Helping to Facilitate the Participation of Children with Disabilities in Community Settings
The Community Connections Communicator -- November 2004
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In loving memory of our dear friend and staff member kid Mattie Stepanek. He will truly be remembered as a peacemaker who contributed substantially to the Community Connections Project by providing valuable insight and feedback on our Building Bridges Modules. Mattie will also be remembered for being a friend and babysitter to our other staff member's children during our meetings. Mattie's legacy of peace will always be remembered and we hope always practiced. |
In this Issue:
The theme of this month’s
issue is Empowering Our Children to Practice Peace!
In this issue you will find strategies on combating bullying and teasing.
You will also gain information on how to help our children use peace
as their weapon of choice in their schools and communities. See how
children with positive attitudes can make a difference in their communities.
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Tip Sheet: Easing the Teasing Strategies |
| Check out this tip sheet, which lists 10 tips on how to stop teasing and strategies children can use when faced with such difficult situations. Click on the link for the entire tip sheet. http://www.easingtheteasing.com/page4.html | |
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Articles: |
| Bullying and
Teasing of Youth With Disabilities: Creating Positive School Environments
for Effective Inclusion This article provides valuable information, which defines bullying and teasing and gives strategies on combating both. If you want to learn more about these topics, please click on the link to view the article in full. http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=1332 |
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| Understanding
Bullying http://www.pta.org/bullying/understanding.asp |
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| How to Know
if Your Child Is the Victim of Bullying http://www.pta.org/bullying/howtoknow.asp |
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Spotlights of the Month: |
| Little Friends
For Peace Little Friends for Peace is an organization dedicated to teaching non-violence skills to young children with playful skill-building activities by training their adult and teen leaders. To view their website please click on the following link. http://www.lffp.org/ |
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| Is Your Child
a Target of Bullying? Intervention Strategies for Parents of Children
With Disabilities Workshop This workshop, sponsored by the Family Support & Resource Center of Howard County will be held on March 15, 2005. To register please contact Veralyn Austin at (410) 313-7161 or email Letitia Brewster at Letitia_Brewster@hcpss.org |
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| Locally, Mt.
Rainier Elementary School has become nationally recognized
for its peace education program. This school won the 2001 National
School of Character Award and has been spotlighted in the Washington
Post regarding its initiative on making peace a required standard
of all of the students at Mt. Ranier Elementary School. To learn
more about this school’s mission and information regarding
the peace curriculum, please click on the links. Washington Post article Mt. Rainier Elementary School |
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Recommended
Websites |
| The Masters
Group Organization http://www.themastersgroup.org/ChildCloth.html |
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| Stop Bullying
Now http://www.stopbullyingnow.com/bookadditions.htm#disabilities#disabilities For further information on bullying, check out this website that provides strategies on tackling bullying. In addition you will find information that will be helpful to school systems in informing parents of bullying issues and how to create a more cohesive student community. |
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| Bully Stoppers http://www.bullystoppers.com/ Bully Stoppers also has a website which will provide helpful tools for school systems. |
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Spotlight a Welcoming Business: |
| Community Connections would like to “Spotlight” businesses who are welcoming to children with disabilities and their families. If you would like to spotlight a business, please click on this link and we will post it free of charge on our website. Thank you. |
Tipsheet
Easing the Teasing
Strategies
The tip sheet “Easing the Teasing Strategies” provides valuable
tips that help children learn how to respond when being teased. These
tips help children take an active role in determining why and how they
should respond to various comments. They also provide for some humorous
and thought-provoking responses. To view the entire tip sheet, please
click on the following link. http://www.easingtheteasing.com/page4.html
Articles
Bullying and Teasing
of Youth With Disabilities:
Creating Positive School Environments for Effective Inclusion
This article discusses the issues of teasing, bullying and harassment
on children with disabilities. In this article you will find definitions
of these terms and how children and schools can combat these issues.
It is vital for all children to have a fair, peaceful school environment.
The authors of this article address how the entire school, staff and
community necessary to implement a safe and caring atmosphere for all
children. There are suggestions on how to start a school wide program
as well as how to work on changing individual attitudes about teasing
and bullying. To begin your journey on ensuring a safe and peaceful
community, please click on the following link http://www.ncset.org/publications/viewdesc.asp?id=1332
Additional Articles
Understanding Bullying
http://www.pta.org/bullying/understanding.asp
How to Know if Your Child Is the Victim of Bullying
http://www.pta.org/bullying/howtoknow.asp
Spotlights of the Month!
Little Friends for
Peace
Mary Joan & Jerry Park, Directors
4405 29th Street
Mt. Ranier, MD 20712
(301) 927-5474
E-mail: info@lffp.org
Website: http://www.lffp.org/
Little Friends for Peace (LFFP) is an organization dedicated to teaching
non-violence skills to young children with playful skill-building activities
by training their adult and teen leaders. Mary Joan and Jerry Park,
parents of six and trained as teachers and family counselors, started
Little Friends for Peace in 1981. They have trained thousands of children
and caregivers through communities and agencies
Little Friends for Peace is helping to create a Culture of Peace by helping children and families, teachers and individual learn more about Peace, who Peacemakers are and what instruments they used to make peace and how to solve problems peacefully especially in times of conflict and violence and also how to instill hope and courage to see and practice Peace as a way of life. The directors believe as Ghandi says; “If we want real peace in this world and if we want to wage a real war against war, we have to begin with the children ". Little Friends for Peace operates from the premise that if we tell the children what we don't want them to do then we need to replace it with what they can do and how they can solve their problem in a peaceful, win win manner.
Little Friends for Peace offers a variety of resources for families, schools and the community such as day camps, play shops and retreats. In addition, LFFP offers leadership workshops, which teach adults and teens how to organize and run skill-building activities. LFFP also has a resource library, which provides low-cost rental access for caregivers to a catalog of music, games, posters, videos and books to enrich their teaching and their spirit. You can also receive ongoing support from LFFP through consult on planning programs specifically for your group or community. You can also read more about Little Friends for Peace and also obtain a copy of their first published newsletter on their website at www.lffp.org
Little Friends for Peace
believes that we should spread the peace to everyone you meet by how
you act, talk, solve problems and your attitude for a peaceful world.
We would like to have an epidemic of peace and not of violence. Begin
your peace journey today.
….Submitted by Mary Joan & Jerry Park, Directors, Little Friends
for Peace
Is Your Child a Target of Bullying?
Intervention Strategies for Parents of Children with Disabilities
Family Support & Resource Center
10598 Marble Faun Court
Colombia, Maryland
(410) 313-7161
email: Letitia_Brewster@hcpss.org
Has your child been a target of bullying or teasing? If so, this workshop is for you. The Howard County Family Support & Resource Center will present Maria V. Brickley, CAS, NCSP to address issues which will include: defining disability harassment and bullying, advising parents on how to talk with their children about bullying, teaching constructive ways to react to bullying and educate parents about Howard County Public School systems policies affecting bullying, and explaining how to address bullying in the Individualized Education Programs (IEP). If you have any other concerns, please give them to Ms. Austin or Ms. Brewster when you register to have those issues addressed during the workshop. Snacks and door prizes will be provided. The workshop will be held on March 15, 2005 from 7:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. at the Chesapeake Room at 10598 Marble Faun Court, Colombia. Please register with Veralyn Austin at (410) 313-7161 or Letitia Brewster via e-mail at Letitia_Brewster@hcpss.org
We currently offer training
and technical consultation to businesses, churches, and other community
organizations to help make them more welcoming to families and children
with special needs. If you know of a business or other organization
that would like to take advantage of these services, please e-mail us
at: communityconnections@umd.edu
OR
If you know of a business that is already welcoming to children with
special needs and their families and you would like to share this information
with other families and professionals, please send us your name as well
as the name and contact information for the business with a brief description
of why you believe they are welcoming to families. If appropriate, we
will post the business on our website and we may even feature it as
a 'Spotlight if the Month'. E-mail your submissions to: communityconnections@umd.edu
*Questions or Suggestions about our newsletter? Have an idea you would like to submit? Please feel free to contact us at communityconnections@umd.edu
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2004, Community Connections. All rights reserved.
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© 2004 University of Maryland. All Rights Reserved.
Last updated on
September 26, 2005
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