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Association for Communal Harmony in Asia (ACHA) Article of the Month
* Hands and Words are Not for Hurting Hands and Words are Not for Hurting is a a grassroots effort that was initiated ten years ago by Ann S. Kelly of Salem, Oregon, U.S.A, to end abuse and violence in homes, schools, and communities. It has since expanded to many communities throughout the United States and beyond. In Salem area the program is supported by the local school district. The district’s Prevention Department provides curriculum which is designed to teach social skills in empathy, impulse control , conflict resolution and peace-making to students at all grade levels. Children in kindergarten through 8 th grade learn how to recognize and understand feelings. They are taught how to make positive and effective choices, and to keep anger from escalating into violence. Children in grades 3 through 5 are trained in skills needed to build respectful and healthy peer relationships. The focus is on friendship skills and assertive communication. Middle school children learn how to change attitudes and behaviors that may lead to violence. They are helped to develop problem-solving skills and new ways of thinking about how they might respond to conflict in roles as aggressors, victims and bystanders. High school students are taught skills how conflicts can become violent situations. They learn about the impact of violence on perpetrators, victims and communities, how to manage conflicts, maintain personal safety, deal effectively with sexual harassment and abusive relationships, and identify resources available to help prevent and avoid violence. The central feature of the program requires each child to take a pledge: “I will not use my hands or words for hurting myself or others.” While taking the pledge each child is asked to draw or trace his/her own hands on purple paper and sign his name and age. The purple hands are then displayed in each school together with critical messages of nonviolence. The display serves as a visual reminder of each child’s personal commitment to stop and thinkbefore saying or doing anything hurtful. The essential message is: “Anger is a feeling, violence is always a choice.” More information about the program is available on the Hands Project website www.handsproject.org
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