Resolving Conflict and Anger Management

What is anger? From where does it arise, and how does it affect our lives? Do you ever feel like anger takes control of your emotions, your words and actions? What can we do to successfully diffuse anger before it makes us do something we may regret in the future? In this workshop, students shall learn basic skills and ways to identify anger and transform it into a force that heals, rather than something that hurts and causes pain. They will also be presented with issues of conflict and be asked to formulate solutions to solve them non-violently. By examining real-life examples and challenging hypothetical scenarios, you will be asked to decide whether one person—you—has the ability to transform the world.

Celebrating Diversity: Dismantling Racism and Discrimination

Are you interested in dismantling, confronting, and overcoming racism? Do you want to learn how to harness the diversity in your school and community to be an effective leader and peacemaker? In this workshop students will dialogue about the root causes of racism and discrimination. The participants are challenged to reflect upon some of their own prejudices and stereotypes, and are guided through exercises to explore different ways they may become more accepting and understanding of those who may not fit into their racial, cultural, religious, and/ or sexual group. Together, we will identify the violence that commonly results from our prejudice, and ways we can, through our leadership, stop the hate.

Being Peace: Transcending Violence and Hate

In this workshop students have the opportunity to dialogue and learn about the root causes of hatred and violence. Through interactive exercises meant to increase awareness of humanity's potential for peace, students are challenged to explore how they may utilize their leadership skills to bring stability and sustainability into the world. The workshop, interwoven with poetry, creates an environment for positive communication and self-expression. Participants should seize this opportunity to develop new ways to understand fear as it relates to hate and forgiveness as it relates to violence. In the end, we shall attempt to more clearly understand what Mahatma Gandhi meant when he said, "You must be the change you wish to see in the world."

Circle of Life

The "Circle of Life" workshop engages students in interactive exercises for the purpose of developing awareness and understanding their potential for Peace. The workshop is conducted with students sitting in a circle, and includes light music; hence, creating an environment for positive communication and self-expression. Throughout this workshop, participants are encouraged to release suppressed emotions and develop new ways to understand their relationship with each other and the world. The prevalent themes throughout the workshop are the interconnectedness and interdependency of all life, and learning to maintain emotional wellness by channeling your creativity through traditional deep breathing and meditation techniques.

A Peaceable School Initiative: Erase The Hate Week

In 2002, with the non-profit organization One Common Unity, Hawah helped launch the "Circle of Life" High School Tour in several D.C. Public Schools. It was organized as a response to a city-wide call to support grieving students after the loss of classmates to gun violence. The popular Tour later became institutionalized at Woodrow Wilson High School as "Peace Week", where it has been held for the past 3 years, featuring a uniquely empowering weeklong activity-based program that facilitates peace building and conflict resolution skills in students, faculty and staff.

One Common Unity and The Everlutionary Trust now introduce Erase The Hate week, a proactive opportunity for school communities to direct creative and emotional energy toward decreasing the likelihood of violence. Students lacking inspiration and proper guidance often express their anxieties in violent and misdirected ways; Erase The Hate week counters this phenomenon, introducing techniques to solve problems and redirect stress and anger through non-violent, peaceful means.

What is Erase The Hate week?

Erase The Hate week is a dynamic, 5 days of interactive exercises and activities that encourage the entire school community to choose peace over violence. One Common Unity serves to facilitate Erase The Hate week; however, it is important to remember that the participation of the entire student body and faculty/ staff is critical to the success of Erase The Hate week at your school.

One Common Unity facilitates the in-class workshops, gives a dynamic school-wide assembly presentation at which the facilitators showcase their creative talents and offer their shared perspectives on the importance of values, ethics, and character., and positively awakens trust in your school community with morning and afternoon drum circles, announcements and quotes.  Other aspects of Erase The Hate week which may be organized at your school include but are not limited to:

• Students pledging to not own firearms or participate in gun-violence.
• Lunchtime discussions and after-school community forums regarding issues of domestic violence and how they are impacting our neighborhoods.
• Peace Film Festival.
• Mural, banner making, and decorating the hallways with positive messages from our past and present peacemakers.
• Fundraisers for a worthy cause, such as to invest more into Cancer research, or, provide aid to fight HIV/ AIDS in Africa or Polio in India.
• Mix it Up at Lunch (having students sit and eat lunch with those not part of their racial, ethnic, religious, or cultural group.
• "Open mic" session, where students will have an opportunity to release emotional energy through music, poetry, song and dance.

These are just a few of the many activities that can be implemented during your school's Erase The Hate week. For maximum student empowerment, we recommend that these responsibilities are delegated and stewarded by a school group(s), such as the Student Council, National Honor Society, Amnesty International, etc... One Common Unity can also support the selected school group with consulting, resources and suggestions on how to best facilitate these activities.