Elementary

Peaceful People

Peaceful People is a classroom based character education program that seeks to prevent youth violence and foster positive community relationships. Students are actively engaged in skills training activities that promote the development of social competence. Five core social skills serve as the foundation of the Peaceful People curriculum. These essential social skills include: Cooperation, Assertion, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control (C.A.R.E.S skills).

Peaceful People is designed for grades K-8 and is presented in 30-45 minute segments by trained Peaceful Schools Coordinators, with the classroom teacher participating. Teachers and/or Principal’s may choose a series of 6, 9 or 12 training sessions for their classrooms.

Components of the C.A.R.E.S. social skills are taught through the introduction of specific skill strategies. For example students learn the skills of assertion through the introduction of “I messages”. In addition to learning the parts of an “I message” students learn to modify the rate and tone of their voice when delivering the “I message”, they learn to modify their body language to project confidence, and they learn to ask clarifying questions to ensure that their message was clearly understood. These skills are then practiced by role-playing realistic situations that students encounter at home, in their neighborhoods and at school.