Forty SHS Students Training to be Safe School Ambassadors
Students develop skills to intervene and negotiate

Forty Schenectady High School students are participating in a two-day Safe School Ambassadors training program today and tomorrow.  Trainers from Community Matters, a nonprofit group that works with schools and youth on self-empowerment and violence prevention, will be guiding the students through the program.  Nine adults will also be trained to provide supervision, skill development and support.  The school currently has 30 students already trained who will also participate in a “refresher” course on Friday. 

The Safe School Ambassadors program is designed to improve the school climate by reducing bullying, increasing student reporting to adults, and reducing gang activity and involvement.  It also serves to complement peer helping, diversity education, conflict mediation, and other character education and safe school programs.

Students who are selected for the training program are already student leaders who have an outgoing personality, strong communication skills and a history of standing up for others.

Safe School Ambassadors program overview states that students are in the best position to intervene because they can see, hear and know things that adults don’t and can intervene in ways that adults can’t.  Students are also the first to arrive on the scene of most incidents before adults even know about the incidents.  The interactive training helps students develop tools and essential skills such as observation, intervention, negotiation, reporting and referral. 

The program and training has proven effective at Schenectady High School.  “The Ambassadors have intervened in many situations at Schenectady High School,” said Teresa Brown, dean of students in the School of Global Commerce.   The administrators keep a record of the stories from the ambassadors.  “They do help keep the school climate calmer,” said Brown.  “There are more eyes and ears out there observing and intervening.”

Adults learn how to facilitate ongoing small group meetings that provide Ambassadors with supervision and support.

The trainees are provided with a guidebook, web-based resources and electronic bulletins, newsletter and reminders.  They also have the ongoing support with Community Matters trainers. 

Community Matters was founded in 1996 and has worked with more than 1,000 schools and youth serving organizations across North America addressing youth empowerment and violence prevention. Since 2000, the Safe School Ambassadors program has been implemented in more than 26 states and equipped more than 30,000 students to be peacemakers.

Learn more: http://www.community-matters.org/