Solutions for Youth Violence

Editor’s Note: For more information on the Partners Against Hate coalition and their programs, contact Steve Wessler at USM's Center for the Study and Prevention of Hate Violence at 780-8152, or the assistant director of the Center, Peggy Moss at 228-8308.

USM’s Center for the Study and Prevention of Hate Violence is part of a new coalition, Partners Against Hate, that has been awarded $1 million for each of the next three years to further efforts to reduce youth-initiated violence.

The grant, jointly funded by the U.S. Department of Justice Office of Juvenile Delinquency Prevention and the U.S. Department of Education’s Safe and Drug Free Schools Program, was announced April 4 at the National Press Club in Washington, D.C. The grant will research methods of preventing youth violence and institute hate crime prevention programs across the country; it especially focuses on violence in schools.

"We are committed to ensuring that every student in the nation is emotionally and physically safe in our schools," said Stephen Wessler, director of USM’s Center for the Prevention of Hate Violence, “and the Partners Against Hate collaboration is an important step toward that goal. By changing the climate in schools from one in which hateful and degrading language is the accepted norm to one where individuals are valued for treating others with dignity and respect, we can reduce hate violence. Working together we hope to help youth, educators, and parents create an environment in schools where students feel safe and are safe."

The other two civil rights organizations that make up the coalition are the Anti-Defamation League and the Leadership Conference and Education Fund.

Wessler said that Partners Against Hate represents a comprehensive and innovative approach of outreach, education, and training, with a new interactive Web site, chosen because children today look to technology for entertainment and education. "What makes Partners Against Hate unique is the integration of technology into every aspect of the program,” Wessler said. The PAH innovative and interactive Web site, www.partnersagainsthate.org, will be an outreach and resource tool for youth, parents, teachers, criminal justice and youth-service professionals, librarians, and law enforcement.
As the Web site is developed, it will include, among other resources, a program activity guide to guide parents and educators in discussions and activities about prejudice, and when to intervene when children engage in such behavior. An interactive manual on hate on the Internet will help young people recognize and negotiate hate on the Internet.
The coalition has also planned specialized training programs for schools and federal and state policymakers and professionals.