Anti-Violence: Getting Past the Headlines

Violence against women and children makes the news almost every day. This opens up countless opportunities to get past the headlines and help your students examine the:

• history of violence against women; social, political, racial, and media context of violence;
• psychological, social and economic impact on women's (and children's) lives;
• needs of women and children who have witnessed or experienced violence;
• police and legal response;
• political response by various levels of governments, and;
• role of education, anti-violence and anti-sexism programs in schools.

ETFO Program to address Gender-Based Violence

Conscious Classrooms Responding to Gender-Based Violence 

Women in Crisis is an ETFO Women’s Program that provides donations to existing women’s crisis centres and start-up grants to newly established women’s crisis centres. Locals are encouraged to make a matching donation in money or in-kind services. Contact your local Status of Women Chairperson or president. You can locate women’s shelters at www.shelternet.ca [removed link on April 30, 2012].

Here are some ideas for providing financial assistance and in-kind services for shelters in your area:

• Hold silent auctions of crafts and items donated by teachers and community members;
• Hold draws, raffles, and other events to raise money;
• When members come to local events, ask them to bring useful items for women and children in crisis centres (The centres will be able to tell what they need.);
• Encourage members to collect samples given out by hotels (shampoo, soap, etc.) when travelling. These can be collected in the staff room and given to the shelter once a year;
• Encourage members to donate used clothing and household goods to the local shelter;
• Organize a collection of backpacks filled with school supplies for children living in shelters;
• Hold casual Fridays and donate the money to the shelters. Have draws, raffles, and other events, which raise money;
• Call your local shelter to find out ways of volunteering time in lieu of money.

Adapted from materials developed by the December 6th Coalition in Waterloo.

• Jr. and Sr. Kindergarten:
  Discuss their right to safety both at home and at school. Make a class booklet titled “At home and at play...You should feel safe every day."
• Grades 1-3:
  Have children make a picture depicting a time when they have felt safe from danger. Compare it with a picture of feeling unsafe. Discuss the differences.
• Grades 4-6:
  Discussion topics could include the right to a safe environment, how to resolve disputes without violence or disrespect and where to go for help if an uncomfortable or unsafe situation presents itself.
• Grades 7-8:
  Have students write lyrics or poems to commemorate the significance of December 6th and the impact of violence. Discussion topics could include the right to a safe environment, the right to be treated equally, and with respect and zero tolerance for violence in school.

Do you have suggestions for other classroom activities?  Let us know by emailing Alice Te at ate@etfo.org.

Violence is learned behaviour, and all forms of violence are related

As long as racial taunts and sexist comments continue to exist in our classrooms, violence in schools will continue. As long as the media (including movies, music, video games, and advertisements) portray a litany of violent acts, violence will continue. As long as children grow up in abusive homes and witness abuse, violence will continue.

Solutions to ending violence must be collaborative in nature and holistic in scope. That means classroom teachers, schools, local boards, and the community itself must work together to change a lifetime of learning violence.

Local Status of Women Committees can do their part by forming partnerships with community groups, increasing awareness within the school community, and implementing anti-violence initiatives. Here are some suggestions:

Curriculum

• Encourage your school and district school board to use programs such as The Peacemaker Program, Second Step, and/or other problem-solving and social skills programs;
• Encourage grade 6, 7, 8 teachers to plan a day of workshops on violence awareness and prevention for the students. These could include topics such as family violence, dating violence, gang violence, date rape, racism, and sexual harassment;
• Encourage school anti-violence programs that begin in the early years.

Professional Development

• Encourage the district school board to plan workshops for professional development on the issue of violence. 

Resources

• Encourage the district school board to provide funding for classroom resources that deal with issues of violence;

Policies

• Ask for input into all district school board policies related to issues of violence;
• Ensure anti-violence policies include development, implementation, monitoring, and revision practices;
• Encourage teachers to involve parents in developing classroom rules and reinforcing them by expecting the same standards at home;
• Emphasize prevention: no bullying, no harassment, no name-calling, even in the early years;
• Encourage schools to involve the whole community, including students, in discussing violence in the schools and what can be done about it.

What suggestions do you have? Let us know by emailing Alice Te at ate@etfo.org.

Useful Websites

• METRAC: Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children (Toronto) 
• Centre for Research on Violence Against Women and Children (University of Western Ontario)
• National Clearing House on Family Violence