The Right Stuff! and Violence Prevention

School is getting ready to start and it's important that you feel safe. When you turn on the T.V. and hear stories about kids shooting kids at school it can make you feel scared and helpless. You want to change things, but what can you do? PLENTY!

Take a pledge. You can make a difference by promising not to get involved in gun violence. Here is a sample pledge from Students Against Violence Everywhere (S.A.V.E.)

I will not support violence against any person or any physical or verbal abuse based on race, creed, or gender.

I agree not to bring a gun or any weapon to school or to any school event.

I will demonstrate respect for others and validate their concerns, encouraging those who provide positive role models for their peers.

I will tell my peers to seek adult assistance when conflict situations begin to get out of control.

I will support protection and consolation for victims of violence

I will not carry another person's gun or weapon.

I will oppose the use and glorification of violence in the media and our culture.

If I see a gun or other weapon on campus or at a school event, I will alert an adult about its existence.

I will be committed to nonviolent resolutions of conflict.

I will practice respect and love for the earth and all creatures.

By signing this commitment to peace, I pledge to support my peers in my community by examining my own actions and making every effort to practice nonviolence in my own life.

Signed______________________________ Grade_______________

Make it real. Make two copies of the pledge and sign them. Keep one copy for yourself and to give the other to the most trusted adult in your life: your parent, a teacher, a minister or rabbi, an older sibling, a grandparent, a counselor, or someone else you trust and respect. The older adult can remind you of the importance of your promise and help you hold to it.

Get your school involved. Work with your school government association or PTA to distribute copies of the pledge and encourage other students to sign it. Celebrate your pledge with an all-school assembly celebrating your commitment to peace. Post a banner with the sign of the pledge in your school's hallway. Ask your fellow students to write notes on the banner. Or, put up a bulletin board for students to write their thoughts and concerns about gun violence. Plant a tree in your schoolyard as a reminder of the pledge that students have made.

Each one teach one. Once you've taken the pledge, talk to younger kids about your commitment to ending gun violence. Visit an elementary school, a brownie troop, or sit down with your younger siblings and talk about your commitment. You can be a real role model!

Take action. Students like you have an important role to play in ensuring that your school is safe. You are not too young to be part of the solution!

S.A.V.E. is a student-directed organization to prevent violence. Learn how to start a chapter at your school!

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