Recognizing the Signs

Violence can happen at any place, at any time, by anyone. We must recognize the warning signs of violent situations and hold people accountable for their actions. It must start with each of us.

Prayer to St. Francis of Assisi

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace!
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is sadness, joy.
Oh Master, Grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console,
To be understood as to understand,
To be loved as to love;
For it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
And it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.

What Can We Do?

Take Intervention Steps

For Students:

• Pray for your school, fellow students, teachers, and for a safe school environment.
  
• Listen to your friends if they share troubling feelings or thoughts. Encourage them to seek help from a trusted adult.
  
• Be salt and light. Reach out and care for those who seem isolated or rejected. Respond as Jesus would response.
  
• Be a role model. Take personal responsibility and hold others responsible for their actions. React to another's anger without physically or verbally harming others.
  
• Seek help from your parents or a trusted adult if you or someone you know is experiencing intense feelings of anger, fear, anxiety, or depression.
  
• Get involved in planning and implementing your school's violence prevention and response plan.

For Parents:

• Pray for your child, your child's other children, their school, etc.
  
• Keep lines of communication open with your child. Encourage your child to let you know where and with whom he or she will be. Get to know your child's friends and their parents.
  
• Be involved in your child's life by supporting and reviewing homework, talking with teachers and attending school functions.
  
• Talk with your child about the violence he or she sees on TV, in video games, in movies, or in school or the neighborhood. Help your child understand the consequences of violence.
  
• Keep all firearms out of the reach of your children and their friends.
  
• Note any disturbing behavior in your child. Get help for your child as needed. Talk with a trusted professional.
  
• Work with your child's school to develop a violence prevention plan and to make the school more responsive to all students and families. Share ideas on how the school can encourage family involvement.

Churches have a role to play in the issue of violence.

• Take steps to prevent student violence. Encourage your church youth group to discuss the issue of youth violence. And develop a plan for preventing it.
  
• If a crisis occurs in your community, reach out to victims and family members of victims with practical assistance. Offer to help them in any way possible. Listen to them without judgement. Encourage them to talk about their feelings and to discuss how their faith can help them cope in the wake of crisis.
  
• In the aftermath of a community crisis caused by crime, open your church to be a "compassion center" for victims and their families. Offer food, a safe place, people to talk with, or a space for quiet.