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Letter
From The Director
Dear
Friends,
Santee
... a city that has joined an infamous list of cities... Springfield,
Conyers, Mount Morris Township, Littleton, West Paducah, Jonesboro
and Pearl. Every one of these towns represent all of our worst nightmares;
violence in our schools. Every one of these cities reminds us of
the true cost of conflict.
Violence
is preventable in schools. Violence is a complicated problem ...
AND there are solutions, maybe not simple solutions, but definitely
solutions.
At The Conflict Center we are working with children from infancy
through college. We are teaching conflict and anger management skills
to hundreds of children and their teachers. We are working with
at-risk teens teaching them skills to cope nonviolently in a violent
world. Teens need to feel powerful without guns and to learn to
negotiate with peers and parents.
Today more than ever, parents need to hone their skills to help
their children grow to become healthy adults. TCC offers effective
parenting courses.
In
April, we are proud to present Conflict Management for Supervisors,
our Third Annual Conference on Reducing the Cost of Conflict in
the Workplace. Practical ideas for managers and supervisors will
be presented. We are excited about this program and would like to
invite you to attend.
We
must continue to believe and act on our beliefs that we can prevent
violence. At TCC we will continue to prevent and reduce violence
by teaching practical skills.
Add a new tool to your problem-solving toolbox. Join us for a class,
a series or a conference. We can cut the cost of conflict. Together
we can create a list of cities of which we're mighty proud.
Sincerely,
Elizabeth
Loescher
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Success Stories
The
following is a quote from an evaluation written by a man participating
in one of TCC’s First Offenders Classes:
“I
am not very good at this kind of thing so here goes. Before I came
here I would react to situations with a physical response. These
days I stop and think, what am I doing, I could get in trouble,
or maybe hurt someone. I think how this person is not worth me getting
in trouble. I take time outs with myself, think positive and walk
away, come back later when I am not angry and try to work it out.
I’ve noticed that I’m more relaxed and calm when a situation does
come up. Also I avoid certain people or places so I will not put
myself in a situation that will cause any problems. I’m still working
on the way life is every day its crazy sometimes. Thank you very
much for helping.”
The following is a story from a dad who participated in a series
of TCC’s Parenting Classes:
This
father had traveled to Omaha, Nebraska with his wife and six kids
in tow. Half way back to Denver the car broke down. Luckily they
were in a town where he was able to purchase the needed part, but
at this point he was incredibly frustrated and was kicking and cussing.
His 14 year-old son was trying to help him out, but dad was finding
fault with most of what he did.
In
the midst of the chaos he remembered the discussion from class about
how important it is for parents to model for children how to behave.
This father said that it was like a light that just clicked inside
his head, and he stopped yelling. He said that for the first time
he observed himself doing things that he was not proud of and most
certainly did not want his children to do.
He
said he took a deep breath, took a short walk and re-entered the
situation. He talked about how great he felt and how surprised and
relieved his family was. He and his son installed the new fuel pump
and actually laughed while doing it.
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Studies
on workplace violence provide shocking evidence of the numbers of
employees injured or killed in the workplace and underscore the
fact that the issue of violence at work cannot be ignored. Consider
the following:
- Homicide
has become the second leading cause of occupational injury for men
and first for women. (Centers for Disease Control)
- Each week, an average of 20 workers are murdered and 18,000 are
assaulted while at work. (Centers for Disease Control)
- More then one million work days are lost as a result of workplace
violence each year. (National Crime Victim Survey)
When
folks are working together conflicts will naturally arise. Conflicts
can arise from a variety of sources including inaccurate information,
disagreements over performance, fear of job loss, harassment and
personality clashes. With conflict comes both the opportunity for
creative problem solving and the risk of costly litigation or violence.
Although no definitive prevention strategy is appropriate for all
workplaces, all workers and employees should assess the risks for
violence in their workplaces and take appropriate actions to reduce
those risks.
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When conflicts
are dealt with effectively they can increase understanding among
co-workers, reduce workplace tension, improve communication and
enhance teamwork. Following are some simple criteria to follow
when designing a conflict management program for the workplace.
- Be Direct - Keep the process simple so that problems
can be resolved at the lowest possible level.
- Be Positive - Offer constructive tools that will solve
the problem and build relationships.
- Be Efficient - Deal with conflicts quickly, don’t
let them fester. Offer a quick and direct process.
- Be Confidential - Make sure to respect the privacy of
all parties involved.
- Be Fair - Provide avenues for handling problems objectively
and ensure that all perspectives are heard. Use an independent
mediator or neutral third party if needed.
Most
people spend about a third of their time at the workplace. Creating
a work environment that encourages creative problem solving and
teamwork will contribute to everyone’s productivity and safety.
To learn more about hands-on approaches to managing conflict productively
in the workplace attend The Conflict Center’s upcoming conference,
entitled “Conflict Management for Supervisors”.
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Volunteer
News -
The 4th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Party
“Tea
Time on Tejon”
A Springtime
TEA PARTY with all your friends, new and old, will be the setting for this year's event. entertainment, delicious refreshments, and acknowledgement of volunteers' service in the year 2000 will be part of our program.
Watch for Your Invitation in the Mail!
Volunteers
Needed!
- Conflict
Management for Supervisors
TCC
Spring Conference, April 19th, 7:30 - 12 noon.
We
need help with greeting, registration, observing workshops and
general assistance.
- Library
Assistant
Assist
with processing new and returned books in the TCC library. Flexible
hours.
- Peace Connection
Assist with production of a publication for Playground Conflict Managers.
Contact Mary Zinn-Stewart if you can assist. Please call 303-433-4983 or 303-265-8622
Email: mezinnia@aol.com
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Volunteer
Training Calendar
Volunteers,
supporters and friends, call Heather at
303-433-4983 to reserve your seat for...
- Volunteer
Orientation
Thursday,
March 22,
3:00-5:00 pm
Learn
about our organization, programs and volunteer opportunities. If
our regularly scheduled orientations do not fit your schedule, you
are invited to contact Mary Zinn-Stewart to schedule a session.
- Conflict
Management Training
Monday,
April 16,
6:30-8:30
pm
Volunteers
Cary Leher and Katie Owens present skill building
classes as an ongoing training for TCC volunteers. If you cannot
attend this training feel free to sign up for one of TCC's regularly
scheduled class series. Mention that you are a colunteer and all
fees will be waived.
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Kids
Corner
This month the adult article was on conflict in the workplace. Your
workplaces are at school and home. Both places prepare you for daily
life in your years ahead.
Our homes and schools give us lots of ways to learn life and people
skills and build friendships. Home and school are also places of
conflict and learning how to solve conflicts by giving up a little
so that everyone gets some of what they want.
Some suggestions:
- Apologize and accept apologizes - We need to own our mistakes;
if you feel you weren’t wrong you can say “I’m sorry
you are feeling bad.”
- Compromise by finding middle ground that helps both people.
- Explain your opinion and listen to the other person.
- Use humor, but never in a way that hurts someone’s feelings; no put-downs, but laugh at yourself or the silliness of a situation.
- Brainstorm by thinking of lots of ways to solve a problem.
- Get help from an adult if you get struck or if there is danger.
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Fly
Frontier -
The Conflict Center Gets Cash
Denver-based
Frontier Airlines and The Conflict Center have teamed up to create
a powerful fundraising tool. Every time anyone identified as a “Conflict
Center flier” flies to a Frontier destination, 4.5% of the
ticket price will be donated to our organization in cash and another
5% will be provided in future travel credit for The Conflict Center
staff.
Here is how it works:
- Call
Frontier’s Reservations at 303-371-7171 or 1-800-243-6297 to
book and ticket your flight to any Frontier city.
- Identify yourself as a “Care Fare” traveler #S600208 to
alert Frontier’s agent of your special status.
- Designate The Conflict Center as the organization you wish to benefit.
- Book your reservations as you normally would. The donation applies
to all tickets - even sale fares.
Your
ticket will be issued electronically, with a confirmation receipt
which can be faxed to you if you wish. So next time you or anyone
you know has to fly, call Frontier and take advantage of this partnership
that is making an investment in our community.
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Nobody Left to Hate: Teaching Compassion after Columbine
By Elliot Aronson
Elliot
Aronson, a social psychologist, cites the Columbine tragedy as an
example of why the atmosphere of exclusion, bullying, and taunting
that pervades our schools must be addressed. He offers strategies
for teaching respect for the differences among students and promoting
cooperation rather than competition. He shows how education is enhanced
by an atmosphere of peace and respect.
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Anger Management for Adults
Mondays 6:30-8:30 PM
$20 per session
Contact: Heather
Conflict Management
for Adults
Mondays 6:30-8:30 PM
$20 per session
Contact: Heather
Parenting Classes
& Support Groups
Thursdays
6:30-8:30 PM
$15
per session
Contact:
Tammy
To
register for classes or for more information, call The Conflict Center
at 303-433-4983 |
Teen
Girls “Challenges”
Wednesdays
3:30-5:30 PM
*3rd Wednesday, 6:00-7:30 PM
$35
for four weeks
Contact:
Jen
Teen Boys “Choices”
Thursdays 3:30-5:30 PM
*3rd Wednesday, 6:00-7:30 PM
$35 for four weeks
Contact: Jen
1st Offenders
Tuesdays 6:30-8:30 PM
$25 per session
Contact: Vickie
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