from the October, 2013 issue of Kiai!

Keeping Kids Safe – Recent Focus on Youth Outreach

By Senpai Ryan Libel
Director of Operations

Whether it’s the independence of walking to school or the excitement of burgeoning interpersonal relationships, back-to-school time is a great time to focus on kids’ safety.  While many readers will be well aware of the usefulness of our ongoing karate program for developing the self-confidence and self-control kids need to keep themselves safe, it may be news that we also do a lot of community outreach work for kids who don’t take classes regularly at Thousand Waves.

Students in September's free back-to-school safety workshop play a round of "Zip, Zap, Zop!", an awareness icebreaker game.

This September, for example, we planned and offered a free back-to-school safety workshop for members of the community, and we quickly had so many registrants that we added a second workshop!  We were thrilled to get some great violence prevention skills into the bodies and minds of many kids new to Thousand Waves.  Just one story – a parent reported that after the workshop her son mustered the courage to open up to her about some bullying he’d been experiencing, and she was able to start to help him develop a plan to address the situation.  Our violence prevention instructors hear stories like this all the time – it’s what keeps us doing the work!

Hope Robinson, Violence Prevention Instructor and steadfast volunteer in our Adapted Seido Karate (ASK) Program, is in the throes of planning a special violence prevention workshop for our ASK students.  We’re all too aware of the sad truth that disabilities can make a person more likely to be victimized – ASK is in its 10th year of providing empowering skills to kids with disabilities.

Finally, Director of Violence Prevention Programs, Kate Webster is delivering an 8-week after-school program for fifteen 3rd grade girls at Willa Cather, a Chicago Public School.  We know that when we engage with students over the course of weeks, that we can have a greater impact.  We continue to receive, and to do our best to respond to, requests for longer term programming.  We’re thrilled to be able to serve so many kids with our message of active peacemaking.  It’s because of the generous support of all of you that we are able to continue this great work.

Save the Date:

November 23 – Say What You Mean: Conflict Resolution at Home, Work and Beyond.  Click here for info.