Program helps kids keep a lid on anger

Dedicated mentors teach young people ART of social skills

December 26, 2006

LESLIE FERENC

STAFF REPORTER Toronto, CANADA

Mawuli Chai dwells in the place of possibilities and is focused on making this city better and safer for all. He’s doing it one kid, one neighborhood at a time, and he’s got it down to an ART.

That’s an acronym for Aggression Replacement Training, a pivotal intervention and prevention program that focuses on youth violence. It helps young people gain the skills they need to manage difficult situations and control their anger.

Developed in the U.S., where it is widely used in schools and the prison system, the ART concept has been embraced by Tropicana Community Services, an agency dedicated to reaching out to young people and communities that need help.

ART is running in a number of Toronto schools and neighborhoods, including 13 inner-city suburbs identified by the United Way of Greater Toronto as sorely lacking services. Also known as Success Through Aggression Replacement Training, the program is available to parents and caregivers as well, helping them identify social skills that build healthy relationships, develop anger-control strategies that prevent conflict, and make decisions that reflect positive values.

It also teaches participants 50 skills, such as standing up for a friend, how to truly express themselves, and something as simple as how to say thank you, said Chai, ART coordinator at Tropicana. It’s done through role-playing and learning social skills.

Anger-control training teaches participants how to keep a lid on violent behavior by identifying triggers and changing reactions. Moral education, the third component of the program, helps hone reasoning skills and gives participants an opportunity to learn how to deal with situations that don’t have clear-cut answers.

It’s a growth experience and then some, said Chai, adding that ART has helped him enhance his own communication skills and the way he deals with people. And he’s seen the positive impact the program is having on youth. It’s why he’s working to have ART recognized as a diversion program in Ontario’s court system.

“Life has to be lived with intention,” he said of his commitment to making a difference in the lives of young people.

The program is part of the Grade 9 curriculum at Timothy Eaton Business and Technical Institute, where student Shimir Hooper is one of the graduates.

The 14-year-old, who dreams of travelling the world and wants to be an actor, said Tropicana and the program has helped students learn “how to get along with everyone”.

“We talked about apologizing,” Hooper said, noting that it seems to him, many people have too much pride to say they’re sorry. “But if it can make something better, why not?”

Other topics discussed included bullying, and the importance of respecting others. “I think you have to keep your cool, try to be calm and respectful, even if you don’t like what other people are doing,” Hooper continued. “If you blow up, the outcome might not be good.”

For Hooper, the debates were the best part of the program, including a discussion about the fate of Saddam Hussein. Hooper argued the former Iraqi dictator should not be executed, despite the atrocities he had committed. “It’s not the answer,” he said emphatically. “Only God can decide if someone should die.”

Hooper admitted he’s a pretty good debater and usually wins “when arguing something I believe in.” And the ART program is one of those things. “I really think it’s good,” he enthused. “And so is Mawuli.”

It’s no surprise the students like Chai. When he talks to young people, he looks them straight in the eyes. He listens to what they’re saying and, above all, he cares. In times of trouble when guns, gangs and violence rock Toronto neighborhoods young people want and need to be heard, Chai said.

For Chai, changing lives is a community-wide effort.

“It means we have to get together to heal and to show this generation matters,” he said.

It’s what Tropicana Community Services has been doing in the city’s east-end since 1980. The agency has been a beacon for disadvantaged youth, mainly from the Caribbean, and their families. In 1984, Tropicana was the first organization from the black and Caribbean community to become a United Way member agency. Over the past 26 years, it has grown by leaps and bounds, serving Torontonians from all backgrounds.

– Leslie Ferenc