A Lesson Plan from Life Planning Education: A Youth Development Program

• Read the Leader's Resource, Youth and Violence, for background information.
• As you present activities focusing on violence, be aware of recent violence in your community or media coverage of an incident that occurred elsewhere. Give teens time to share their feelings about the incidents, if they come up. Avoid taking sides but try to provide factual information to clarify what actually occurred. Remember that teens may not be well informed about a particular incident, but that does not prevent them from having very strong feelings about that incident or others that are similar.
• Before beginning, reinforce the group rule about being respectful: no laughing at others, no name calling, no body language that makes fun of another group member. Also reiterate the rule that no one should share stories about things other participants may have done.
• If violence is a major problem in your community, do not expect the activities in this section to remedy the problem quickly and do not expect to see immediate changes in teens' attitudes. Consider bringing in a local organization that specializes in violence prevention training and/or obtain a curriculum which focuses entirely on violence prevention, then continue working with your group in this area.

1. Make the point that a key factor in success is being assertive, without getting into violent conflict. Explain that successful people get what they want and need and avoid doing things they know are not good for them, but they do it without violent confrontation.
2. Write the following sentence on the board or newsprint
   “Anger is only one letter away from danger."
3. Ask participants to write their feelings about the sentence.
4. After five minutes, ask volunteers to share what they have written. Summarize the feelings expressed by the group and add any comments of your own.
5. Ask teens to brainstorm skills to prevent anger from fuming into danger. List all the skills on newsprint or the board and add any of the following if omitted:
• Lower one's stress level when upset.
• Listen carefully to another person's problems or concerns (really "hear" the other person).
• See a situation from the other person's point of view.
• State your needs or wants, using “I” statements.
• Negotiate when there is disagreement.
• Concede (give up) your needs or wants, if the situation looks dangerous.
• Get help if you need it.
6. Title the finished list "Handling Anger".
7. Conclude the activity using the Discussion Points.

1. What violent acts commonly occur in the community? In families? Which do television and the movies show?
2. What role does anger play in violence? (Answer: Anger is often what drives a person to behave in a violent way.)
3. Do people always attack someone they are angry with? (Answer: No! Sometimes, when an angry person feels weak, powerless or overwhelmed with frustration, she or he takes out the anger on those who are weaker. Have you ever seen this happen?)
4. Does anger always have to end in violence? (Answer: No! How can angry people release anger without endangering themselves or others?)
5. Is all violence caused by anger? (Answer: No! The causes of violence are complex. Anger is an important cause, but not the only one.)