five to six students representing each team gathered for a Youth Summitat the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts inColumbus. This publication is a compilation of summariessubmitted by the teams.Participation IncreaseParticipation doubled in 1997 from the previous year andincreased nearly three-fold over 1995.Youth for Justice YearNumber of Teams223264199519961997101

YOUTHfog19970111064 schools from 28 counties were represented at the1997 Summit.Adult Leaders Came to Listen and Learn from YouthSummit Participants250 adults attended the youth-led report sessions.Representatives from the legislature, law enforcement officers, mayors, state and local school boardmembers, teachers and school administrators, juvenile court judges and personnel, state agency officials, and non-profit organization leaders workingwith youth attended the Summit.Youth Invited to Report to Policy-MakersSix of the Youth for Justice Summit schools testifiedbefore Ohio House and Senate Sub-Committees on theproblems of violence by and against youth and theirproposed solutions to these problems.Thirteen Youth for Justice students and their teachers presented their recommendations at theGovernor's Juvenile Crime Summit in May, 1997.AP2.036crroP12.61/61VrViOLENCEStatistics on violent behavior, especially among youngpeople, are numbing. Although violence occurs at higherrates in some communities, most young people face greaterrisk of violence in their own lives than students of a generation ago, and all young people face the consequences of aworld more resigned to violence.Youth for Justice focuses on violence prevention. The title,"Youth for Justice," reflects the program's commitment toinvolving young people directly in identifying local problemsand implementing solutions to them as a local resource tostem the nation's epidemic of violence. While Youth forJustice is locally designed, planned, and implemented, it ispart of a national law-related education program thatstrives for safe, disciplined, and drug-free schools andcommunities. The approach to achieving this goal is toteach young people about the law and the process of problem solving so that they will lead their lives within the law.LAW-This approach, called law-related education, teaches youngGDUCAT1ONtion, exemplified by projects like Youth for Justice, can createa learning environment that nurtures the needed skills andattitudes that will help students become problem solvers andfully prepared citizens of the future. The interactive, problemsolving approach of law-related education is an appropriateRaar-evANDVIOLENCEpentavrioN2people how the legal and political systems function andmost of allhow they themselves fit in. Law-related educa-strategy in violence prevention.11

SC4-100LOhio's project focuses on middle school students becauseearly intervention and efforts to give children resiliencyskills are key to preventing delinquency and violence. Fifththrough eighth grade students participated in this project.Although only five or six students could represent eachteam at the Summit in April, many of the reports in thisbooklet represent the work of sometimes a whole classroom, a whole school, or two or more schools.JOIN US!The 1997-1998 Youth for Justice project will be underwaybeginning in December and January. A training session forAP12.0612.AMFoe.HiDDLE-cruvemrsteachers is scheduled in January. Encourage your areajunior high or middle schools to join in this exciting, educational experience. There is no fee to participate. To find outhow, call the Ohio Center for Law-Related Education,1-800-282-6556 (Ohio) or 614-487-2050 (Central Ohio).ArzoNALecwieSFor additional copies of this report, please call the OhioCenter for Law-Related Education,1-800-282-6556 or614-487-2050.YOUTH467cat.,14Youth for Justice Participants joined Ohio Governor George V. Voinovich at the Governor'sJuvenile Crime Summit in May, 1997.13

YOUTHfog1997We salute the students, teachers, and advisors whocontinually invest their time and energy to ensurethe success of this youth empowerment initiativeand reduce youth violence.OHIO1151)oriftNA fou DON 1-kup-IttofteiN,"4Notk 41A41i)Sce Nes\it:41111itWoR9411'1\GoAL 15 14MiRIVE. AlFIZOM 7-4-16poN't- MGEtf0ur-4-1 FOIZ'1604, WoRD5AciloniSJu5ricetSur AtAir4Ana. 30, igq7YOUTHOR JUSTICEMMI100.1.14 fign101711MATSOHOcoI t AOR JUSTICESUM T04,UN11,pip 111,413

YOUTH tiouro F012 duonce w012.1 61f 14USTiC1997 OHIOithotencr OF tiOUr4-1 F02.JUS1ICE peo3Gcr5The 1997 Youth for Justice Summit is the climax of thethird year of the Youth for Justice project. The number ofparticipating teams has tripled from the first project year,1995, and many of the schools have continued the projectfrom year to year. These schools have reported that theproject has made a difference in the lives of their studentsand in the climate of their schools. Because there are newgroups of students every year, however, many schools starta new project each year. Students want to do their "own"projects rather than follow up on the projects done by thestudents ahead of them, so most impact reporting is anecdotal.Two schools, however, chose to build on previous years'Youth for Justice projects, extending them and enhancingthem, and then presenting impact reports at the Youth forJustice Summit. U.S. Grant Middle School in Portsmouth,and Willetts Middle School in the Brunswick City Schools,provide a look at the impact of Youth for Justice in theirschools.po22-5Mout-4-1M.S. a2ANT MIDDLESc4-100LGrade Level: 8thTeam Members: BobbyMahmoudishad, NeilMiller, Kylayna Pickles,Michele Truman, JosiahYoung (Danny Crawford,Lori Roberts--6th and 7thGrade representatives)Advisor: Donna BakerProblem: ResolvingConflicts among YouthrieurvskricKwiLLErr51-1i1717LeSCOOOLGrade Levels: 7th-8thTeam Members: JimTOUTmucusArenschield, ShelbyEllenburg, LauraKrutchsnitt, Gregte;Meyers, Kim Stoicoiu,Dan ZulaAdvisor: RichardJavorekProblem: ReducingConflict in the School-71!. A"1A

YOUTHfog1997OHIO11'417Amm.s. aztANT- HPPLEccuooLU.S. Grant Middle School is located in Scioto County within the Portsmouth CitySchool District. The school's student population is 230 of which 86% of the studentsare eligible for free/ reduced lunch and 67% come from single-parent households.Pi2.05LEM:Resolving Conflicts among YouthBesides poverty and unemployment, we have also experiencedan increase in drug-related and violent crimes within ourcommunity. Based on our student surveys, students worryabout verbal/physical acts of violence. Obviously, studentscannot do their best under these conditions.SOLUTIONS:We implemented our program, Project Peace.We continued our work that we have carried out over the lasttwo years by maintaining and improving our monthly schoolwide activities/projects to bring people together, make allstudents feel connected, and gain a feeling of ownership.Phase IOffered teacher training in anger management/conflictresolution. All students received training through minicourses and curriculum. Home visits by teachers wereconducted, as needed. Held a school wide lock-in for students and parents to build team work and educate regardingour conflict resolution program through skits and videos.Provided lunch at a local restaurant each month for twostudents with improved behavior.Phase II"The Peaceful Players Present" . . . Students developed andperformed skits and puppet shows, as well as put on roleplay with elementary students at Wilson Elementary. Weproduced videotapes and provided them for classrooms,school libraries, and a violence shelter. We also promotedcommunity service/awareness via Kids News Network onlocal TV access channel.Phase IIIRESULTS:6Peer Mediation began in summer of '97, with training workshops for teachers and student mediators to be included inthe 1997-1998 school curriculum.We are comparing baseline data from our first year as Youth forJustice participants to the present at the end of the currentschool year. Our baseline data is measured by school data,attendance records, teacher observations, surveys, and nextyear, Peer Mediation records and tallies.5

YOUTHfag1997OHIOIt-tvAcnFollowing are some statistical impacts:e Behaviors to be reduced:Percentage of students receiving disciplinary referrals: 7%increase (We believe this is due to the new zero-tolerancepolicy.)M.S. a 2AvrNumber of violent behaviors--21% decreaseIn-school suspensions--50% decreaseSC4-1001.Incidents of school vandalismno changeNumber of students failing--6th grade: 13% increase; 7thgrade--21% decrease; 8th grade 20% decreaseHMGt Behaviors to be increased:Student attendance--5% increaseStudent civility in hallways, classes--(by teacher observation): noticeable increaseHomework completion--no changeParent/community involvement--12% increase1996Aug./Sept.Sept.PROJECT PEACE CALENDARTeacher training (included all support staff)Anger Management/Conflict Resolution training--mini-course for allstudents at all grade levels.Parent newsletter, parent workshop.Oct.Activities tied in with Red Ribbon Week to show correlation betweendrugs and violence. Parent-newspaper, home visits(as recommended).Lunch with the principal.Nov.More than 200 parents, teachers, and students participated in aLock-in in the gymnasium!Planned activities, student skits, videos, pizza, door prizes, music forparent/community awareness, support, teamwork.Parent newsletter, lunch with principal.1997Jan.Conflict resolution classroom training/discussions continue.Kids News Network--feature story. Videos, skits developed.Parent newsletter, lunch with principal.Feb.Peaceful Players design tee-shirt for players, develop puppetshow presentations. Parent workshop, parent newsletter,Home visits, lunch with principal.MarchPeaceful Players Present. skits, role play, parent newsletter,lunch with Principal, Kids News Network feature.AprilPeaceful Players Present. continue skits, role play, parent newsletter.Lunch with principal.MayEssay Contest (cash prizes) "What YOUth Can Do To PromotePeace." Student survey, data analysis, Peaceful Players Present.puppet shows, parent newsletter, lunch with principal.JunePeer Mediation Training for teachers and student peer mediatorsfor implementation in next school year.16

YOUTHfog1997OHIO]itirAcnwiLLETTS IiiIPPLEccOOOLWilletts Middle School is located in Medina County in the Brunswick City SchoolDistrict. The school's student population is 565. The total juvenile population ofMedina County is 37,400, of whom 22 were arrested for violent offenses in 1994.PZ013LEM:Reducing Conflict in the SchoolThe 1996-97 Youth for Justice team for the Willetts buildingwas involved in quite a few events this school year. Someevents popped up unexpectedly, and some the team knewabout. The first thing we should report is that the team is apermanent part of the building culture, and works to reduceconflict.tfouro F02.JUSTICEpe OZECT:In the first of several meetings, the students were introduced tothe overall purpose of the Youth for Justice project, which is tolower the conflict level in the building between all groups inour school community.FACiN6 ro6We were all set to start to work on these areas when life threwdi-IALLENGE: us a curve. It began with a group of 150 8th graders, ourlunch program, and the principal of our building. In twoYOUT1-1 F02 standard time periods, all of our students eat lunch. Theperiods are divided into four 22-minute segments. The seventhJUSTICEgrade eats first, then the eighth, and the pattern repeats forSrUPENTSthe next lunch. The half period that you do not eat in, youspend in the gym, a game room or academic study hall. Thisplan was a Youth for Justice design from the previous year. It(iN T4-16h2seemed to be working.OWN w012.136) However, the second 8th grade group turned out to be biggerthan all the other groups. We did not know this until after thebig problem day. This large 8th grade group was havingtrouble getting from the gym to the cafeteria in enough time togo through the lines and finish eating before the class bellrang. They started to rush more and more each day until oneday in their rush they trampled the principal. Yep, they ranar woo him over.In response to being trampled and the dangerous rush thatthis group was using to get to the lunch lines, the principalremoved all field trip privileges from the 8th grade group untilthey could prove that they were civilized. Youth for Justicedecided to tackle this problem first. We thought it fit the conflict area. The kids were mad, and the principal was also, soour group dove in.First, we investigated the problem with the help of our advisor.We got the statistics for all the lunch populations. We inter817

d staff and students. We asked all of the 8th gradersinvolved for suggestions (150 kids). We used brainstorming.After looking at the problem and deciding on a strategy, weopted to send one of our team members in to negotiate with theprincipal. Our solution was simple. We switched the 7th and8th grade groups in the second lunch. The 8th graders wouldbe coming from all over the building instead of from the gym,eliminating the rush. The 7th grade group was 50 studentssmaller, so they could come from the gym without rushing.Now we had to put our plan into effect. We sent the studentchosen to be the ambassador to propose the plan to the principal. He agreed to the terms and the plan was tested for aweek. It worked according to expectations and the field tripswere returned to those 8th graders.Other Results from Youth for Justice Project Involvementif Five Members (out of the eight involved) in the Youth forJustice team attended a Student Council seminar for training.if Many of the Youth for Justice team are now members of theWilletts Student Council.Youth for Justice team members conducted a survey of theentire school population of 575 students and staff. (SeeAppendix.)A second survey was sent to prioritize among the six problems identified by the first survey.A skit was written to highlight the major problem of verbalabuse and how that can lead to physical fighting. The skitsuggested conflict resolution strategies.Youth for Justice students were selected to represent theirschool at the Northeastern Ohio Global Issues Seminar, amini-United Nations. They were chosen to apply what theyhad learned in the Youth for Justice Project to strategies forworld peace.kiouru F012.e Two of the Youth for Justice team members were chosen torepresent the student body on the district-wide disciplinecommittee. They are working with administrators, parents,teachers, and other students to make Brunswick CitySchools a safer place in which to learn and work.Jusrce HA5I-APE AIn conclusion, the Youth for Justice team members report,'There is a hint of pride in all of us that we made our school aar wiLLETT51 better place to be."biFF612.61VC69

YOUg THT4-16t46 1foeavFLicerS AMP Al3USEWest ManchesterC.R. Coblentz Middle SchoolGrade Level 7thTeam Members: Vanessa Davis, Emily Ea les, AaronKemp, Steven Langley, Abbey Sauer, Beth Wise, Lia WiseAdvisors: Don Rusk, Lynda BraggProblem: Unwelcome BehaviorMilford CenterFairbanks Middle SchoolGrade Level: 6thTeam Members: Kristen Carl, Erin Dunban TessEmerson, Gastin Green, Chad Millen David WamplerAdvisor: Sue LoweryProblem: Stop Fights with Conflict ifiool 010roUlF11-11IOWINIvoinc,]KIRKMCCORD3110110. mewIMIDDkCEast ClevelandSylvaniaKirk Middle School Team #2McCord Junior High School Team #2Grade Level: 7thGrade Level: 8thTeam Members: David Billingsley, Charles Jones, Reaver Team Members: Ben Franco, Kathleen Hanvey, AshleyRay, Kimberly Taylor, Craig Toler, Miashonae WillisAdvisors: Jody Hess, Courtney VelkerAdvisor: Jacqueline MassencaleProblem: Verbal AbuseProblem: Abuse and Its Results*CHIMER1101001.rSt 0001SpringfieldSchnPfer Middle SchoolGrade Level: 8thTeam Members: Aundrea Black, Travis Delpinal, EricEtherington, Tashanna Hammond, Robert Holtz, TrishaKlawon, Aaron Padgett, Eri

Willetts Middle School (Brunswick) Reducing Conflict in the School. TOEME 1 10. eonwticrs. AND A13(.66. C.R. Coblentz Middle School (West Manchester) Unwelcome Behavior. Fairbanks Middle School (Milford Center) Stop Fights with Conflict Resolution. Franklin Alternative Middle School (Columbus) Gossip &