WRAP


Reach out to stop the violence
in your community.

You're the One
Working for peace in your community
Suggestions for solving your community's problems
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YOU'RE THE ONE

who heard the cries

of the boy in the room

who hid from your eyes

till you talked of the hurt

that had cut up his life

when his brother died,

leaving a boy in the ground

and ink in the headlines

and a hole in his family

even hate couldn't fill.
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Do you know how to work for peace in your community?

  • Eliminate violence from your own personal set of responses.
  • Do all you can to diffuse conflicts instead of escalating them.
  • Make sure your words and actions help (not hurt) others.
  • Take responsibility for your own actions. Teach others to do the same.
  • Get any support and help you need.
  • Get to know your neighbors -- elders, adults, youth, children.
  • Be the kind of neighbor other people are proud to know.
  • Take care of community property as if it were your own.
  • Get involved in community and neighborhood events.
  • When someone needs help, give it. If doing that would place you in personal danger, call 911.
  • Get involved in peace and non-violence initiatives.
  • Encourage your local schools, churches, businesses, parks, libraries and youth centers to be active and involved in the neighborhood.
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Suggestions for solving your community's problems
in a peaceful way

  • If I'm angry at my neighbors, I can make the peace by calming down, not hurling insults or put-downs or bringing up old arguments, not responding to insults flung at me, leaving for a few minutes till I feel strong enough to talk things through.

  • If a parent in the neighborhood is leaving kids unsupervised, I can make the peace by getting to know him or her instead of indulging in gossip, offering to baby-sit, finding out what resources he or she might need, involving other neighbors to make the situation better for everyone.

  • If the neighborhood kids are playing in hostile ways in front of my house, I can make the peace by walking over and talking to them in a direct but respectful tone of voice, letting them know what I expect of them and that I believe they can treat each other better, suggesting that there are ways to have fun without hitting and name calling, getting their ideas on that, asking them respectfully to clean up any trash or damage.

  • If I know an elderly person who's living in fear of crime or violence, I can make the peace by talking to him or her about their fears, finding out what he or she needs to feel safer, organizing the neighbors to help out so he or she knows someone cares.

  • If I suspect a woman on my block is being beaten up by her husband, I can make the peace by trying to help her to talk about it, letting her know I'm concerned about her safety and that no one deserves to be abused, helping her locate local resources that can help, calling 911 if I see or hear the violence.

This information is from the Minnesota Make the Peace Campaign and is used with their permission.
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