Teenpower Violence Prevention Toolkit Launched

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12.06.12
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Teenpower Violence Prevention Toolkit Launched by Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower Trust

Hot of the press this week are the Teenpower Violence Prevention Resources for use by all groups and individuals. The resources were created with in collaboration with local schools and have been trialed by teachers, youth leaders and teenagers with positive results. The development was funded by Ministry of Social Development.

The interactive programme consists of a guide, 16 visual cards and a range of practices that focus on prevention rather than cure. It gives youth strategies to build resilience, recognise warning signs, set appropriate boundaries, de-escalate confrontational situations,
help others as active bystanders, know where and how to access help and how to persist to get the help they need.

”Some of the issues we address are hard to discuss at first but they do need to be dealt with and all participants finished the programme with a better awareness of themselves, of the needs of others and what they could do to be safe” says Cornelia Baumgartner, the author of the resources and Co Director of Kidpower.

Central to the Teenpower Violence Prevention message is that most trouble is avoidable if you can recognise the signs early enough and then behave appropriately. ”Imagine your children or friends at a party” says NZ Centre Director Cornelia Baumgartner, “and think of the skills you’d like them to have so that they would come home safely, no matter what unexpected situations arose. Whatever the situation, Teenpower Violence Prevention teaches our youth to cope with and deal with difficult situations without falling into patterns of aggressive behaviour”.

There is much evidence to show that bullying behaviour in New Zealand is getting more intense and widespread and that violent behaviours are occurring at younger ages. An example of this research is the recent two-year research project by Dr Donna Swift, The Girls' Project, which investigated violent and anti-social young women in Tasman region.

Research also shows that youth exposed to bullying have a higher chance of criminal offending and attempting suicide, they are less likely to achieve to their full potential and many go on to become bullies and abusers themselves.

The Teenpower Violence Prevention resources can be used by families, schools, youth groups and more. “Preventing bullying behaviour, building resilience on our youth and challenging current patterns of behaviour will benefit us all in the longer term”, says Ms Baumgartner.

Web Links
www.kidpower.org.nz

Organisation Information
• Kidpower Teenpower Fullpower Trust is a charity with offices in Nelson and Auckland. We work nationwide from these bases delivering programmes that teach skills to keep people safe with people they know and people they don’t know. We have programmes for those aged 4-7, 8-12, teens and adults. We also have a programme called Healthy Relationships to help those with cognitive disabilities – a group highly over represented in abuse statistics.
• We are funded through the generosity of several grant making trusts and sponsors. We also charge a small fee where appropriate for our services.

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