Helping Kids Succeed Alaskan Style!
Practical Suggestions for Building Assets in Your Child
Asset # 10- Safety
Words of Encouragement When dealing with youth, their perceptions of safety count
more than the reality. The good news is that far fewer youth say they have been
victimized at school than the number of those who say that they worry about
the possibility. Nearly 20% of middle school youth and 10% of high school youth report
that they have been personally victimized. However, over 25% of youth
overall, and 35% of middle school youth report that they are worried about
becoming a victim. The effect of worry alone on attitudes toward school,
friendship formation, and participation in extracurricular activities is
negative. What is the current data on violence in schools? On April 12th, 2000 the Seattle Times reported that youth
violence is declining. They reported that 7 out of 10 Americans think a
school shooting could happen in their communities, even though a youth has
a 1 in two million chance of being killed in a US school. A CNN poll taken in April of 1999 reported that 30% of Americans said that a school shooting was very likely in their community. 38% reported that it was somewhat likely.
55% of parents said they feared for their children's safety at school. This
number was up from 37% in 1998 and 24% in 1997. Trying to inject some reality into the perception of violence
in our schools is the report on the State of American Children in 1999.
This report states that "the number of kids committing and falling
victim to crime has been dropping since 1993. Youth violence has been
dropping since it peaked in 1993." The report concludes, "The public in general doesn't have a very accurate view of violent crime." What is your perception of the dangers facing the children and youth in your community? How safe do children and youth feel in your home, school, and community? You may learn that it is the subtle forms of violence the racism, sexism, sexual harassment, bullying that erodes our feelings of security, rather than the notion of a gun in the school. Quote: "A violently active, dominating, intrepid, brutal youth - that is what I am after." Adolph Hitler Research In 1995 the National Household Education Survey of more than
6,500 youth reported that half of the 6th -12th graders had
personally witnessed bullying, robbery, or physical assaults at their
schools. 7% of the youth admitted to having skipped a day of school because
of fears for their safety. In 1993 a national survey of 8th 11th graders reported that
more than 70% of females had received sexual comments or looks or had been
touched or grabbed in a sexual way (about 50% of males reported similar
experiences). The result of not feeling safe in this way was that about 33%
of females did not want to go to school or even taking class (only about
10% of males felt that way). The research reports that youth who feel victimized are more
likely to be socially isolated. And, the catch 22 is that the more socially
isolated a youth is, the more likely s/he is to be victimized. The downward spiral often leads to a
strong dislike of and avoidance of school. What percentage of the youth in your school and community feel
safe? This newsletter and
other asset resources are produced by the Association of
Alaska School Boards Alaska Initiative
for Community Engagement (Alaska ICE)
316 West 11th Street Juneau, Alaska 99801 Tel: (907) 586-1486 Fax: (907) 586-1450 Email: alaskaice@aasb.org