UNICEF Strategies to guarantee quality learning protective environments

UNICEF Strategies to guarantee quality learning, protective environments and peaceful coexistence for adolescents in urban areas Brazil, August/2007

Violence Prevention Strategies: Guarantees to rights and life-skill development for adolescents Nancy Cardia, Vice-Coordinator Centre for the Study of Violence, University of São Paulo

Diagnosis: What violence? What risks? Interventions: What successful prevention initiatives ?

Victimization Ever in your life. . . – > 20 years 4, 1% 4, 6% Close relative kidnapped – < 20 years 22, 2% 25, 4% Close relative murdered 22, 7% Close relative wounded by knife 35, 8% 24, 4% You or close relative life threatened 34, 1% 16, 7% Someone asked where to buy drugs 37, 0% 24, 5% Someone offered you drugs 45, 7% 0, 0% 5, 0% 10, 0% 15, 0% 20, 0% 25, 0% 30, 0% 35, 0% 40, 0% 45, 0% 50, 0%

Victimization Ever in your life. . . 10, 1% Physically assaulted or ill treated by police – < 20 years 24, 3% Extortion by police or authority – > 20 years 6, 1% 6, 9% 45, 8% Suffered verbal aggression 61, 8% 19, 6% Victim of physical assault Was wounded by firearm 29, 5% 1, 6% 0, 6% 7, 3% 5, 8% Victim of armed robbery (knife) 26, 3% Victim of armed robbery (guns) 15, 6% 0, 0% 10, 0% 20, 0% 30, 0% 40, 0% 50, 0% 60, 0% 70, 0%

Positive youth development • i. e, successful transition to adulthood avoid problems, school failure, use of substances and delinquency How? Through their emotional, cognitive and behavioral development

Changes in prevention • A new perception: skills, abilities, capacity, for recovery and for change • New approach to prevention: evaluation + contributions from developmental studies, • From focus on a single behavior or context (family, school, community, peer group): to multiple behaviors and contexts. • Universal rather than targeted to a group

Changes (cont) Language changes: • Search for opportunities for growth. Key elements seek to promote: • attachment (bonding) • youth and families, schools, community, peer group, culture • resilience, • social, emotional, cognitive, moral and behavioral competence • self esteem and self reliance • trust in the future.

Probability of being alive by 25 70, 0% Very high/high average 60, 0% 50, 0% 60, 7% Low/very low 49, 3% 51, 7% 40, 0% 30, 0% 29, 2% 26, 2% 23, 6% 20, 0% 15, 0% 10, 0% 9, 7% 11, 5% 0, 0% 2001 2003 2006

The role of agents of socialization is highlighted Families Schools Communities Work Religion

When to start prevention? As early as possible Attachment = trust: Home Visitation Social skills - life skills: pre-schools + families

Families key to protection and for risks Affection/Warmth Support Positive disciplining Monitoring and supervision Role models

Obstacles I- Amount and quality of time spent together Parents working more and longer hours 240 hs more per year than in 1989 In the last 30 years 13% less time with children 10 to 12 hs less per week

Obstacles II- Costs of programs involving families More complex Lasting longer

Successful programs involving families • Nurse Home Visitation/ Healthy Families • Parent Training Program - The Incredible Years Parenting Program • Functional Family Therapy and MST -Multisystemic Therapy • Triple P: Media (TV series + radio and newspaper) • Health services, Schools, Work place, Other institutions in the community • GREAT families

Successful programs • Lengthy • Adapted to cultural needs • Adapted to the risks and protections developmental stage • Change family dynamics/organization/patterns of communication/monitoring and supervision • Start early on • Identify the obstacles to the active aprticipation of families and remove them.

Successful programs • Are interactive, • Delivered in a welcoming (nonthreatening) environment, • Delivered by highly trained professionals.

Successful community programs • Supervised games in playgrounds and in pre-schools • CTC – Communities That Care • Mentoring - a Big Brother/Big Sister • Voluntary group work in the community Promoted by schools: Crèches, Old people’s homes, Local health facility

Successful community programs Leisure and sports • Reduce anti-social behavior • Promote social skills

Successful community programs Challenges: • in violent communities children and youth are not encoraged to use in public spaces. • Poorest children do not take part • Avoid competition-aggression promote adventure • To improve: cooperation, trust, problem solving skills.

Successful School programs Teach how • to interact • to contribute to /cooperate with their community, families and peers • i. e social skills.

Successful School programs Change school climate • Competition for resources • Teacher’s stress • General incivility

Examples • Resolving Conflict Creatively Program • Life Skills Training Program • GREAT Schools: Teachers and Students

GREAT • • • Diagnosis of the school Climate in school – Pattern of Interactions Physical characteristics lighting cleanness graffitti broken windows bars shops selling arms

Successful programs • Change behavior • Are theory based combining risks and protection factors • Evidence based • Involve multiple partners • Last longer • Tailored to the developmental and cultural needs of the child • Promote development through social and emotional skills and ethical values adapted to their daily lives • Involve families communities and schools- public policies and institutional practices. • Recruit and maintain skilled staff

Successful programs • Tailored to the developmental and cultural needs of the child. • Promote development through social and emotional skills and ethical values adapted to their daily lives. • Involve families communities and schoolspublic policies and institutional practices. • Recruit and maintain skilled staff.