Monday,+April+23+-+Friday+27

Dear All,

I am writing to tell you that we are still working on the project. Last Tuesday I sent the students' stories and was absolutely sure that they were sent. Later it turned out that there was a failure in sending the texts, so I am sending them again.

Velta

I. The theatre youth initiative: Iqui Balam in Guatemala

Not everywhere in our world is so peaceful and safe. There are quite many countries like Guatemala where is war and other problems. Living there is unsafe, because there is racism, discrimination and extreme violence. However, it is very nice to hear that there are people who have gone from gangs and created a theatre group Iqui Balam. That means that there are people who are not afraid to confront violence and try to help others. I think that not everyone would have enough courage to do something like that in a country with scarce resources and everyone is thinking only about himself. The members of this theatre group are very happy people, because they are giving happiness to others, including poor children in suburbs. (Roberts)

After reading the text about the Artistic Program, I understood that not all people in the world are as happy as we are here in Latvia where people aren’t violent about different people. They try to support them. Some measures are also taken to reduce consumption of drugs and gangs of young people. In my opinion, the idea of creating a theatre group is great. Maybe if some young people see this performance they will understand their bad habits and they will come off drugs. I would really want somebody to create a similar theatre group in Latvia. (Jelena)

II. After-school(and weekend) Programs

The program like the project Safe and Caring Schools (SACS) tries to prevent violence by means of negatiation among school children. The program tries to reduce the inequality amongst people, nations. The SACS stimulates youth action and participation, cooperates in the best climates and of social relations in the school and helps to reduce school violence. Qualified people, instructors or just volunteers help to instill a socially responsible and respectful behavior. Of course, the programs need some facilities like computer labs, sports grounds, libraries, which develop juveniles’ knowledge, skills and attitude. Above all, it is important, that some people create these after-school (and weekend) programs and take action! (Ineta)

III. ‘‘Scared Stiff Approach’’

This story aroused my interest. I think that this program helps students to choose the right way. When they see how terrible it is in prison, they won’t want to come back there. Nowadays only some of us know what kind of order dominates in jail. This program shows it to us. People’s attitude towards prisoners is awful and very few can cope with pressure. Another thing that helps students to reconsider is that they can meet a real prisoner, listen to his touching life history and try not repeat his mistakes. I think that the idea of this program should applied not only for the disobedient juveniles, but also for those who just want to experience what the prisoner feel. My attitude to this program is positive, because I think that it can diminish violence and crime. (Rasma)

I was surprised about this way of eradication of violence, social exclusion and exposure to violence on the street. I have never heard about such a program. I think it is very effective. The journey with herding into a bus and going to the most notorious jail in Texas has had big influence on the teenagers. After this journey, I think, teens will change the way of thinking. They will become more patient towards others and will be afraid of jail, therefore they will not be recruited by gangs or inflict violence on others. To sum up, I would like to say that the students got undoubtedly big experience and a new way of thinking about life. They will become more responsible about their actions in the future. (Lelde)

First of all I would like to say something about teenagers and parents relationships. Nowadays teenagers want to be more independent. However, this "independence" is displayed in different ways. Some juveniles find a job and earn their own money, others go out at nights, start using drugs - they don't care about their parents because they want to live their own life. This story is different from others, because there I noticed teenagers’ attitude to their family. When I had read it, I understood one thing. If we have problems or issues with our parents, first of all we have to change our attitude, as we understand that our parents are irreplaceable when we are far and feel sad. However, we can improve our relations now! (Anzelika)

I think that this article is the most interesting one. I believe if teenagers see, how bad is living in prison, they will not commit crimes or become hooligans. I think that a lot of people like P.D. never want to go back there. I haven’t heard about similar journeys organised in Latvia. Sometimes young people visit prison but do not stay there for a longer time. Maybe police officers and teachers should think of this way organised trips to jails. On the one hand, if a person wants to commit a crime, he will not think about prison or that the police can find him. On the other hand, it is always better to make an attempt to improve the situation than do nothing. I think that in our schools teachers and principals must think more about students’ education and how to improve the quality of teaching, so that students understand the real life values. (Vadims)

After reading the text I was really shocked. This way of education and reeducation is so strange and unusual, but maybe it works. It’s hard to say now. Students get taste of Tent City life…Well, I think that it’s right to get acquainted with inmates’ lives in jail, because in our daily routine we mostly don’t think how people suffer from punishment. We just know that they are guilty and they are punished. A 17-year-old V.C.’s story about her family and friends made me so sad and mad. Don’t they know that people can understand their mistakes and feel sorry about the committed crime? I agree with the officer R.S., but I see, that not all parents know that. Family problems are based on all the family! The attitude of the deputy D.M. was like talking with beasts. That’s not correct! And the claim about piercing was so ridiculous. D.M. must change her attitude, not students. In the end, I can say, that “this Tent City life tasting” is more for scaring, not for reeducation. (Ligita)

IV. Classroom Pledge of Nonviolence

In this article it is written about the conditions when people could become more peaceable and their aim is to avoid violence in a class. I think it is very important to know how to keep peace in a class and be more patient to classmates and work together. There is one saying: “Love and respect other people and they will love you, too”. If we use bitter words, criticize other classmates and lose temper with somebody, we can get negative attitude and there could be a big strain in a class. It is good and useful when a class has their own pledge of Nonviolence, so they learn to understand other classmates, apologize, consider other feelings and be honest and creative. I suggest that in every classroom there could be the rules which students should observe and later one could see how students’ attitude has changed and how peaceable they have become. (Inga)

I read the “Classroom Pledge of Nonviolence” with true interest. Each point of this pledge is important, but it is also easy to understand and accept it. Unfortunately, in real life we sometimes forget such primary things like respecting other people and nature. Everyone has to start with himself – if one is respecting himself or herself, others will also do it. A human being is a social creature. That means one needs to meet other people, communicate, express his feelings and consider others’ feelings. Opinions and views depend on people, either one likes it or not, he has to affirm it. One can make mistakes. What of it? Everyone does! It is more important to apologize sincerely if you have hurt somebody. If we are filled with anger, hold grudges against others, it destroys us ourselves. Later – others, of course. That’s why we have to learn forgiving and understanding. Environment is and will always be around us all the time. It has suffered enough from different negative human actions. Therefore we have to protect nature and all the living creatures. Especially it is important to teach this to small children. Does violence sometimes look exciting, funny and acceptable? Unfortunately, movie industry often shows it exactly that way. (Inese)

I read the texts under the heading “Methods and Awareness.” I think that willpower of people, all aspirations and methods improve the situation and can stop violence around us, so we have to use them. The essence is to begin with ourselves, and if everyone tries, there will be visible a total result. I like the idea about a class letter, in my opinion, it is quite an effective method, because everyone who reads and signs this pledge, accepts his responsibility for his actions. We have to pay attention to our attitude, feelings, behavior. Have we ever done something similar? It would be great, if we could enforce such pledges in our schools, too. Everyone could see goals and results. Also, I got to know about the GLSEN, curricular student clubs and such a day as The Day of Silence. It is hard to imagine impressions after this day. It is great and I support students, who understands other people’s pain and can show their point of view without fear from the decrial. Each person has to fight for his rights and everyone has a desire for living valuable life. The most noticeable is that there are people, who understand, uphold and show the entire World, that those problems exist nowadays. (Diana)

Dear All,

I am writing to tell you that we are still working on the project. Last Tuesday I sent the students' stories and was absolutely sure that they were sent. Later it turned out that there was a failure in sending the texts, so I am sending them again.

Velta

I. The theatre youth initiative: Iqui Balam in Guatemala

Not everywhere in our world is so peaceful and safe. There are quite many countries like Guatemala where is war and other problems. Living there is unsafe, because there is racism, discrimination and extreme violence. However, it is very nice to hear that there are people who have gone from gangs and created a theatre group Iqui Balam. That means that there are people who are not afraid to confront violence and try to help others. I think that not everyone would have enough courage to do something like that in a country with scarce resources and everyone is thinking only about himself. The members of this theatre group are very happy people, because they are giving happiness to others, including poor children in suburbs. (Roberts)

After reading the text about the Artistic Program, I understood that not all people in the world are as happy as we are here in Latvia where people aren’t violent about different people. They try to support them. Some measures are also taken to reduce consumption of drugs and gangs of young people. In my opinion, the idea of creating a theatre group is great. Maybe if some young people see this performance they will understand their bad habits and they will come off drugs. I would really want somebody to create a similar theatre group in Latvia. (Jelena)

II. After-school(and weekend) Programs

The program like the project Safe and Caring Schools (SACS) tries to prevent violence by means of negatiation among school children. The program tries to reduce the inequality amongst people, nations. The SACS stimulates youth action and participation, cooperates in the best climates and of social relations in the school and helps to reduce school violence. Qualified people, instructors or just volunteers help to instill a socially responsible and respectful behavior. Of course, the programs need some facilities like computer labs, sports grounds, libraries, which develop juveniles’ knowledge, skills and attitude. Above all, it is important, that some people create these after-school (and weekend) programs and take action! (Ineta)

III. ‘‘Scared Stiff Approach’’

This story aroused my interest. I think that this program helps students to choose the right way. When they see how terrible it is in prison, they won’t want to come back there. Nowadays only some of us know what kind of order dominates in jail. This program shows it to us. People’s attitude towards prisoners is awful and very few can cope with pressure. Another thing that helps students to reconsider is that they can meet a real prisoner, listen to his touching life history and try not repeat his mistakes. I think that the idea of this program should applied not only for the disobedient juveniles, but also for those who just want to experience what the prisoner feel. My attitude to this program is positive, because I think that it can diminish violence and crime. (Rasma)

I was surprised about this way of eradication of violence, social exclusion and exposure to violence on the street. I have never heard about such a program. I think it is very effective. The journey with herding into a bus and going to the most notorious jail in Texas has had big influence on the teenagers. After this journey, I think, teens will change the way of thinking. They will become more patient towards others and will be afraid of jail, therefore they will not be recruited by gangs or inflict violence on others. To sum up, I would like to say that the students got undoubtedly big experience and a new way of thinking about life. They will become more responsible about their actions in the future. (Lelde)

First of all I would like to say something about teenagers and parents relationships. Nowadays teenagers want to be more independent. However, this "independence" is displayed in different ways. Some juveniles find a job and earn their own money, others go out at nights, start using drugs - they don't care about their parents because they want to live their own life. This story is different from others, because there I noticed teenagers’ attitude to their family. When I had read it, I understood one thing. If we have problems or issues with our parents, first of all we have to change our attitude, as we understand that our parents are irreplaceable when we are far and feel sad. However, we can improve our relations now! (Anzelika)

I think that this article is the most interesting one. I believe if teenagers see, how bad is living in prison, they will not commit crimes or become hooligans. I think that a lot of people like P.D. never want to go back there. I haven’t heard about similar journeys organised in Latvia. Sometimes young people visit prison but do not stay there for a longer time. Maybe police officers and teachers should think of this way organised trips to jails. On the one hand, if a person wants to commit a crime, he will not think about prison or that the police can find him. On the other hand, it is always better to make an attempt to improve the situation than do nothing. I think that in our schools teachers and principals must think more about students’ education and how to improve the quality of teaching, so that students understand the real life values. (Vadims)

After reading the text I was really shocked. This way of education and reeducation is so strange and unusual, but maybe it works. It’s hard to say now. Students get taste of Tent City life…Well, I think that it’s right to get acquainted with inmates’ lives in jail, because in our daily routine we mostly don’t think how people suffer from punishment. We just know that they are guilty and they are punished. A 17-year-old V.C.’s story about her family and friends made me so sad and mad. Don’t they know that people can understand their mistakes and feel sorry about the committed crime? I agree with the officer R.S., but I see, that not all parents know that. Family problems are based on all the family! The attitude of the deputy D.M. was like talking with beasts. That’s not correct! And the claim about piercing was so ridiculous. D.M. must change her attitude, not students. In the end, I can say, that “this Tent City life tasting” is more for scaring, not for reeducation. (Ligita)

IV. Classroom Pledge of Nonviolence

In this article it is written about the conditions when people could become more peaceable and their aim is to avoid violence in a class. I think it is very important to know how to keep peace in a class and be more patient to classmates and work together. There is one saying: “Love and respect other people and they will love you, too”. If we use bitter words, criticize other classmates and lose temper with somebody, we can get negative attitude and there could be a big strain in a class. It is good and useful when a class has their own pledge of Nonviolence, so they learn to understand other classmates, apologize, consider other feelings and be honest and creative. I suggest that in every classroom there could be the rules which students should observe and later one could see how students’ attitude has changed and how peaceable they have become. (Inga)

I read the “Classroom Pledge of Nonviolence” with true interest. Each point of this pledge is important, but it is also easy to understand and accept it. Unfortunately, in real life we sometimes forget such primary things like respecting other people and nature. Everyone has to start with himself – if one is respecting himself or herself, others will also do it. A human being is a social creature. That means one needs to meet other people, communicate, express his feelings and consider others’ feelings. Opinions and views depend on people, either one likes it or not, he has to affirm it. One can make mistakes. What of it? Everyone does! It is more important to apologize sincerely if you have hurt somebody. If we are filled with anger, hold grudges against others, it destroys us ourselves. Later – others, of course. That’s why we have to learn forgiving and understanding. Environment is and will always be around us all the time. It has suffered enough from different negative human actions. Therefore we have to protect nature and all the living creatures. Especially it is important to teach this to small children. Does violence sometimes look exciting, funny and acceptable? Unfortunately, movie industry often shows it exactly that way. (Inese)

I read the texts under the heading “Methods and Awareness.” I think that willpower of people, all aspirations and methods improve the situation and can stop violence around us, so we have to use them. The essence is to begin with ourselves, and if everyone tries, there will be visible a total result. I like the idea about a class letter, in my opinion, it is quite an effective method, because everyone who reads and signs this pledge, accepts his responsibility for his actions. We have to pay attention to our attitude, feelings, behavior. Have we ever done something similar? It would be great, if we could enforce such pledges in our schools, too. Everyone could see goals and results. Also, I got to know about the GLSEN, curricular student clubs and such a day as The Day of Silence. It is hard to imagine impressions after this day. It is great and I support students, who understands other people’s pain and can show their point of view without fear from the decrial. Each person has to fight for his rights and everyone has a desire for living valuable life. The most noticeable is that there are people, who understand, uphold and show the entire World, that those problems exist nowadays. (Diana)