Effective Violence Prevention

1. Effective Violence Prevention What we know about what works – and what doesn’t work - in violence prevention.

2. Best Practices in Prevention Teaching and practicing proactive communication skills. Building victim empathy. Practicing bystander intervention. Increasing positive behaviors rather than focusing on the negative behaviors. The field of sexual assault prevention education has undergone important advances in the last decade. As the formal research on the effectiveness of different educational approaches has developed, we have learned that who we teach, how we teach it, and what we teach are important factors in changing attitudes and behavior. Here is a quick glance at some of the recent trends in this field:The field of sexual assault prevention education has undergone important advances in the last decade. As the formal research on the effectiveness of different educational approaches has developed, we have learned that who we teach, how we teach it, and what we teach are important factors in changing attitudes and behavior. Here is a quick glance at some of the recent trends in this field:

3. Most Effective Approaches Culturally specific and sensitive to diversity. Multiple presentations over time. Single gender audiences. Practicing communication skills. Building skills and practicing bystander intervention. Utilizing peer educators. With a broader focus on the causes and dynamics of sexual assault, prevention efforts are geared toward a more comprehensive audience including teachers, parents, coaches, community and religious leaders.With a broader focus on the causes and dynamics of sexual assault, prevention efforts are geared toward a more comprehensive audience including teachers, parents, coaches, community and religious leaders.

4. Best Used With Caution Risk reduction related to gender violence done in mixed gender audiences. Using figures and stats that are not localized.

5. Possibly Counterproductive Primarily awareness or knowledge based education. Confrontational style. Debating myths about violence with students. Approaches that inadvertently blame victims.

6. Who We Teach Teach different topics for various age groups: Elementary: bullying, abuse and sexual abuse Middle School: bullying, sexual harassment and relationship abuse High School: sexual harassment, sexual assault and dating abuse Programs must reach teachers, administrators, parents and youth leaders in the community.

7. HOW We Teach Discussion-based information, delivered in an interactive style. Active participation from students (e.g., role plays, question and answer). Outcome based assessment of behavior or attitude change. (continued) Although our society is still resistant to the realities of sexual assault, we have found that the most effective educational approaches to the issue are dynamic, interactive, and (especially with youth) peer-driven.Although our society is still resistant to the realities of sexual assault, we have found that the most effective educational approaches to the issue are dynamic, interactive, and (especially with youth) peer-driven.

8. HOW We Teach Avoidance of “scare tactics” and traumatizing information. Use of theatre/performance and art projects. Exploration of integrating violence prevention education into existing mainstream curricula in disciplines like history, literature, health sciences and social studies.

9. WHAT We Teach Gender socialization as a contributing factor. That most violence is perpetrated by acquaintances. Bystander intervention as a means of prevention. Social skills can be an underlying foundation for prevention education. Focus is on sexual assault as everyone’s issue – an epidemic rooted in culturally-endorsed social norms and in which both victims and perpetrators can be both male and female. Personal safety is not enough. While personal safety skills are important for all of us, until perpetrator behavior changes, sexual assault will not be prevented. Gender socialization as a contributing factor. In our culture, boys and girls receive behavior messages (like being aggressive, for boys, or polite, for girls) that can contribute to power imbalances and coercive behavior that can lead to sexual assault. Men’s roles. Teaching prevention means understanding the importance of men’s roles in preventing sexual assault, as well as men’s experiences of being victimized by it. Bystander intervention as a means of prevention. We need to teach people to recognize a potential assault situation and learn how to intervene on behalf of others. Non-stranger sexual assault. Strong prevention programs recognize that the majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a person the victim knows. Distinguishing miscommunication from coercion. Strategies for improving communication assume that both parties have equal power, which is not the case in situations leading to sexual assault. While learning healthy communication strategies is important, it should not be the main focus of sexual assault prevention programs.Focus is on sexual assault as everyone’s issue – an epidemic rooted in culturally-endorsed social norms and in which both victims and perpetrators can be both male and female. Personal safety is not enough. While personal safety skills are important for all of us, until perpetrator behavior changes, sexual assault will not be prevented. Gender socialization as a contributing factor. In our culture, boys and girls receive behavior messages (like being aggressive, for boys, or polite, for girls) that can contribute to power imbalances and coercive behavior that can lead to sexual assault. Men’s roles. Teaching prevention means understanding the importance of men’s roles in preventing sexual assault, as well as men’s experiences of being victimized by it. Bystander intervention as a means of prevention. We need to teach people to recognize a potential assault situation and learn how to intervene on behalf of others. Non-stranger sexual assault. Strong prevention programs recognize that the majority of sexual assaults are perpetrated by a person the victim knows. Distinguishing miscommunication from coercion. Strategies for improving communication assume that both parties have equal power, which is not the case in situations leading to sexual assault. While learning healthy communication strategies is important, it should not be the main focus of sexual assault prevention programs.

10. The Foundations of Violence Prevention Social skills as a foundation. Underlying issues of violence. Distinctions related to sexual violence. Reaching all constituents. Introduction – There are several researchers who have reviewed research studies on the effectiveness of sexual violence prevention programs. A recent review by Paul Schewe is the most comprehensive and expands on the earlier work of others. I will give you an overview based on the review by Paul Schewe in Illinois. The purpose is to provide a set of guidelines for the development of sexual violence prevention education programs for use in middle schools and high schools.Introduction – There are several researchers who have reviewed research studies on the effectiveness of sexual violence prevention programs. A recent review by Paul Schewe is the most comprehensive and expands on the earlier work of others. I will give you an overview based on the review by Paul Schewe in Illinois. The purpose is to provide a set of guidelines for the development of sexual violence prevention education programs for use in middle schools and high schools.

11. Constructs Targeted in Violence Prevention Programs Myths about violence. Recognizing emotions and victim empathy. Negative consequences for perpetrators and healthy relationships. Risk reduction, communication and assertiveness.

12. Myths About Violence Most frequently addressed construct. Avoid the unintended message that ‘you’re stupid for believing these myths. Explore why we believe these myths vs. debating myths with students. Challenge teens to rebel against traditional gender roles, sexist media messages and myths about social norms.

13. Victim Empathy Cognitive-emotional recognition of the trauma experienced by victims. Identify one’s own feelings. Recognize and identify signs of emotion in another person. Victim empathy is a cognitive-emotional recognition of the trauma experienced by a victim of sexual assault. Programs that target victim empathy focus on creating an understanding of both the experience of the sexual assault (i.e., loss of sense of power and control, fear for their life, etc.) as well as the effect of the trauma after the assault (i.e., shame, guilt, depression, & social sanctions).Victim empathy is a cognitive-emotional recognition of the trauma experienced by a victim of sexual assault. Programs that target victim empathy focus on creating an understanding of both the experience of the sexual assault (i.e., loss of sense of power and control, fear for their life, etc.) as well as the effect of the trauma after the assault (i.e., shame, guilt, depression, & social sanctions).

14. Negative Consequences for Perpetrators Emphasize the negative consequences of violence and the positive consequences of developing healthy relationships. Educators should focus on expectations in relationships. Use bystander approach for influencing students perceptions of increasing the likelihood of negative social consequence. Strong theoretical support and mixed empirical support suggest including this information in presentationsStrong theoretical support and mixed empirical support suggest including this information in presentations

15. Risk Reduction These programs emphasize setting boundaries. Build communication and assertiveness skills. Avoidance of high risk situations should be used with caution. Avoid giving the subtle or unintended message that the victim is to blame. The programs encourage everyone to think about their sexual limits and to be verbally clear about those limits, accurately interpreting information, asking for clarification, clearly expressing limits, and using ‘I’ statements to express feelings. A man is more likely to interpret kissing as a prelude to intercourse. Resistance is often seen as a token so as not to seem promiscuous. Direct statements about not wanting to do anything more than kiss decreased men’s ratings of how much the woman wanted to have sex, how justified the man was to engage in sexual activity after the woman said ‘no’, and how much she led the man on. All people can benefit from better communication skills, targeting communication skills doesn’t imply blame on the part of victims. Evaluation data does not offer strong support nor provide guidance for educators in developing programs. The programs encourage everyone to think about their sexual limits and to be verbally clear about those limits, accurately interpreting information, asking for clarification, clearly expressing limits, and using ‘I’ statements to express feelings. A man is more likely to interpret kissing as a prelude to intercourse. Resistance is often seen as a token so as not to seem promiscuous. Direct statements about not wanting to do anything more than kiss decreased men’s ratings of how much the woman wanted to have sex, how justified the man was to engage in sexual activity after the woman said ‘no’, and how much she led the man on. All people can benefit from better communication skills, targeting communication skills doesn’t imply blame on the part of victims. Evaluation data does not offer strong support nor provide guidance for educators in developing programs.

16. Integrating the Curricula Social skills can be the foundation. Align overall curricula with academic standards. Identify models to use in integration. Identify disciplines to target violence prevention.

17. Identifying Disciplines Health Civics History Reading and Writing Arts and theatre Math

18. Nested Nest multiple ideas into a single lesson. Within a subject area teacher targets multiple skills (i.e. social, thinking and content-specific) Doesn’t require planning with another teacher. Example: violence, personification, conflict.

19. Webbed Take one theme and web it throughout disciplines. Generic themes provide rich possibilities for various disciplines. Requires a cross-departmental team. Example: change.

20. Threaded Thread one skill throughout various disciplines. Determine set of skills and infuse them into existing content priorities. All teachers need understanding of skills. Example: conflict, change, oppression, etc.

21. Integrated Teachers look for similar patterns and approach content through these patterns. Blends major disciplines by finding overlapping skills, concepts and attitudes. Requires cross-disciplinary approach. Example: research, analysis, cause and effect and change.