Conflict Resolution Education: A Caribbean Approach

1. Conflict Resolution Education:A Caribbean Approach Arthusa Simei M.Ed; Rita Dyer M.Sc St Lucia

2. Overview • A Situation Analysis/Risk Factors • B Caribbean Response • C Research and Evaluation

3. CARICOM

4. Economic Union • Globalization • World Trade Organizations (WTO) (Banana Industry) • Caribbean Single Market and Economy (CSME). One economic space with the movement of labour and skills

5. Economic Activities and Related Crime • Drug trade (Silent economy) • Money laundering • Gang culture • Transfer of illegal arms and weapons among gangs PAHO (2005), UNICEF (1997)

6. Family Relations Child Vulnerability Survey St. Lucia (2005) UNICEF

7. Nutritional Health 10 - 19 years Nutritional Indicators: Go hungry because not enough food in the house. Youth Health Survey 2000

8. Child Vulnerability • 58.2% of children at risk • 43% children lived in food insecure households • 28% lived with a sick parent Child Vulnerability Survey St Lucia 2005 UNICEF

9. Violence Issues • 25% teens report physical abuse while 12.5% report sexual abuse. • 11% of 16 – 18 year olds report being in a fight over the past years and weapons were involved • 4% said they used weapons in a fight three or more times Caribbean Adolescent Health Survey UNICEF 1997

10. Violence Issues cont’d • St Lucia 19 murders/100,000 • Jamaica 32 murders/100,000 • In St Lucia alone there were 281 cases of domestic violence in 1988 and 431 cases in 2004 • Violence seem to be accepted as a way to solve problems and reduce conflict Family Court St Lucia 2005

11. Weapons Carried Most Often Youth Health Survey 2000

12. Children Focus Group Comments on violence • I want to have a baby, but I do not want a husband, husbands just beat their wives • I saw a neighbour get hacked with a machete. • I would like my Dad to come back home, but not to yell and fight with my mother Focus Group Comments 2007 St Lucia

13. Family Problems Within the past five years one or both parents had problems due to: Youth Health Survey 2000 PAHO

14. Frequency of Use of Alcohol and Cigarettes Youth Health Survey (2000), UNICEF (1998)

15. Drug Use • 88% students reported having drunk alcohol • 26% smoked marijuana • 1.5% used cocaine This data is worrying as these mind altering substances are contributors to crime and violence UNICEF (2000) – Drug Survey 2006, CCHD (2005)

16. Adolescents Religiousness Consider self religious: Caribbean Youth Health Survey (2000)

17. Principal Causes of Mortality among 15 – 44 year olds (%) PAHO (2005)

18. Caribbean Response MANDATE FOR ACTION FROM REGIONAL GOVERNMENTS Ideal Caribbean Person: • Respects human life • Is emotionally secure • Can harmonize with the environment • Has appreciation for family and community

19. Ideal Caribbean Person cont’d • Has multiple literacies • Is a critical thinker • Is a problem solver • Is morally strong • Has a positive work ethic • Has a creative imagination • Embraces gender differences and similarities Health and Family Life Education UNICEF 1998

20. Paradigm Shift • Shift from knowledge for regurgitation • To empowering children with life skills to respond to their situations • Why? Because of the GAP between • Knowledge Behaviours

21. Why Life Skills • Supporting theories • Address developmental tasks • Address risk factors of children and adolescents • Child centered and NOT teacher centered

22. Supporting Theories • Constructivism Vigotsky, 1963 • Social learning Bandura 1997 • Resiliency and risk Zigler et al 1991, Bernard 1991 Whitman &Posner, 2001 • Child and adolescent development • Emotional Intelligence Coleman • Multiple intelligence Gardener1993 • Cognitive problem solving etc. etc.

23. Logic Model Guiding the HFLE Common Curriculum Evaluation

24. LIFE SKILLS Abilities for adaptive and positive behaviours that enable individuals to deal effectively with the demands and challenges of everyday life (WHO 1997) • Social and interpersonal skills • Cognitive skills • Emotional coping skills

25. Social Skills • Communication skills • Negotiation/refusal skills • Assertiveness skills • Interpersonal skills • Cooperation skills • Empathy and perspective taking

26. Cognitive Skills • Decision making/problem solving • Understanding the consequences of actions • Determining alternative solutions to problems • Critical thinking skills • Self evaluation and values clarification

27. Emotional Coping Skills • Managing stress • Managing feelings, including anger • Self management • Self monitoring

28. Self and Interpersonal Relationships Regional standard 2: Acquire coping skills to deter behaviours and lifestyles associated with crime, drugs, violence, motor vehicular accidents and other injuries Core outcome: Analyse the impact of alcohol and other illicit drugs on behaviour and lifestyle Regional Curriculum 9 – 11 years

29. Methodology Interactive • Role play • Case studies • Cooperative learning • Classroom meeting • Drama

30. Research and evaluation UNICEF, CARICOM, EDC Objective: To assess the impact of life skills on Conflict resolution and violence. To reduce the incidence of risk behaviours To document the process Research Design: Quasi-experimental pre-post match pairs design. Three years 05 – 08

31. Research cont’d Sample • Three pairs of schools from Antigua, Barbados, Grenada and St Lucia (treatment and control schools) • Matched on size, location, level of academic performance and student risk behaviour • Treatment schools responded to lessons on Life Skills

32. Research cont’d Baseline survey -Treatment and control schools Treatment schools one module ten lessons Monitoring of delivery/HFLE coordinator on each island EDC overall responsibility for project Unit assessment of treatment schools

33. Process • Teacher level of competency with curriculum • Findings. 2/3 fully comfortable, 1/3 needed more training • Teacher fidelity to the curriculum • Findings. Time constraints, lessons too long, limited resources

34. Student Results • All four countries rated positively on Self and Interpersonal Relationships module • 4 out of 5 students found lessons mostly or very useful • Majority reported completing assignments most of the time • Curriculum at the right level and respected their culture

35. Students results cont’d • 8 out of 10 agreed that lessons were easy to follow • 3 out of 4 said that they practice many skills during class “I like the way all the children are reaching and answering questions” “We have fun when we are doing work, it makes it easier to learn”

36. Student Application Results • Majority reported setting positive realistic goals • Thinking hard about their values • Getting to know themselves better • “My way is not the only way” • Over ½ reported using some skills outside the classroom

37. Student results cont’d Students had a hard time with • Avoiding fights by using words to express themselves • Walking away from a fight instead of cheering it on • “at my age controlling anger is a challenge and it is the correct thing to do”

38. Gender differences • Girls more likely to find lessons useful and appropriate • Girls apply life skills more outside the classroom • Both sexes report talking to their family about shared values and taking positive action against stopping bullying 06 – 07 Pattern same across the islands

39. Findings From Two Countries

40. The way forward • Supporting implementation in remaining schools and in the rest of the region • Set up complementary programs and activities eg. Community mediation • Policy development and implementation THANK YOU

41. THANK YOU