This document is supported by a joint project between the National Endowment for

the Arts and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in

this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the

National Endowment for the Arts and Department of Justice. Award No. 98MU-SFXK001, awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, funded

this project. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component

of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance,

the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for

Victims of Crime.
81

The Art in

Peacemaking

A Guide to Integrating Conflict Resolution

Education Into Youth Arts Programs

Russell Brunson, Zephryn Conte and Shelley Masar

for the National Center for Conflict Resolution Education
The National Endowment for the Arts provides national recognition and support to significant

projects of artistic excellence, thus preserving and enhancing our nation’s diverse cultural

heritage. The Endowment was created by Congress and established in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Since then, it has awarded more than 113,000

grants to arts organizations and artists in all fifty states and the six U.S.jurisdictions. This

public investment in the nation’s cultural life has resulted in both new and classic works of art

reaching every corner of America.

Eileen B. Mason, Acting Chairman

National Endowment for the Arts

1100 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW

Washington D.C. 20506

202-682-5400

www.arts.gov

The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention provides national leadership,

coordination, and resources to prevent and respond to juvenile delinquency and child

victimization. OJJDP accomplishes its mission by supporting states and local communities and

tribal jurisdictions in their efforts to develop and implement effective multidisciplinary

prevention and intervention programs to improve the juvenile justice system so that it

protects the public safety, holds offenders accountable, and provides treatment and rehabilitative services tailored to the needs of families and each individual juvenile.

J. Robert Flores, Administrator

Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention

Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice

810 Seventh Street, NW

Washington D.C. 20531

202.307.5911

www.ojjdp.ncirs.org

The National Center for Conflict Resolution Education was created in 1997 by the Office of

Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Safe and Drug-Free Schools Program, and

the Illinois State Bar Association to provide conflict resolution education training and technical

assistance in schools; juvenile justice arenas and youth service organizations. The Center’s

mission is to create a generation of individuals who possess the skills of constructive, creative

conflict resolution and provide hope for a less violent culture.

Donna Crawford, Director

National Center for Conflict Resolution Education

Illinois State Bar Association

424 South Second Street

Springfield, IL 62701

217.523.7056

www.nccre.org

Editor/ Production Coordinator: Chris Scherer, Scherer Communications, Urbana, Il 61801

Designer: Gretchen Wieshuber, Studio 2D, Champaign, IL 61820

Photo Credits: Young Audiences of Indiana

Copyright ©2002 by National Center for Conflict Resolution Education

All rights reserved. Published 2002. Printed in the United States of America

The authors would like to acknowledge everyone at Environarts, NCCRE, and Lee Kessler and Molly

Gaston Johnson at the NEA for their efforts to complete this guide.
Contents

␣INTRODUCTION␣

The Arts and Conflict Resolution – A Natural Match. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

The Art in Peacemaking: An Initiative of the Partnership for

Conflict Resolution in the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

The Strength of Arts Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

The Arts and Conflict Resolution: A Natural Match . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Issues in Youth Arts Addressed by Conflict Resolution Education . . . . . . . . . . . 8

␣SECTION 1␣

Understanding Conflict. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Conflict Exists. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Basic Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13

Responses to Conflict . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

␣SECTION 2␣

Communicating Across Different Perceptions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

Perceptions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

␣SECTION 3␣

Expressing Anger & Interests. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

Anger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25

Responses to Anger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Positions & Interests . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

␣SECTION 4␣

Conflict Resolution Processes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29

The Negotiation Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

The Negotiation Process Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

The Group Problem-Solving Process . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

The Group Problem-Solving Process Outline . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
␣SECTION 5␣

Integrating Conflict Resolution in the Arts Programs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Integrating Conflict Resolution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Conflict Resolution Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Conflict Exists Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Conflict Mural . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

Basic Needs Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

My Basic Needs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

My Basic Needs Handout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48

Perception Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

An Old Duck with Two Faces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49

Exploring Perceptions Handout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Active Listening Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Mirrors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Listening Role-Palys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54

Active Listening Handout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56

Curtains Handout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57

Roles and Senarios Handout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

Exploring Feelings Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Acting Out . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59

Anger, Agression & Assertion Activity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Understanding Anger . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62

Understanding Anger Handodut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65

Behaviors of Anger Handout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66

␣SECTION 6␣

Resources. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67

Partnerships with Community Organizations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

The Partnerships for Conflict Resolution Education in the Arts . . . . . . . . . . . . 71

(Examples of Arts-Based Conflict Resolution Programs)

Bibliography and Reference Materials . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
30
1

␣INTRODUCTION␣

The Arts and Conflict

Resolution – A Natural Match
30
3

The Art in Peacemaking:

An Initiative of the Partnership for

Conflict Resolution in the Arts

Young people bring many challenges and sensitive issues with them when they

enter community arts programs. Often these challenges exist as disputes young

people face with each other. With the help of artists, youth have the opportunity to

address many of these issues in imaginative ways. This guide was created to give

arts teachers1 working in after-school programs a set of tools to help youth from

the age of eight to eighteen manage these disputes they face on a daily basis.

Arts-based education programs are in an excellent position to provide young people

with skills that enable them to address conflicts while also encouraging them to

express themselves creatively, work with positive role models, and discuss their

experiences through the arts. Community arts programs can build on this foundation and help young people manage their disputes by incorporating conflict resolution education into their programming. Conflict resolution helps create a safe

environment in which to learn, and provides youth and arts teachers with life skills

that can be used in all facets of their lives.

The Partnership for Conflict Resolution Education in the Arts (the Partnership) was

created as an initiative to capitalize on the strengths of arts programs and conflict

resolution education. The Partnership is a national leadership initiative of the

National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) of the U.S. Department of Justice. Together with the

National Center for Conflict Resolution Education (NCCRE), the Partnership has

developed this resource guide for arts programs that work with youth.

The objectives of the Partnership are twofold: to advance the principles of conflict

resolution education, and to help develop conflict resolution education programs

within arts-based youth programs. Arts-based organizations benefit from such

training by being able to provide youth with a program that helps build self-respect,

respect of differences, and social responsibility, while also providing them skills and

processes that help peacefully manage conflicts. Arts organizations already lay a

foundation for peaceful conflict resolution by creating a safe environment that

encourages the active and open expression of ideas. The Partnership seeks to build

on this foundation by providing arts-based programs a collaborative framework to

resolve conflicts peaceably.

This resource guide provides information and tools that introduce arts teachers to

conflict resolution skills and processes. The guide also contains various arts-based

exercises that can be used to introduce conflict resolution concepts to young people

in the classroom. These exercises serve merely as a starting point; arts teachers are

encouraged to develop their own activities that will work best within the settings in

which they teach. Because this guide was developed after four years of the

Partnership’s initiative to integrate conflict resolution into arts programs, it contains

descriptions of how arts organizations have integrated conflict resolution into their

work with youth, schools, and other community organizations.

1

 Please note the term arts teacher in this guide refers to artists, teachers, and group administrators.

This guide was created to give

arts teachers working in

after-school programs a set

of tools to help youth from

the age of eight to eighteen

manage these disputes they

face on a daily basis.
4

The Strength of Arts Programs

The pairing of conflict resolution education specifically with arts programs is supported by research on the values and best practices of successful community arts

programs. Research by Shirley Brice Heath, Professor of English and Education at

Stanford University, has found that youth who are engaged in ongoing arts programs showed improvement in attitude toward school, self-respect, self-efficacy,

positive peer associations, and resistance to peer pressure. Youth in art programs

that met several times a week, for several hours a session, over a year’s time also

had fewer court referrals. If they were involved in the court, it was for less serious

offences.

Brice Heath’s Living the Arts Through Language and Learning: A Report on Community-Based Youth Organizations (co-authored with Elizabeth Soep and Adelma

Roach) found that successful arts programs work because they:

Base their existence on the resourcefulness, energy and imagination of young

people and provide these future community builders with practice in ways of

being and habits of thinking essential in the arts. It is not surprising that

these ways and habits carry over. Given the amount of practice, reflection

and intense engagement as well as group support these programs provide.

Brice Heath summarizes the artistic goals of youth arts programs as “excellence in

performance with community youth support.” She summarizes the ethos of community arts programs as one of “respect, responsibility, and relevance.” The most

effective of them have a management framework that includes community connection, and commitment.” She distinguishes them as uniquely positive: “Programs

that focus on problems such as delinquency, school failure, drug use, pregnancy,

vandalism, and crime don’t recognize positives.” One of the most important

outcomes of participation in arts programs is that they demand that the youth find

ways to channel anger and aggression, skills that they can utilize in any setting

throughout their lives.

Youth arts programs are uniquely positioned to introduce conflict resolution skills

because they already encourage positive communication and creative thinking skills

with their youth. Arts programs can help develop these skills by having young

people use them as resources to manage the many conflicts they face both in and

outside of the classroom and arts program setting.
5

The Arts

Conflict 

Resolution 

Education

Conflict resolution education and the arts share many qualities, and fit together

like pieces of a puzzle. When taught together, the lessons of both fields reinforce

each other, resulting in better relationships between arts teachers, youth, and

communities. Both conflict resolution education and the arts are large pieces used

to help build a healthier community.

Build creative thinking abilities

Promote selfexpression

Involve risk-taking

Encourage the expression

of emotions

Develop respect of

self and others

Help build a peaceful environment

Foster teamwork

Develop empathy

Expand perceptiontaking abilities

Promote selfreflection

Meet basic

human needs
6

The Arts and Conflict Resolution:

A Natural Match

When asked to suggest ways the arts supports peacemaking, arts teachers responded:

I help middle school kids with their portfolios. In the critiquing we share our

work with each other and begin to realize how unique everyone’s perception really is. This recognition comes into how we deal with each other.

—Ben, arts teacher

I think art is a universal language through which we can discover each other.

—Aniece Novak, printmaker/teacher

My photographs and films are my personal mode of expression. They bring

me inner peace. Seeing other’s work and self-expression brings peace to the

group. —Julie, photographer/filmmaker/teacher

Artists and researchers are increasingly articulate about why art programs are so

empowering for young people. They refer to the fundamental values of the artmaking experience: trust, risk-taking, respect for process, principled critique, and

pride in a finished product. With the support of professional artists who help them

stay focused on the process and product, young people learn to express themselves

and their situations. In so doing they develop new ways of seeing, a broader

perception, and the patience and skill to coordinate work toward production and

performance. They experience positive motivation, intense self-discipline, confidence, and perseverance.

Brice Heath’s Report on Community-Based Youth Organizations stresses the role of

risk in arts programs:

The glue of it all is risk within a safe place. Stakes are high and the demand

level bordering on the extraordinary. Risk is the key element of the arts.

Going on stage, taking a paintbrush, going out with a camera. The [young

people] must go out before drama critics, and face competitions. Nobody

gets hurt; everyone has work to do. Members must find ways to diffuse

anger and deflect aggression. They provide a meaningful combination of

work and play with risk that carries people forward. Nothing is arbitrary.

Although the performance arts especially stress the value of trust and team spirit in

ensemble work, all of the arts involve intimate collaboration with the eyes and ears

of others. Brice Heath’s research suggests that the language skills fostered by the

interaction of the arts are especially meaningful for at-risk youth. Brice Heath points

out that all art is shaped through verbal interaction:

Art making involves theory building; checking out what is possible; translating and transforming perceptions through media, paint, gestures, sounds or

words. With the support of their teachers, young artists learn to explain how

their translations resulted from what was happening in their minds. They

learn to listen to critiques of their efforts, to listen to peers explaining what

they were trying to get across, and to respond with constructive questions or

comments. They become familiar with the language of a recurring cycle:
7

plan, prepare, practice, critique, practice, perform, evaluate, regroup, and

plan. The result is a growing trust and confidence in the language of critical

judgment, systematic reasoning, posing problems, devising methods,

working towards deadlines, and grappling with judgments from outside

evaluators.

No matter what the art form, the critique process is very important because it

involves great personal risk. When critiques are offered in way that fosters trust

there is growth. To help both the critic and the artist grow, many community-based

arts programs use dance educator Liz Lerman’s five-step Critical Response Method:

step one calls for the expression of any and all positive feedback; in step two, the

artist can ask the audience a question; in step three, the audience can ask the artist

a question; step four allows audience members with opinions to ask the artist if she

wants to hear them; while step five involves a discussion of the subject matter.

Critiques provide an opportunity to introduce why the philosophy and skills of

conflict resolution are parallel, pertinent, and supportive to artists working with

youth. As with a constructive critique, young people in conflict must learn how to

express perceptions, emotions, and concerns in positive and productive ways.

Conflict resolution encourages the use of open-ended questions, reframes personal

put-downs, and helps establish a peaceful environment for young people in conflict

to express their opinions without fear of reprisal. An understanding of conflict

resolution skills and processes enables arts teachers to feel better equipped in

managing their own conflicts and professional challenges, and also gives them tools

to manage the conflicts and challenges that young people bring to community arts

programs. Ultimately, pairing arts-based education with conflict resolution helps

artists be more effective in their community work, and also develops healthier youth

and communities through trust, communication, cooperation, self-reliance, and selfcorrection.
8

Issues in Youth Arts Addressed by

Conflict Resolution Education

At first I give kids media and free themes so I can get to know them. I get to

know them through their own thematic material. Sometimes this results in

work that is a cry for help. So often in their artwork kids tell us what is going

on, what’s working, what’s wrong in their lives. The more desperate it is, the

more they get to the real thing – what it is they can’t deal with that is too

much for them. —Aniece Novak, printmaker/educator

As a young person there is often no communication. You are the leader or

the follower. That’s all. —Andrea, a youth participant in an “Art in Peacemaking” workshop

Conflict resolution education introduces a set of life skills that can be applied in

many aspects of the lives of youth, arts teachers, and administrators of community

arts programs. The following are typical areas of conflict that arise in community

arts programs that can benefit from conflict resolution skills and processes:

Conflict Among Youth

Despite their concern for young people, arts teachers often feel that much time and

energy are spent dealing with conflicts among their students. Arts teacher Aniece

Novak, was shocked by the level of conflict between her students:

I have been in situations where I have had to break up fights. I am not from

this country, I was surprised at the level of fight[ing] and hate in the very

young. The kindergartners are constantly bickering. The only way I was told

to handle it was to send the kids to the principal. But we never had the time

to sit down with the principal, the kid, and me [sic] to see what happened. I

want tools to handle this. I don’t remember being in school and having all

this conflict going on. I’d like to understand it.

Joe Douilette, who teaches film to Boston youth, summarizes the difficulties of

managing conflict on the set:

The conflicts in my class are peer to peer conflicts. It is difficult to create a

group feeling with kids who don’t know each other, trying to get the group

to open up, to get to good relations faster, how to get them to form a

friendship based on listening to each other. I’ve seen projects that go nowhere based on fighting on the set.

Conflicts Between Youth and Arts Teachers

Developing an environment that fosters creativity and self-expression while also

setting behavioral expectations for young people is often difficult for arts teachers

and youth. Everyone in the classroom has daily disputes involving participation,

workload, and expected behavior in the classroom. Resolving these disputes is often

troublesome because arts teachers and their students are not together for long

amounts of time.
9

Conflicts Among Art Program Staff Members

Arts teachers also experience conflict within the infrastructures of their organizations. The turnover of staff and arts teachers can be high, and the problems of

integrating new staff people are recurrent. Many arts teachers constantly struggle

with the difficulties this turnover creates: developing a sense of teamwork with a

transient staff, building trust among everyone in the organization, and developing

artistic projects with others in the organization. As arts teacher Joe Douilette

describes, conflict resolution provides tools for staff members that help create a

peaceful workplace environment:

I found I could use the ideas of [the Partnership] immediately with my

colleagues. I helped my boss think through a conflict today. I had a logical

framework from which to approach it. I also found as I was reacting to a

colleague, with whom I’ve been struggling, I could see what was going on

and had new reactions to it. I saw new choices. I could respond assertively

instead of being accommodating, or confrontational.

Arts Teachers as Outsiders

Artists and art program administrators also face the problem of being outsiders in

the institutions in which they teach. As artists, they recognize conflict as the raw

material of creativity, but when conflict arises in their classrooms they are often

relegated to powerless outsiders while the youth and institution revert to the

automatic responses of written discipline codes. The Delaware Theatre Company

struggles with the normative culture at the Ferris Correctional Center, an institution

in which they work, as Andrew Geha reflects:

[At Ferris] there are penalties and procedures when they break one of the

codes of behavior; their sentence is lengthened, for instance. We are outside

of the program and don’t have the same clout. Besides, when we ask them

to sit up and act perfectly, which they are required to do in other classes, it

works against us when we try to get them to act naturally in a scene.

Mark Smith, Coordinator for the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s YouthReach

Program, reiterates that it is the arts teacher who must figure out how to work

within the culture of the school or other partner institution: “It is important that the

artists learn the language and culture in the schools and be able to speak to it

directly because the school culture is way too big a machine to reach out to the

artists.” The values of introspective art projects may not be immediately apparent to

staff members of partnering organizations and institutions who are more concerned

with safety, cooperation, discipline, than with self-expression. Arts teachers must be

able to communicate that work on such a project may be a direct path from the

heart to the head, and is the most effective way to reach the peaceful climate

schools seek to provide.

As with any organization, community arts programs face many conflicts both in and

out of the classroom and community program setting. When these conflicts are not

discussed they often fester, emotions intensify, and the program loses opportunities

to grow and strengthen itself and all of its participants. A background in conflict

resolution education allows artists to channel their natural creativity and apply it to

help manage these disputes and make the program more effective for all involved.
30
11

␣SECTION 1␣

Understanding Conflict

Before we can help youth use conflict resolution skills, we must

first help them change their perspective of conflict and

understand why their conflicts occur.

11
30
13

For activities that teach youth

the positive aspects of

conflict, please refer to the

Conflict Mural on page 44.

Conflict Exists

The first step to integrate conflict resolution principles into arts-based educational

programs is to understand the dual nature of conflict. Most people have a very

negative view of conflict, feeling it engenders anger, is a waste of time, causes

fights, and can potentially be dangerous. In actuality, conflict does not always have

to be a negative experience. Conflict simply exists as a natural part of life. It is what

people in conflict do with the experience that determines whether it will be constructive or destructive (Bodine, Richard J., Crawford, Donna K., and Schrumpf,

Fred, Peer Mediation, p.15). When conflict resolution skills are used effectively,

people in conflict express their emotions and perceptions, and determine what is at

the heart of the conflict in an attempt to resolve it, each a potentially positive and

fulfilling experience.

Basic Needs

Almost every conflict involves an endeavor of individuals to meet their basic psychological needs. According to Dr. William Glasser, conflict originates from within.

Glasser is a psychiatrist who has worked with youth in the public schools, juvenile

justice system, and mental health facilities for over 30 years. His approach begins

with the idea that everything we do is a purposeful attempt to satisfy basic psychological needs. In contrast to commonly held ideas about stimulus and response,

Glasser says that other people and external events do not cause us to do anything,

but rather we choose our responses to people and events based on our attempt to

meet our basic needs. Naturally, when trying to meet these needs, we come into

conflict with others.

According to Glasser, four basic psychological needs guide all behaviors:

Belonging – fulfilled by loving, sharing and cooperating.

Inner Power – fulfilled by achieving, accomplishing, being recognized and

respected.

Freedom – fulfilled by making choices.

Fun – fulfilled by laughing and playing.

These four universal needs are equally important and demand satisfaction. When

they are unmet, we feel pain and an irresistible urge to behave in ways that we

think, believe, or hope will bring satisfaction. Any attempt to resolve a conflict

without recognizing and satisfying the underlying needs at play will not be long

lasting or effective.

Granting that our needs are universal, it would be logical to think we would be

transparent to each other. Unfortunately that is not the case. Beginning in infancy,

the ways in which our needs were met resulted in habitual responses to situations.

The feelings and emotions that arise in current situations are often the legacy of

unmet needs from the past. These emotions and feelings are often clues to our

unique history and personal ways of responding (Bodine, Richard J., Crawford,

Donna K., and Schrumpf, Fred, Creating the Peaceable School, p. 4-8).
14

Responses to Conflict

When attempting to satisfy these basic psychological needs, we inevitably come into

conflict with others. As previously mentioned, our response to these conflicts is

critical in determining whether the conflict is peaceful and respectful or harmful and

damaging. Responses to conflict can be categorized into three types: soft, hard, and

principled. Conflict resolution asserts that none of these responses is ultimately

right, but that only the principled response can lead to a resolution where each

person’s basic needs are met.

The Soft Response

The soft response is usually in play when a person seeks to avoid, withdraw from, or

ignore a problem. The soft response tends to result in one side losing and the other

winning. The soft negotiator makes concessions to save the relationship, and wants

the feelings to be friendly. Soft negotiators often trust others when trust has not

been earned. They often change positions easily, giving into the other person and

making offers. They often yield to pressure and accept one-sided losses to reach

agreement (Creating the Peaceable School, p. 54). Soft negotiators use a number of

techniques to avoid or resolve conflicts, including:

Accommodation – one-person puts his needs aside to adjust to the position of

another. When accommodating, a person tries to keep the peace in order to

protect the relationship. Accommodating is useful when the issue is not

important and the relationship needs protecting. A person who accommodates often defers to the needs of others over his own, which often results in

the suppression of true feelings and unmet needs.

Compromise – both parties give up some degree of satisfaction in order to

settle the conflict. Although most people accept the idea of compromise, it

demands that both parties give up some of their needs and is rarely a fully

satisfying or win-win solution. Compromising usually stops short of taking a

deeper look at the real needs behind the problem, and misses the opportunity

to provide real satisfaction.

Avoidance – a person resists admitting that a problem exists, or if he does

recognize a problem, prefers to postpone dealing with it. Avoiding conflict

usually results in win-lose or lose-lose solutions because there is no effort to

search for a resolution that truly meets the needs of both sides.

The feelings associated with the soft response to conflict are often fear of abandonment, shame, and shyness. The soft negotiator wishes to maintain relationships and

respect by not rocking the boat at the expense of potentially reaching win-win

solutions to their conflicts.

The Hard Response

The hard response to conflict involves people who perceive each other as adversaries

and attempt to win through pressure (e.g., bribery or punishment). The goal of hard

negotiators is to be victorious. The hard negotiator: demands concessions as a

condition for the relationship, tends to distrust others without seeing if trust is

possible, insists on her position, threatens, searches for single answers, and applies

My Basic Needs, on page 46,

is a good activity to introduce

youth to the concept of basic

needs.
15

pressure. The outcome of a hard response is usually the escalation of the conflict,

often to the point of out right hostility and sometimes violence. The hard response

is detrimental to the spirit of cooperation, and tends to result in win-lose solutions

(Creating the Peaceable School 54-55). Hard negotiators use a number of techniques to resolve conflicts, including:

Directing and Enforcing – taking a hard line, insisting on her way, or refusing

to negotiate.

Competing – remaining determined to win by arguing that her view is the

correct one.

Using Force or Bullying – relying on harassment in order to win.

The feelings associated with hard responses to conflict are anger, hostility, vengefulness, defensiveness, anxiety, and hurt. The hard negotiator seeks to maintain control

by dominating what’s going on.

The Principled Response

The principled response is a third way people manage disputes. The goal of the

principled response is to reach a wise outcome cooperatively. Principled negotiators

insist that everyone’s needs will be heard and considered. They explore interests and

feelings, and respond to them with reason. They separate people from the problem

so they can be soft on the people but hard on the problem. They take problemsolving approaches, and reassure all parties that a solution will be based on objective criteria as opposed to the will of any one party. The principled response attempts to reach win-win solutions that fully satisfy the basic needs of all (Creating

the Peaceable School, p.55). Principled negotiators use a number of techniques to

resolve conflict, including:

Collaboration – finding creative solutions by working together to develop a

common understanding and solutions to the conflict.

Creativity – generating alternatives and strategies outside of the obvious.

Diffusion – looking for ways to de-escalate the conflict by lowering defenses

and decreasing hostility.

The feelings behind principled responses are those of compassion, enthusiasm, a

willingness to share openly, and hope. The principled negotiator attempts to ensure

that feelings and needs of all parties are respected.

In order for artists and youth to fully appreciate the opportunity conflict provides

them, they must first learn the benefits of the principled response. Conflict presents

people with a challenge from which they can learn and grow once they acquire

skills that enable them to discuss and meet their basic psychological needs in a

peaceful environment. Without conflict and its positive resolution, our world

remains unchallenged and stagnant. The principled response to conflict allows us to

channel our creativity into a problem-solving process that develops win-win solutions beneficial to everyone involved with the community arts program.
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17

␣SECTION 2␣

Communicating Across

Different Perceptions

Sometimes managing conflict becomes extremely difficult

when two people cannot agree on what happened. When two

people have completely different perceptions, communication

is key to resolving the conflict in a peaceful way. Arts teachers

can make this process easier for their students by helping them

communicate even when they completely disagree with each

other.

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19

Perceptions

It is helpful to have the skills to talk about the influence of perception. A lot

of the plays developed by my students express a skewed view of women.

Due to ignorance, or assumptions, the women are scolding, or they only

want to please their men, no matter what. In one of the read-throughs of a

play with a lot of derogatory talk about women, I asked the author how he

would feel if someone talked about his [newborn] daughter in that way. A

complete change came over him. As if he suddenly understood a whole new

way of perceiving women. —Rachel Tibbets, arts teacher

For young people, one of the harder aspects of resolving disputes involves discussing different points of view. It is easy for young people to understand that others

view the same conflict differently, but understanding a different perception in the

heat of a conflict is often difficult. When mishandled or misunderstood, different

perceptions often lead to young people becoming frustrated and failing to move

forward with a conflict.

When different perceptions are in play, reeducation is required based on the principle that the conflict does not lie in objective reality but on how people perceive

reality (Creating the Peaceable School, p. 102). The goal of conflict resolution is not

to establish right or wrong, nor perceive the truth of a situation, nor even to solve

the problem, but rather to approach the inquiry with open-ended questions about

how each side views the conflict. Self-evaluation is required to recognize one’s

perceptions, fears, and assumptions so as to gain distance and avoid attributing

them to the other side. It takes practice to learn to suspend judgment and withhold

blame so there can be a free exchange of views. It takes skill to frame solutions that

preserve the self-respect and self-image of all.

Conflict Resolution Education Trainer Marc Steiner links the problem of perception

to the question of right and wrong or guilt versus innocence:

The trick question is where does right and wrong; guilt and innocence come

in? And the answer is it doesn’t. The issue is the perception. You can of

course have an opinion on what is right or wrong. Sometimes this is important when you are trying to get to the truth. But in this work you are trying

to get to the expression of perception.

A perception or point of view is not right or wrong; it is simply the way a person

views a dispute. People in conflict may see the situation differently, but with time to

explain and hear each other’s point of view, the people can come to understand

each other’s perception. Conflict resolution skills allow each person to explain his or

her point of view and listen to that of the other person while maintaining a level of

respect for their differences. As with interpretations of works of art, people view the

same dispute differently. Conflict resolution skills and the creative and performing

arts allow people to discuss their interpretations of a conflict in an attempt to

understand and appreciate different perceptions.

For activities that introduce

youth to the role perceptions

play in conflict, please refer

to “An Old Duck with Two

Faces,” on page 49.
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Communication

The most important set of tools for any artist interested in helping young people

resolve conflict are communication skills. These skills allow people to listen without

judging or assuming, gain more information about others, and gain a better

understanding of how our words are received by others. Given the diversity of

backgrounds and values in American society, poor communication is more likely to

occur than not. Conflict resolution strategies are processes of communicating across

differences. They are based on recognition of four basic problems of communication:

• people may not be talking to each other

• even if they are, they may not be hearing each other

• what one intends to communicate is almost never exactly what one conveys

• people misunderstand and misinterpret what is being communicated (Creating

the Peaceable School , p. 105)

Conflict Resolution promotes behaviors of listening and speaking that allow for the

effective exchange of facts and feelings. These behaviors involve the skills of active

listening:

Attending involves nonverbal behaviors that show a person is listening. These

behaviors include comfortable eye contact, receptive gestures and posture,

and ignoring distractions to focus on the speaker.

Clarifying involves asking open-ended questions, such as “Could you talk more

about what you meant when you said she ‘put you down?’” or “How did that

make you feel?” The questions should not be used to shift focus or subject,

but to better understand the perception of the other person.

Restating entails repeating what is being said, both to reassure the speaker it

was received and to be sure it was understood. Part of the art of restatement

is to find neutral ways to paraphrase angry statements. For example if one

young person is accusing another of constantly wasting time by asking

“stupid” questions, an effective paraphrase might be, “You do not understand his questions and are frustrated by the time they take?” The key to

restating is to not offer advice, but to ask questions that draw out the key

elements of a statement without injecting your agenda.

Acknowledging and reflecting feelings are additional elements of active

listening. A reflecting comment may be, “I get the feeling that you are sad

about this.” It could also be posed as a question, “Are you sad about this?”

Acknowledging feelings ensures that the content of the speaker’s phrase and

also the emotions felt are understood.

Summarizing is to restate the major ideas and feelings that were expressed by

both sides in an encounter so as to highlight key points and to provide a basis

for further discussion.

Affirming is used to express appreciation for the value of what a person has

said. It can be as simple as “I appreciate what you have said.”
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Two activities, “Mirrors” on

page 52, and “Listening Role

Plays” on page 54, provide

youth with many opportunities

to practice effective

communication skills.

Young people often enter the classroom or community arts setting with many issues

they wish to discuss with artist-mentors. Sometimes the hardest part of discussing

these issues with them is closing off our assumptions and biases, and holding our

“solutions” to their concerns. Young people do not necessarily want answers for

their problems, but an empathetic person that will simply listen to their feelings and

concerns. Communication skills, when practiced and used in arts programs, allow

artists and young people to gain a fuller appreciation of others and to develop sense

of trust in any group in which arts teachers work.
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23

␣SECTION 3␣

Expressing Anger & Interests

One of the more challenging aspects of conflict resolution

involves managing one’s anger and that of others. Arts

teachers can help youth significantly by introducing them to

new strategies for managing anger and meeting the interests

of everyone involved in the conflict.

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Anger

When I am angry I am like lightning

and I strike back and cause fire, hurt

and anger. And if I get mad enough

I might even cause danger.

But otherwise I am a fluffy cloud

in a sunlit sky so warm and compassionate.

When I am getting everything off my mind

I am like a flood.

I wash everything out of my way

and focus on the damage

I will have to clean up

after my flooding.

—Ashley, a young person from the Kansas City Friends of

Alvin Ailey-AileyCamp

When I am angry I am like a volcano.

I crush everything in my path with my lava

When my eruption begins no one is near,

They are all afraid, filled with fear...

—Camille, a young person from the Kansas City Friends of

Alvin Ailey-AileyCamp

Youth and arts teachers alike have difficulty managing conflicts when one or all

people involved are angry and express that anger in destructive ways. The emotional

reality of conflict is that people are often more ready to fight than cooperate. People

approach the process of resolution feeling threatened because the stakes are high.

Emotions on one side tend to generate emotions on the other. Fear can engender

anger, which engenders fear. The conflict escalates and cooperation becomes

impossible. The fundamental assumption of conflict resolution is that a creative

solution depends on individuals being able to communicate across emotional and

perceptual divides. While many factors cause emotions to escalate and communication to break down, conflict resolution education helps people understand what

behaviors contribute to emotional reactivity.

Conflict resolution theorizes that anger is a natural response to stress. Anger is a cue

that we are experiencing some kind of danger, stress, discomfort or dislike that

threatens our feelings of security and safety. In relationships where anger is handled

and directed with skill and responsibility, it can lead to greater understanding and

respect. Unfortunately anger often leads to communication breakdowns and

violence.
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Responses to Anger

There are many ways arts teachers can respond to anger or help youth manage their

anger, but conflict resolution theorizes that assertion is the only response that can

be used to address the needs underlying the expression of anger. The psychological

responses to anger include externalized aggression, internalized aggression, passive

aggression, denial, and assertion.

External Aggression can be verbal or physical, and is expressed by attacking or

threatening another. It often includes force against a person or property.

Despite the vigor of an aggressive response, it can be unconscious and the

person expressing hostility and force may not realize the effect it is having.

Internal Aggression is often manifested as depression resulting in symptomatic

self-destructive behaviors such as over-indulgence in substances, overeating,

compulsivity, self-denial, self “putdowns.”

Passive Aggression can be expressed by withdrawal, sabotaging or withholding important information or feelings, and generally being non-helpful or nonsupportive.

Denial of anger is expressed by behaving as if nothing has happened or as if

what has happened does not matter. Suppression of anger can lead to selfdestructive and compulsive behaviors.

Assertion is one of the most important communication tools for responding to

anger. Assertion involves communicating your feelings in a clear way without

attacking or intending to harm. In addition to not triggering a defensive

response, assertion can also defuse aggression. An assertive response to

aggression, or to the denial of conflict, can actually de-escalate emotional

reactivity.

Assertion, as it is involved in conflict resolution, is a three-part communication

known as an “I-Message.” The first part of an I-Message expresses a feeling, “I

feel________.” The second part describes the behavior that triggers the feeling,

“When you_________.” The final part explains why, “Because _________.” Note

that the statements should be open and non-judgmental, as demonstrated in the

statement below made by an arts teacher to an art administrator:

External Aggression: I feel sick and tired when you dismiss me by constantly

answering every phone call that comes in while we are talking, because it’s

typical of how you treat me and it’s rude.

Assertion: I feel frustrated when you accept phone calls during our conferences, because it feels as if you do not value my time and what we are trying

to do together.

When comparing the statements above, the assertive statement is less likely to

create an expression of anger or other emotional outburst, and sets the stage for

resolving rather than escalating the conflict.

As arts teachers teach and encourage young people to use I-Messages as a means

to manage their anger, conflicts can be resolved without escalating the situation

because the anger and needs causing the anger are addressed. Through conflict

resolution, young people learn that it is fine to be angry when it is managed in a

healthy way, but anger that is not acknowledged and addressed can potentially be
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destructive for everyone involved. Arts educators can help young people in extremely emotional situations channel these emotions in creative ways and produce

beautiful works of art.

Positions & Interests

When we ask what a conflict is about, most people refer to the positions – I

want this, she wants that – but underlying these positions are concerns or

needs like respect, friendship, or choice. It is these core needs that conflict

resolution focuses on, while the position becomes secondary to the discussion. —Marc Steiner, Conflict Resolution Facilitator

The most important component of conflict resolution that arts teachers can help

youth understand involves the discussion of positions and interests. Many conflicts

go unresolved by young people because they attempt to resolve these disputes only

by discussing positions. To truly reach the heart of a conflict, young people can

express positions, but must focus their discussion on underlying interests.

Positions are what people want to result from a conflict, and are usually concrete

and clearly expressed as demands or suggestions. Interests are the concerns that lie

underneath positions. These concerns are usually tied to survival and psychological

needs outlined earlier. Conflicts arise when we cannot meet these needs, or we

meet these needs in a way that harms others.

Conflict resolution theory holds that a compromise between positions usually does

not produce an agreement that truly meets the needs that cause the problem. To

resolve a problem we have to focus on the needs that are creating the conflict,

making it possible to find a solution that might actually satisfy both sides. In order

to shift the focus from positions to interests, it is necessary to express the underlying

needs that are involved.

The differences between positions and interests are easily distinguished when

viewing a common conflict faced by arts teachers working with youth, the young

person that refuses to cooperate despite efforts of the arts teacher. In this conflict, a

boy, Kalyan, refuses to participate in a dance choreographed by an arts teacher,

Deborah. Note that both Kalyan’s and Deborah’s interests are tied to the unmet

basic needs listed below.

Kalyan

Position: I don’t want to be in this dance.

Interests:

My friends think dancing with girls is stupid and they make fun of me. (Basic

Needs: Belonging and Fun)

I want to be part of a good dance, but I don’t want to be in the front of the

group. (Basic Needs: Inner Power, Belonging, and Freedom)

To help young people develop

an emotions vocabulary, arts

teachers can engage students

in “Acting Out,” a set of

activities on page 59.

Students can then focus on

anger by participating in the

“Understanding Anger”

activities on page 62.
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Debra

Position: Please practice and participate in the dance.

Interests:

I want to choreograph a very good dance that includes all participants. (Basic

Needs: Inner Power, Freedom, and Belonging)

Using all of my energy to get you to participate is not enjoyable and takes time

away from the other participants. (Basic Needs: Belonging and Fun)

If Kalyan and Debra simply discuss their positions, they will have a difficult time

reaching a win-win solution. It is only until the underlying interests and needs are

discussed that the two can discover potential solutions in which both of their needs

can be met. Students who engage in this kind of dialogue no longer focus on the

different positions, but instead on common interests and how they can get their all

of their needs met. In the example above, instead of focusing on their opposite

positions, Kalyan and Debra can both recognize their common interest in creating a

great dance, and have to work together to develop solutions that meet their other

interests.
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␣SECTION 4␣

Conflict Resolution Processes

Just providing young people and arts teachers with conflict

resolution skills and a new understanding of conflict is not

enough. A large part of conflict resolution involves placing

these skills into a process that maximizes their effectiveness.

Arts teachers have two processes they can use to help youth

manage disputes: negotiation and the group problem-solving

process. Whereas negotiation requires that young people work

out disputes without the assistance of arts teachers, the group

problem-solving process, facilitated only by arts teachers, is

useful to resolve disputes that involve a number of youth.

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The Negotiation Process

The goal of principled negotiators is to reach a wise outcome cooperatively. They

achieve that by assuring all parties that everyone’s need will be heard and considered, and that the outcome will be based on objective criteria as opposed to the will

of any one side. They explore interests and feelings, respond to them with reason,

and attempt to find win-win solutions in which new alternatives are created that

fully satisfy the basic needs of all parties.

In daily life negotiation mostly takes place one on one. In the context of youth arts

programs, arts teachers are often outside of the dispute, allowing young people to

find creative solutions to their own conflict. As principled negotiators young people

use active listening skills and the principled response to communicate, understand

each other, and come to a win-win solution.

A negotiation can be broken down into a seven-step problem-solving process

(adapted from Creating the Peaceable School, pp. 215-217)

Step 1: Agree to Talk

The process begins with the negotiators greeting each other and establishing several

guidelines for the negotiation. Also, because negotiation is voluntary for each

participant, the negotiators must agree to have the conversation.

Step 2: Gather Points of View

After setting the guidelines and agreeing to negotiate, the second step provides

each person in the dispute the opportunity to define the problem from her own

perception. The listening party uses active listening skills, and responds by restating

what the first party said. The listening party also adds her own thoughts about the

dispute, which are restated by the first party.

Step 3: Focus on Interests

After discussing the problem, each negotiator identifies as specifically as possible his

position (desired outcomes or suggestions) as well as his interests (the reasons he

holds his position). The listener then responds by restating what the first speaker has

said and by asking questions for further clarification. Negotiators try to find and

build their discussion around shared interests while acknowledging and discussing

all of their needs.

Step 4: Create Win-Win Options

With sensitivity to the information on the table, the negotiators try to think of all

possible solutions to the situation. A key rule in this step is that all suggestions are

valid.

Step 5: Evaluate Options

The negotiators review their list to eliminate or rework those solutions that are

unacceptable to either party. Young people test if an option is acceptable by

discussing whether it is fair and can actually work. They decide which options are

feasible, and whether parts of options can be combined to best resolve the dispute.
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Step 6: Create an Agreement

Negotiators share the responsibility for implementing their plan. This involves posing

“who, what, when, where” questions to clarify how each will actually share the

implementation. Negotiators determine what each has agreed to do to help resolve

the problem. This agreement is important because it is made by the people that

have the problem and closes the negotiation on a positive note.

Step 7: Evaluate the Plan

Once a solution is implemented it is useful to create times to evaluate whether the

plan is working.

The negotiation process provides all members of community arts programs with a

structured means to manage disputes. Negotiations can take place in any area that

grants the participants a degree of privacy and quiet, and generally take young

people anywhere from 10 to 30 minutes to complete, depending on their skill level

and the complexity of the conflict. When asking young people to participate in a

negotiation, arts teachers should encourage them to follow the outline below:
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␣OUTLINE␣

The Negotiation Process

(Adapted from Creating the Peaceable School, pp. 250-251)

Step 1: Agree to Talk

 Welcome the other person.

 Make any guidelines you think are necessary:

“I agree to take turns talking and listening.”

“I agree to keep everything said here private.”

“I agree to cooperate to solve the problem.”

 Say: “Are you willing to talk this out?”

Step 2: Gather Points of View

Disputant A

 Tell your point of view. Say:

“I feel__________, when (you)_______ because_______.” (Tell how you feel

about what happened and why.)

Disputant B

 Summarize Disputant A’s point of view.

 Tell your point of view. Say:

“I feel__________, when (you)_______ because_______.” (Tell how you feel

about what happened and why.)

Disputant A

 Summarize Disputant B’s point of view.

Step 3: Focus on Interests

 State your interests. Say:

“I want ___________, because __________?

 Summarize the positions and interests of both people. Clarify by asking them:

“What are you concerned about?”

“What might happen if we don’t resolve this?”

“What would you think if you were in my shoes?”

 Summarize any shared interests as a building block for resolution.
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Step 4: Create Win-Win Options

 Follow the brainstorming rules:

Say anything that comes to mind.

Come up with as many options as possible.

Think of things that help both of you.

Do not judge or criticize options.

Step 5: Evaluate Options

 For each option, decide:

Is this option fair?

Can you do it?

Can we combine options or parts of options?

 Eliminate options that do not work and refine those that do.

Step 6: Create an Agreement

 Create a plan of action and be specific about who, what, when, and where.

 Summarize what you have agreed to do. Say:

“I have agreed to ___________.”

Thank each other for working hard on the problem.

Step 7: Evaluate the Plan

 Meet with the other person in the future to decide:

Is the plan is working?

Do any changes need to be made to the plan?

Is everyone is getting his or her interests met?
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The Group Problem-Solving Process

Often arts teachers and young people face issues that involve more than just two

people. Although inappropriate for the negotiation process, these issues can be

discussed through the group problem-solving process facilitated by the arts teacher.

Group problem-solving is a form of decision-making based on listening to suggestions and points of view of everyone involved in the dispute. In a consensus decision, the group does not vote, but arrives at a win-win decision through the sharing

of perceptions and discussion facilitated by the arts teacher.

The process of group problem-solving parallels the steps of principled negotiation.

Success depends on all the participants, not only the facilitator, functioning as

empathic listeners, and using skills of active listening to arrive at a solution that

meets the needs of all involved, including the arts teacher.

There are some specific characteristics of group consensus problem solving. Every

member of the group takes the responsibility to participate in the process. Each

member tries not to block the participation of others while standing up for her own

interests and principles. Each member assumes responsibility for stating his point of

disagreement clearly. Each member gives in wherever possible without compromising her interests. Finally, the members of the group are responsible for summarizing

a statement before another statement is added to the discussion.

Because of the number of participants in a group problem-solving session, challenges unique to the process can arise yet be managed with skillful facilitation skills.

For example, if one person is monopolizing the discussion, the facilitator can

acknowledge the person’s contribution and suggest that others might want to

share. If someone is revealing painful personal or sensitive information, acknowledge the feelings expressed and suggest a longer discussion outside of the large

group. If members are silent and unresponsive, ask them to pair up so that they

might talk more freely. Or address the group directly by asking for their perceptions

about why the group is not interacting. Other problems include side conversations,

becoming sidetracked, undercurrents that disrupt the group effort, and someone

“coming down” on the leader.

Additionally, managing arguments within the group is another challenging aspect of

the group problem-solving process. There are various suggestions on how to handle

these arguments: stay calm, try to move the conversation away from personalities

and toward the problem by asking a focused question that either gets more information or reveals reasons for the divergent views (“What in your experience has

brought you to your perception?”), or rephrase the situation to the group to get

their perception (“So John is feeling that Sally’s comment does not jibe with his

experience. Does anyone have a similar experience they can offer?”).

Opening and closing rituals, and generating group guidelines, contracts and consequences can also facilitate group trust and create a peaceful atmosphere for the

group meeting. The group problem-solving process successfully addresses many

issues in the classroom and community arts program, which when not discussed,

result in larger crises in the future. Trainer Zephryn Conte summarizes:

The important point is that when ongoing conflict resolution and groupbuilding facilitative strategies focused on addressing the feelings and meeting the intrinsic needs of learners are applied, many of [the problems] that
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cause disruption are exposed in organic and non-threatening ways. When

differences are embraced in and brought to light as a valuable part of

learning, many potential problems are either prevented or dealt with before

turning into crises.

Following is an outline of the group problem-solving process:
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␣OUTLINE␣

The Group Problem-Solving

Process

(Adapted from Creating the Peaceable School, pp. 259-264)

GPS Step 1: Agree to Problem Solve

 Explain the purpose of the meeting.

 Establish necessary guidelines:

Everyone sits in a circle.

Everything will remain private.

Everyone will take turns talking and listening.

Every time a person presents a point of view, someone from the group must

summarize that point of view before anyone else can present another point of

view.

GPS Step 2: Gather Points of View

 Encourage participants to share what they know and how you feel about the

problem. Allow participants to speak if their point of view hasn’t already been

shared.

 Help the group decide on a problem statement – what you are trying to solve in

this meeting.

GPS Step 3: Focus on Interests

 Have participants discuss:

What they want (reveals the position)

Why that is important to them (reveals underlying interests)

 Try to find and emphasize any shared interests.

 If participants have trouble, you might have them:

Tell why they think the problem isn’t going away.

Tell what they think might happen if the group doesn’t solve the problem.

GPS Step 4: Create Win-Win Options

 Have the group brainstorm ideas that meet everyone’s interests using these

guidelines:

GPS Step 5: Evaluate Options

 Have the group determine the criteria by which options will be judged.

 Test each option by asking if it meets the criteria.
38

 Eliminate options that don’t work and focus only on the most promising ones.

 Try to combine all or parts of ideas until they work for everyone.

GPS Step 6: Create an Agreement

 Make sure all participants listen to make sure they understand the agreement.

 Give participants an opportunity to discuss concerns they have with the agreement.

 Help the group finalize the plan – decide the “whos, whats, whens, wheres, and

hows.”

 Help make the agreement work.

GPS Step 7: Follow-Up

 Meet with the group in the future to discuss:

Is the plan working?

Any changes in the plan necessary?

Is everyone getting his or her needs/interests met?

Conclusion

The creative possibilities that arise when young people begin to confront their own

motivations, assumptions and perceptions are unlimited. When they begin to make

connections between art-making, the community of the art class, and the larger

world outside, peacemaking takes place. A read-through of a play written by a

young man at the Ferris School for incarcerated young men was a demonstration of

how young people can internalize the ideas behind win-win negotiation, including

communication, focusing on feelings, decoding fears, and needs. The author,

Jerome, a seventeen year old with a reputation in the group as a clever rapper, had

come up with a scene that involved an altercation between a young man and his

older sister. The young men in the workshop acted out the scene, playing both roles

including the feminine (remarkable in itself considering the swaggering masculinity

they affect as they march through the halls of the Ferris facility). As the scene

begins, the “sister” is attacking her brother because he has refused to attend their

mother’s funeral the next day. Her anger escalates as the brother continues to

respond with an exaggerated lack of concern. The only thing he offers by way of

explanation for his refusal is that he has “plans” to go to a party. His sister is

shocked at his selfishness. She tells him he will never have another chance and begs

him to think it over. The brother finally breaks down and tells his sister that he is

afraid to see his mother put into the ground. A few moments later the sister shares

that she too is afraid of the illness, breast cancer that killed their mother. The

brother says he understands where the sister is coming from and that he’ll think

harder about coming as support.

Transforming resistance cannot always happen through the art alone. When the

skills of an art form are joined with the concepts, skills and facilitative strategies of

conflict resolution and peace building, we introduce a humanistic communication

technique that facilitates a more affirming and creative artistic experience.
39

␣SECTION 5␣

Integrating Conflict Resolution

into Arts Programs

When adults can be

clear about and

effective with the skills

and processes they are

trying to model, they

can be more relaxed

about the time spent

resolving the conflicts

that occur in their

work with students.
40
41

Integrating Conflict Resolution

We start with having kids improvise scenes from pre-set cards, then they

move to writing their own cards. Then we work on scenes in character. We

have two rules. We say we are looking for solutions to situations that do not

involve beating some one up or pulling a gun. We ask for verbal resolutions.

We stress to them that in theatre there is no play without conflict. We work

on them to resolve it without violence and try to get them to feel that verbal

solutions are more interesting. When they begin to understand that it’s not

the gunfight that makes the play, or reveals character, we know we are on

our way. —Rachel Tibbets, Arts teacher

Once youth-based arts programs gain a better understanding of conflict resolution

education, there are a variety of ways the skills and processes can be integrated into

arts programs. Conflict resolution, once learned and internalized, may be applied at

any three of the following levels:

Interpersonal/Behavioral – an arts teacher, administrator, or young person

directly uses newly learned communication and problem-solving skills in actual

situations with other adults or young people;

Curriculum Integration/Direct Teaching – an arts teacher integrates the core

concepts and skills of conflict resolution into his or her arts curriculum – e.g., a

teacher may conduct a lesson on Basic Needs and have the class follow-up

with an arts-based exercise that explores each need;

Facilitative Leadership – arts program staff practice facilitative leadership skills

or classroom rituals that support the principles of conflict resolution.

The following outline represents how, within a variety of arts community settings,

conflict resolution education might be implemented or used by different individuals:

Policies and Practices of Arts Institutions or Community Arts Programs are

formulated upon the peace and community-building philosophies of conflict

resolution.

Arts Program Administrators incorporate conflict resolution strategies and

model facilitative leadership skills as they manage and relate to program staff,

outside partners, community organizations and community members.

Arts teachers specialize in facilitative classroom practices that infuse conflict

resolution skills and concepts into the arts curriculum in order to enrich social

and emotional learning within a creative and peaceable learning environment.

Professional Artists practice negotiation skills and demonstrate increased

cultural competence in professional partnerships and settings – improving

communication and negotiation with patrons, the public and other artists.

Arts Students at all levels are taught conflict resolution through the arts

experience itself – as supported by the trained teacher’s informed use of

group-building techniques which serve to enrich the arts experience as well as

deepen the inter-personal experience during the learning process.
42

The challenge for arts teachers, administrators and community arts workers is to

understand the processes of building a community in their art classes. When they

can be clear about and effective with the skills and processes they are trying to

model, they can be more relaxed about the time spent resolving the conflicts that

occur in their work with students. When they understand and model active listening, the reframing of positions and perceptions to reveal underlying feelings and

needs, and understand the patience and suspension of judgment required for

collaborative problem solving, they can be more effective teachers. When partner

social service organizations grasp how the arts are uniquely helpful in fostering

social skills and trust, the possibility for working together toward broad community

goals becomes ever more achievable.

Conflict Resolution Activities

Arts teachers can begin to build this community with their youth and partner

schools and social service organizations by incorporating the activities included in

this guide into their work. This section provides arts teachers with activities designed

to introduce youth, ages eight to eighteen, to conflict resolution skills through both

traditional and arts-based exercises that allow them to explore the skills in artsettings. Each activity is divided into five sections: Objectives, Time Frame, Materials,

Procedure, and Follow-Up Activities.

The Objectives section contains the goals the participants will attain by engaging in

the activity. The time necessary for running through the activity is contained in the

Time Frame section. Before conducting the activity, the facilitator should collect any

necessary materials outlined in the Materials section. The facilitator can then

conduct the activity after reading the step-by-step directions in the Procedure

section.

Finally, the Follow-Up Activities section contains arts-based activities that build on

the conflict resolution theory discussed. These activities are divided into several art

forms defined as follows:

Writing/Poetry on any topic, in any form, in the context of other visual art,

expression through the written word as therapy.

Dance/Movement all traditional forms of classical, modern or theatrical dance,

social, street, ballroom, or traditional ethnic forms, movement as therapy.

Drama/Theater all forms of theatre including puppetry, traditional repertory to

avant-garde abstract theater, all forms or methods of drama as therapy.

Music/Sound all formal forms of traditional classical “European,” “World” or

ethnic music, in all traditional, jazz or pop forms, all percussion and “body”

percussion, and music used as therapy.

Visual Arts all forms of painting, drawing, sculpture, scenery in any medium,

three dimensional, large and small scale or architectural works might also

include more esoteric art forms like glass blowing, iron works, jewelry-making,

costume and clothes design, and visual arts therapy.

This section provides arts

teachers with activities

designed to introduce youth,

ages eight to eighteen, to

conflict resolution skills

through both traditional and

arts-based exercises that

allow them to explore the

skills in art-settings.
43

Media Literacy spans a wide range of platforms and devices that bring together multiple art forms or media, including: text, illustrations, photos,

sounds or music, voice, animation, movement, video, architecture, light

design, or natural environments. It is thought of here as both live performances which join multiple forms, as well as multimedia computing, which is

usually defined as such when any three or more of the above forms are

integrated with user interactivity. It includes the production as well as analysis

of multimedia works.

Please enjoy the activities and feel free to adapt them to better serve the youth with

whom you work.
44

␣CONFLICT EXISTS ACTIVITY␣

Conflict Mural

Objectives

Many people have a negative view of conflict. They view conflict as a thing to avoid

or something they don’t want to exist. This exercise helps participants realize that

conflict is a natural part of life that gives us the opportunity to learn and grow.

Time Frame

30 minutes

Materials

Newsprint

Masking Tape

3 8”x11” pieces of paper per participant

Multi-colored Markers or Pencils

Procedure

1. Tell the participants that the first step in understanding how to resolve conflict

peaceably is to understand how we see conflict. Explain that we all see conflict

and ways to resolve it differently.

2. Distribute three pieces of paper and markers to each young person. Ask them to

think of the first word or picture that comes to mind when you say the word

conflict. Instruct them to write this word or picture on a piece of their paper. Ask

participants to write another word or image that comes to mind when they hear

the word conflict. Instruct them to write this word on a second piece of paper.

3. Ask the group to share their responses with the large group. Have participants

paste their words and pictures on the newsprint, creating a conflict mural.

4. Instruct the participants to look at the list of words on the newsprint and ask

which of the words represent negative or positive images of conflict. Circle all

negative images with a red marker and all positive images with a blue marker.

5. Have the participants form pairs. Ask the entire group to think of a conflict they

experienced themselves or saw another work through that had a positive

outcome. Have each pair discuss the positive things that happened in that

conflict for 3 minutes. Ask volunteers to share any positives with the larger

group. Add any positives you have experienced or seen come from conflict.

6. Ask the group to write or draw a new word or pictures associated with conflict

on their final piece of paper. Have the group share some responses and then

allow all young people to tape them to a second sheet of newsprint.
45

7. Summarize by telling participants that we generally have a negative view of

conflict. In reality, conflict is a natural part of life that can be handled in negative

or positive ways. If we think that positive things can result from conflict, we can

use the dispute to reach some creative results. If we think of conflict as a

negative experience, we have a tendency to try and avoid it or attack other

people to get what we want. When we do this, it can potentially lead to destructive outcomes.

Follow-Up Activities

Writing/Poetry

• Write two stories or poems about both the negative and positive aspects of

conflict. Have students discuss any differences in the words, sounds and looks

of the two pieces.

Dance/Movement

• Develop a dance or movement that corresponds to both the negative and

positive aspects of conflict.

Drama/Theater

• Script a drama or comedy about the positive and negative aspects of conflict.

• Create human or animal characters, creatures, or inanimate objects that

embody the positive and negative aspects of conflict.

Music/Sound

• Create sounds, rhythms or chords that illustrate how the negative and positive

aspects of conflict might sound.

Visual Arts

• Develop, in any medium, art inspired by conflict and have artists share personal feelings about conflict.

• Create abstractions about positive and negative resolutions to conflict. Discuss

how color and composition convey the negative and positive views of conflict.

Media Literacy

• Examine how conflict is treated in movies. How is lighting and music used to

convey conflict? Have students develop their own vignette about conflict.
46

␣BASIC NEEDS ACTIVITY␣

My Basic Needs

Objectives

Young people will learn how conflict results from people trying to satisfy basic

psychological needs. This activity is adapted from Creating the Peaceable School, pp.

65-69.

Time Frame

15 minutes

Materials

My Basic Needs handout, page 48

Procedure

1. Have participants form pairs. Distribute the “My Basic Needs” handout to each

participant.

2. Review the four basic needs with participants. As you explain each basic need,

give examples of things you personally do to satisfy each need.

3. Instruct the participants to list, in the boxes provided, one thing they do to

satisfy each of the basic needs. Allow five minutes.

4. When finished, ask participants to switch their basic needs worksheet with that

of their partner. Instruct each person to cross-out one thing from each of their

partner’s basic needs boxes. After they have crossed one thing from each of the

boxes, have participants return the worksheet to their partner.

5. Process the experience by saying: “The things crossed-out on your sheet have

been taken away from you. What was crossed out on your sheet and how do

you feel about that? “ Take several responses from the group.

6. Summarize by explaining that we all have the same basic needs, but conflict

arises because we each choose different ways to satisfy those needs. Whatever

choice we make to satisfy our needs is the one we think will work best for us.

Conflict happens because:

• two people are trying to satisfy their basic needs in the same way

For example, two people want the same set of supplies to finish a project but

argue about who gets them first. By finishing the project, both people are

trying to meet their need for belonging, inner power, freedom and fun.

– or –
47

• one person’s attempt to satisfy her basic needs is interfering with another

person’s attempt to satisfy his basic needs

 For example, you may think a friend who constantly makes jokes about you is

a pest, but that person may be doing the best he knows how to get your

attention so you can hang out and be friends. He satisfies his belonging,

freedom, and fun needs, even though you might not think he is satisfying your

fun, belonging, and inner power needs.

7. Explain that in order to resolve conflict, we have to look underneath what

happened and discuss how both people might meet their basic needs without

hurting or coming into conflict with each other in the future. People in a dispute

can also identify what basic needs they have in common to build a foundation to

resolve their conflict, instead of always focusing on their differences. Knowing

your basic needs helps you figure out what caused the conflict, an important

step in resolving conflict.

Follow-Up Activities

Writing/Poetry

• Create a word tree of events, objects, and actions that stem from a basic

need.

• Pick a current event and write about it in terms of basic needs.

Dance/Movement

• Develop a dance or movement in dance that corresponds to each basic need.

Drama/Theater

• Script a drama or comedy about meeting basic needs and how efforts to meet

basic needs cause conflict.

Music/Sound

• Create sounds, rhythms or chords that illustrate how each basic need might

sound.

• Examine the conflicts and underlying basic needs involved in song lyrics.

Visual Arts

• Develop masks that depict each basic need. Discuss the color, shape, and line

qualities used to depict the needs. Have students discuss what persona seems

appropriate for the various masks.

Media Literacy

• Record interviews or stories about the different ways people meet their basic

needs. Have students discuss how these interviews can be presented to

illustrate the idea that basic needs underlie all conflicts.
48

␣HANDOUT␣

My Basic Needs

How do you meet you basic needs? In the boxes below, write or draw two things

you do to satisfy each of your basic needs.2

2 This handout was developed in Creating the Peaceable School 19.

Freedom

Fun

Belonging

Inner Power
49

␣PERCEPTIONS ACTIVITY␣

An Old Duck With Two Faces

Objectives

Conflicts are difficult to resolve because people in disputes often have completely

different perceptions of the problem. Through this activity, young people will learn

how perceptions can be expressed and explored in conflict to better understand the

other person and how the conflict might be resolved.

Time Frame

10 minutes

Materials

“Exploring Perceptions” handout, page 51

Procedure

1. Explain that when people are in conflict, they have difficulty resolving it because

they see the same situation differently. Refer participants to the dual perception

pictures. Ask the group the following question that corresponds to each picture:

• Who sees an old or young lady?

• A saxophone player or a woman’s face?

• A skull or a woman looking in a mirror?

• A candleholder or two faces?

• A rabbit or a duck?

• Ask volunteers to describe each of the images in the pictures to the group.

2. Process the exercise by noting that, although everyone in the group was looking

at the same picture, many had different perceptions. We have different perceptions because we each see the same things differently due to our diverse values

and beliefs. Our perceptions might prevent us from resolving a conflict because

we accuse people who see things differently of lying, or we state that the other

person is wrong. Just as people view a painting, dance, or piece of music

differently, or gain different meanings from a poem or story, we also see situations in different ways. To resolve conflict, we must talk about our point of view,

and listen to the perceptions of others.

3. Explain that the following strategies can help you deal with differences in

perceptions:

• Do not try to find “the truth”.

• Use active listening skills to understand the other person’s perception.

• Explain your perception and the reasons for it.

• Do not blame or make assumptions.
50

Follow-Up Activities

Writing/Poetry

• Have students watch a scene from a movie or skit developed by the students.

Have students write reports on what they saw. As the reports are shared, it

becomes clear how events are perceived differently by individuals.

Dance/Movement

• Have multiple groups develop a dance or movement in dance to the same

score or in the same dance style. Compare the different perceptions of the

groups.

Drama/Theater

• Script a talk show (drama or comedy) with guests being interviewed about “a

time when I saw things differently”. Each guest represents a person who had

different perceptions of the same events. Research plays with characters that

had different perceptions of the same events.

Music/Sound

• Introduce perceptions as a way of exploring the nature of band/orchestral/

ensemble playing (how different versions of melody and harmony interact

throughout ensemble pieces). Create a freestyle improvisational session using

a blues progression to develop different perceptions of a song. Each soloist

provides a different perception of a song based on the blues chords.

Visual Arts

• Distribute a descriptive passage from a story or poem. Have students create a

painting that illustrates the passage. Discuss the images created as different

perceptions of the same passage.

Media Literacy

• Have students develop and film a vignette depicting an event. Show the film

to other students, and have them write reports on what they viewed. As the

reports are shared, it becomes clear how events are perceived differently by

individuals.
51

␣HANDOUT␣

Exploring Perceptions

What do you see?
52

␣ACTIVE LISTENING ACTIVITIES␣

Mirrors

Objectives

Through a drama warm up, young people will learn how their bodies can be used to

communicate non-verbally.

Time Frame

30 minutes

Materials

None

Procedure

1. Ask participants to pair up and decide who is “A” and who is “B.” Tell them

that they will be acting out several dramatic scenarios, switching off as the

“leader” when you call their letter.

2. Explain that this is a non-verbal acting game that involves showing feelings.

When they are not the actor, or leader, they will be the “mirror,” observing their

partner and “mirroring” or “reflecting back” with their bodies the assigned

leader’s emotions, movements, and facial expressions.

3. Explain that after you describe each scenario and say ACTION, the leaders should

continue with their performance until you call FREEZE. Allow 30 seconds for

leaders to respond to each scenario, and for observers to mirror what they see.

In between each scenario, provide partners with a short time to debrief.

4. Before each scenario, ask participants to stand facing each other in a neutral

position (feet planted, arms relaxed and hanging by sides, head and eyes looking

straight forward), in order that they are ready to begin. Once done, indicate the

letter that is leading and call ACTION. Scenarios:

• (“A”) You have just won a million dollars in the lottery.

(Call ACTION (30 seconds), FREEZE, DEBRIEF, SWITCH. (“B” reacts to same

scenario)...(Call ACTION, FREEZE, DEBRIEF).

• (“B”) You are standing at the top of the Grand Canyon, feeling a beautiful

breeze and peering over the edge into the huge space below.

(Call ACTION (30 seconds), FREEZE, DEBRIEF, SWITCH. (“A” reacts to same

scenario)...(Call ACTION, FREEZE, DEBRIEF).

• (“A”) You are cradling a newborn baby.

(Call FREEZE, DEBRIEF, SWITCH) (“B” reacts to same scenario) -(Call ACTION,

FREEZE, DEBRIEF).
53

5. End the activity and lead a discussion by asking the following questions:

• What feelings or messages did you convey or observe in each scenario?

• Any differences between you and your partner’s interpretations?

• Anything easy or hard in doing this activity? Why?

• How do you think this activity relates to “active listening?”

6. The following points should be emphasized if they have not already emerged in

the discussion. Review with the group the qualities of an active listener, someone

who not only listens to the words, but also observes the feelings and gestures of

the speaker.Note that much of our meaning in communication is conveyed

without word. Advise students to begin observing conversations, and how

people express their thoughts, points-of-view, and emotions through their body

language.

Follow-Up Activities

Music/Sound

• Have participants act out different emotions while others improvise music that

mirrors each emotion.

Drama/Theater & Visual Arts

• Create a play that examines specific emotions. Let set design become a major

factor in conveying particular emotions. Have students discuss how emotions

can be conveyed with little dialogue.
54

␣ACTIVE LISTENING ACTIVITY␣

Listening Role Plays

Objectives

Young people will learn different aspects of active listening through role plays.

Time Frame

45 minutes

Materials

Active Listening, Handout, page 56

Curtains, Handout, page 57

Roles & Scenarios, Handout, page 58

Procedure

1. Explain that there are many things we say in normal conversation that prevent us

from effectively listening. Distribute and review the Curtains handout. Remind

young people that they should not use any of these techniques because they

“close the curtain on conversation.” Such statements often blame or accuse,

and cause the person receiving them to shut down. Resolving conflict especially

requires us to keep communication open. Therefore, in the roles that follow, you

should try to avoid using any of the conversation curtains.

2. Explain that the following small group activity will provide practice with active

listening, by introducing three different scenarios that involve a speaker, a

listener, and an observer. Remind participants that practicing active listening help

us get better at both preventing and resolving conflict.

3. Distribute and review the Active Listening handout. Point out that this activity,

listeners will focus primarily on restating and reflecting feelings, as well as asking

clarifying questions. Questions should not be too leading (changing the speaker’s

subject) but should reveal more information about what the speaker has already

stated.

4. Form groups of three, asking each group to sit facing each other in a small circle.

Ask each group to “count-off” randomly as “A, B, and C.” Once done, explain

that each “lettered” person will be focusing on a different task during each roleplay. Review the information in the Roles & Scenarios handout. Remind observers that they can use the Curtains handout as a checklist or reference so that

they will be able to name specifically, any listening behaviors that close communication. Ask if there are any questions.

5. Model the first scenario with one group member, casting yourself as the listener,

and the class as observers. Read and set up the scenario, calling TIME IN to

begin. Allow two minutes for the role-play, demonstrating effective active

listening skills. Call TIME OUT and provide a few minutes for observation,

feedback, and discussion.
55

6. When groups are ready, call TIME IN and proceed with each round of role

playing, calling TIME OUT after two minutes, and following with the feedback

process. The procedure is outlined in the Roles & Scenarios handout. Feedback

focuses on the topics below in the following order.

• Listener: What I felt good about, what I did well, what was hard, and what

could I do differently?

• Speaker: Did I feel heard by the listener, or did I feel pressured in any way?

What listening responses made me feel comfortable or uncomfortable in my

role as speaker?

• Observer: Note any effective words, gestures, or body language used by the

listener. Did the speaker use any conversation “curtins?” What was the

emotional tone of the discussion? Did the listener exhibit empathy or acknowledge the feelings or experience of the speaker? Observations regarding

specific words, gestures or body language of the listener.

7. When you have completed the three rounds of role-play and small group

feedback, process the activity with the entire group. Ask:

• Would anyone like to share any awarenesses or experiences they had in the

role of speaker?

• Would anyone like to share any awarenesses or experiences they had in the

role of listener? What was easy and what was hard about being the listener?

• What are the advantages to active listening? Do you see any disadvantages?

• How do you see yourself applying this technique in your lives?

8. Explain that accepting feelings, or drawing out the feelings and underlying

needs of a speaker should not be mistaken as “condoning or supporting”

destructive behavior. It is important to make the distinction between feelings

and behavior. All feelings are acceptable and must be addressed in order to

discharge emotional energies healthfully, but not all behavior is acceptable.

Reflective listening techniques serve to open communication, rather than shut it

down, develop trust rather than distrust, and help to get through layers of

feelings that may be blocking problem-solving, the eventual goal of active

listening.

Follow-Up Activities

Writing/Poetry

• Write a descriptive paragraph about a situation involving emotion and conflict.

Have students exchange papers and write a poem that summarizes the ideas

conveyed in the paragraph.

Dance/Movement

• Active listening is like a dance: one person leads while the other reflects the

movements or content. Use this idea as inspiration for creating a dance piece.

Visual Arts

• Abstraction is a way of summarizing what one sees in nature; it is, in effect,

“active-looking.” Mondrian, for example, abstracted trees into horizontal and

vertical lines. Have students reflect the essence of an object in abstraction.

Discuss the relations of the exercise to active listening.
56

␣HANDOUT␣

Active Listening

The art of active listening is a focused process. It puts us “in the moment” with the

speaker, so that we don’t wander into our own thoughts. In conflict situations when

differing opinions or angry feelings are often present, the skills of effective listening,

or hearing-for-understanding, is especially important. When we purposefully

suspend judgments, open our minds, and observe the emotions and body language

of the speaker, we become “active” listeners.

Active Listening Skills

Attending – Non-verbal behaviors that show you are open to the speaker and

giving your attention.

• Comfortable eye contact (awareness of cultural communication differences)

• Receptive gestures & facial expressions

• Open body language

Encouraging - Verbally encouraging the speaker

• “Can you tell me more?”

• “Please go on.”

Summarizing – Repeating major ideas in fewer words. Summarizing is helping

clarify information, review progress, highlight key points, and establish a basis for

future discussion.

• “So what I understand is that you want to take a break from it all.”

• “What I heard you say was that you left all of the notes at home.”

Reflecting Feelings – Checking on, acknowledging, or drawing out the speaker’s

mood or emotions.

• “I get the feeling that you are sad about this.”

• “So are you having strong reactions to this?”

Clarifying: Ask open-ended questions to get more information about the speaker

topic.

• “Could you talk more about that?”

• “What happened?”

Affirming – Acknowledging the speaker’s efforts and appreciating the value of the

speaker’s statements.

• “I appreciate what you’ve said.”

• “Thanks for speaking up.”
57

␣HANDOUT␣

Curtains!

Why do you suppose these comments “close the curtain” on a conversation?

Ordering: You must ... You have to ... You will ...

Threatening: If you don’t then ... You had better or else ...Don’t ask

questions. . .

Preaching: You should ... You ought ... It’s your obligation . . . It’s your duty .

. .

Lecturing: Don’t you realize ... ? Can’t you see why you ... I know better ...

Providing answers: You should ... What I would do is ... It would be best for

you . . .

Judging: He’s just selfish ... That’s laziness . . . What a conceited thing to do

Excusing: Well, that’s just how it is ... It’s not so bad ... There’s good days and

bad days . . .

Diagnosing: You’re doing this because ... You’re just trying to get

attention ...

Name-calling: You’re a lazy ... You’re a ...

Stereotyping: You know how they are ... They all ...

Assuming: She/he’ll go along ... I know what they’re thinking...

Being sarcastic: My you’re chipper today ... No pain no gain ... Make my day

. . .

Humoring: Oh, you’ll feel better . . . You poor baby . . . You’ll look back on this

and . . .

Diverting: Did you see . . .? Did you hear . . .? Actually, I’m feeling . . . That’s

just like . . .
58

␣HANDOUT␣

Roles & Scenarios

Listeners are assigned to summarize, acknowledge, and reflect the feelings and

information shared by the speaker. Listeners should practice by drawing out the

feelings and underlying needs of the speakers, and not try move the speaker into

problem solving.

Speakers are to role-play their assigned role naturally, in order to reveal the feelings, or underlying needs supporting the character’s position.

Observers are to watch for any conversation “curtains” and make notes regarding

the skills the listener uses (or forgets to use). The observer should try to be very

specific with feedback, highlighting instances when the listener might have approached something differently.

Role-plays are 2 minutes in length; feedback time is 6 minutes.

Round One: Total time for role play, feedback and transition =

10 minutes.

A = Listener: an adult • B = Speaker: a young person • C = Observer

Situation: “A,” a supportive adult, is talking to “B”, a younger person who has

declared she/he doesn’t want to continue coming to the after-school arts program.

She/he hates a picture she/he has drawn, she/he “can’t draw” and feels she/he does

“badly” in the program.

Round Two: Total time for role play, feedback, and transition =

10 minutes.

A = Speaker: a student • B = Observer • C = Listener: a student

Situation: “A” and “C” work together in a theater program. “A” feels that “C”

talks too much and prevents the company from completing tasks at hand. “A”, is

upset with “C” because they have a show coming up and sets are not finished.

Round Three: Total time for role play, feedback and transition

= 10 minutes.,

A = Observer • B = Listener: a young person • C = Speaker: a young person

Situation: “C” has come to “B” to talk about rumors “C” has heard from other

members of the after-school dance club. Other friends told “C” that “B” called him/

her stupid and really bad at choreography. “C” takes a lot of pride in the dance she/

he creates and has worked hard at it. “C” is upset because she/he doesn’t know if

the rumors are true, and feels bad if “B”, who is a friend, might have kept something from him/her.
59

␣EXPLORING FEELINGS ACTIVITY␣

Acting Out

Objectives

Young people will examine their own relationship to emotions and will develop a

broader vocabulary for expressing feelings.

Time Frame

45 minutes

Materials

Six 6” x 8” index cards

Newsprint

Masking Tape

Multi-Colored Markers

Procedure

1. Have participants form a semi-circle that faces you. Place the newsprint next to

you on a stand. Divide the group in half and distribute six 6” x 8” index cards

with one feeling word written on each card. Evenly distribute the cards so that

half the cards end up on one side of the room and the other half of the cards on

the other side of the room. Feeling words you can use might include:

Happy, Hurt, Excited, Annoyed, Anxious, Sad, Angry, Upset, Tense,

Scared, Proud, Depressed, Nervous, Shy, Elated, Cheerful

2. Instruct the group that everyone will have an opportunity to be both an actor as

well as an observer during the course of the game. Decide which half of the

group will start as actors for the first round, instructing them to stand up and

make sure they have room to move. On the other side of the room are the

observers, who can be seated. Ask the first observer who received a card to hold

it up for the actor to see. The observer should not be looking at the printing on

the card as they are going to guess the word that the actor is acting out. When

the leader says ACTION the actors will convey through body language, gesture,

or sound (no spoken words) the feeling the word that was shown to them. The

observers are to try and guess the word as well as generate as many words as

possible for what they are interpreting from the acting. As the observers call out

words, record them on newsprint. (Even if the group guesses the “correct” word

early, continue the brainstorm for a while, because the aim of this activity is to

generate a list of vocabulary words.

3. Continue for two more rounds with the first observer group, holding up two

more cards and recording the words generated from each round in different

colors. After three rounds, switch so that the observers now become the actors

and the actors become the observers. Repeat the process for three rounds

alternating the color for each round of recorded vocabulary.
60

4. Once done, look at the list of words that were generated. First, clarify it the

word being mimed was stated. If not, see if there are any words that are close to

it. Ask the group to comment on what they observe or take from what they see.

Ask:

• Did you notice any connections or differences between words that were

generated for the same feeling? What do these similarities and differences

mean?

• How did it feel to be “acting out” a feeling? What about the role of body

language and feelings? Do we all show feelings in the same way?

• What did you notice about “reading” feelings? Are their any things to be

aware of regarding our perceptions about what other people might be feeling

in real life situations?

• Any other observations?

5. If it does not come up in the discussion, process the activity by explaining that

when dealing with feelings, it is always wise to ask a person how or what they

are feeling. It is easy to misread what someone might be feeling because of

individual differences. Thus it is important to be careful about assumptions—

two people could express the same feeling with very different words.

6. As a closing activity, have the participants stand in a circle. Ask participants to

imagine that they are an “angry spark” moving through the airwaves. One at a

time, ask them to make a movement that the spark might look like. Don’t think

too much! Just let the body speak! Ask participants to imagine that they are a

“peaceful spark” moving around the circle. Again ask each member to make a

movement that might demonstrate a peaceful spark.

Follow-Up Activities

Writing/Poetry

• Write a comedy about how silly or interesting people can look when they get

angry.

• Write “through the voice of a specific emotion” or personify the feeling of an

emotion itself (rather than writing about behaviors or situations connected to

an emotion).

• Write a poem describing the many nuances of emotion that lead up to an

“outburst.”

Dance/Movement

• Create a choreographed piece from improvisations motivated by a specific

feeling.

• Add words/poetry about an emotion to movement.
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Drama/Theater

• Develop improvisations using an emotion as the backdrop or motivation

(comedies or dramas).

• Research plays with characters who are angry. Perform anger excerpts as focus

for repertory performance.

• Act or improvise “through an emotion itself,” or personify the feeling of the

emotion itself.

Music/Sound

• Develop music or sound pieces that actually reduce or calm aggression. This

approach can inspire a whole exploration around the physiology of anger, and

ways that sound can be used effectively to effect human physiology.

• Use anger as a motivation for exploring and studying cacophony and dissonance. Develop or construct ensemble pieces, or sections of pieces, using this

concept. (This approach is particularly useful with “untrained” musicians.)

• Look for a variety of composers in different styles that exude a feeling in their

music (music appreciation).

Visual Arts

• Share personal feelings about an emotion through drawing. For example,

while the speaker is speaking, the listener free-associates and draws, cuts,

sculpts, paints, or engages in any medium as a response to what the speaker is

sharing. Art can be shared and discussed afterwards.

• Action painting can be a forum to physically and mentally express emotion.

Have participants create action paintings that are based on different emotion

words. Have students discuss how size, mark-making, and color are affected

by the different emotions.

Media Literacy

• Create architectural environments that are designed to either increase frustration (because they are hard to move through) or reduce frustration (calming),

as a way of studying about degrees of anger, and the effect of space on the

human nervous system.

• Develop photographic essays that capture people when they are expressing

particular emotions.
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␣ANGER, AGGRESSION & ASSERTION ACTIVITY␣

Understanding Anger

Objectives

This exercise will introduce the topic of anger. It is not intended to be a one-time

experience, but instead a jumping-off point for further investigations or artistic

expression. The aim of this activity is to introduce the concept and qualities of

assertion as a replacement for aggression in the handling of conflicts. This activity is

an expansion of concepts found in Conflict Resolution in the Middle School: A

Curriculum and Teaching Guide, by William J. Kreidler. Cambridge, MA: Educators

for Social Responsibility, 1994.

Time Frame

50 minutes

Materials

Newsprint

Masking Tape

Multi-colored Markers

Understanding Anger, Handout, page 65

Behaviors of Anger, Handout, page 66

Procedure

1. Ask the large group: “What do you think of or picture when I say the word

ANGER?” Briefly, scan the group and elicit a cross section of responses (often

you will get responses like: people yelling, injury, broken things, crying).

2. Once you’ve exposed the general feeling, say:

“Anger is actually a normal and healthy emotion. When we feel angry it is

usually a signal to us that something is not quite right in a relationship. Maybe

some of our needs are not being met, or we don’t feel supported, or we feel

threatened in some way (are not feeling secure or safe). Also when we get

angry, our bodies have a natural response that is very powerful and sometimes

hard to control. These are some of the things we are going to talk about and

learn in this activity.”

3. Form three groups of about 4 to 7 participants. Provide each group with newsprint, three different colored markers and the Understanding Anger handout.

Ask each group to select a scribe who will be recording for the group, and a

reporter who will present what the group has recorded on the newsprint.

Groups will have ten minutes to think about, discuss and record three areas

relating to anger described in the handout. Review the handout.

4. After answering questions, ask the groups to begin a group discussion.
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5. When time is up, find a “gallery” area in the room to place the newsprint

reports. This can be an open wall area or a portion of the floor where the sheets

can all be placed side-by-side. Ask each group’s presenter to hang/place their

reports next to one another, and ask each group to sit or stand near their report.

6. Give each group’s presenter three minutes to report back to the entire group.

Once all reports have been shared, ask the participants to look at the reports and

to compare or contrast results.

7. Discuss the following with the entire group:

• Why is it important to know what activates our anger?

• Why is it important to understand what the signs of anger are in our bodies?

8. From the material gathered about “what people do” (actions or behaviors)

when they are angry, make note of the three most common ways individuals

handle angry situations. Refer to the Behaviors of Anger handout, and try to find

examples on the newsprint of each of the behaviors indicated by circling them in

a different color.

9. Discuss the following with the entire group of participants:

• Why is it important to understand the difference between aggression and

assertion?

• How do you suppose an “assertive” person looks? (clear focus, calm, arms

down and head straight)

• How do you suppose an “assertive” person speaks? (in a calm and clear voice,

even tones, deliberate but not pushy)

• How do you suppose an “assertive” person stands or approaches the person

they are being assertive with? (feet planted, stand tall, approach calmly and

with a clear focus, look firm but friendly, not hostile)

• Are there ways you can see yourself changing your approach from what you

might not have known was aggressive to assertive?

• What can you take from this exploration about learning to be assertive rather

than aggressive?

10.Remind the group that:

• Acting or speaking in a mean or hostile way is being AGGRESSIVE

• Acting or speaking in a strong or firm way is being ASSERTIVE.

• Understanding how to be assertive instead of aggressive is an important step

in learning to resolve conflicts without fighting.

Follow-Up Activities

Writing/Poetry

• Use journal entries focusing on personal situations to generate stories about

anger, aggression and assertion.

• Write scripts that contrast aggressive and assertive dialogue.
64

Dance/Movement

• Use spatial relationships to explore and reinforce the difference between

aggression and assertion.

• Practice the body language associated with assertion in mini-role plays. Add

words/poetry about being assertive to body messages.

Drama/Theater

• Explore and contrast the differences in the ways people might act or speak

when being aggressive and assertive.

• Practice the body language associated with assertion in mini-role plays. Add

words/poetry about being assertive to body messages.

• Research plays with characters who practiced assertion.

• (More abstract) Act or improvise “through ASSERTION itself”, or personify the

feeling of ASSERTION itself (the self-empowerment and calm quality of it).

Music/Sound

• Relate aggression, avoidance or assertion to time, or metronome, and volume

or timbre (blend) in ensemble playing. (E.g. Aggression = pushing the time,

playing too fast or on top of it, playing to loud or in a way that does not

blend. Avoidance = random or irregular time, not paying attention to blend,

making or missing entrances that disturb the flow of the music. Assertion =

being fully present in the music, time that moves in sync (metronomically), or

volume and timbre that is sensitive to, or adjusted to achieving a blend.

Visual Arts

• Have students collaborate to create found-object totems, one reflecting an

angry spirit, the other an assertive one. Have students discuss what objects

they chose for each. Also have them discuss what care is given to the finish of

the objects (leaving dirt versus polishing, leaving object “as is” versus repairing

or re-using in a different way).

Media Literacy

• Develop radio shows or video essays that explore any aspect of anger, aggression, and assertion.

• Use current events as a springboard for analyzing anger and assertion.
65

␣HANDOUT␣

Understanding Anger

You will have about 10 minutes to think about, discuss and share together as a

group the following three areas regarding anger. The scribe should record responses to each area in a different color, on the newsprint provided.

Signs

How do you know when you are angry? What are the physical feelings or cues you

have in your body that indicate to you that you are frustrated, upset, or getting

angry?

Activators

What stimulates or activates your anger? What types of issues or circumstances

cause you to become angry?

Behaviors

What are some of the things people do when they are angry?
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␣HANDOUT␣

Behaviors of Anger

How do we manage our anger?

Aggression

Externalized Aggression

Verbally, non-verbally, or physically threatening or attacking another person.

Using force in a way that hurts another person or property.

Internalized Aggression

Depression or self-destructive behaviors: over-indulgence in substance, overeating, over-sleeping, compulsive behaviors, self-denial, self “put-downs,” and

guilt.

Covert or Passive Aggression

Giving someone the “cold shoulder”, sabotaging, withholding important

information or feelings, being non-helpful or non-supportive, and possessing

hidden agendas.

Avoidance

Acting as though nothing has happened or as if what’s happened doesn’t matter

when it does. For example, someone insults you and you pretend that you didn’t

hear it, you change the subject, or laugh even though it hurts. Suppression of one’s

own anger can lead to self-destructive, compulsive behaviors or even illness.

Assertion

Letting the person know how you feel in a clear way, without attacking or intending

to hurt or do damage. Express how you feel through “I-Messages”:

“I feel (describe your own emotion) when (describe what happened)

because (describe how what has happened has affected you).”

For example, if another person in your group keeps teasing and picking on you, you

might say:

“I feel really upset when I get teased about my dancing because I put a lot of

time into practice and it makes me not want to dance here anymore.”
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␣SECTION 6␣

Resources
68
69

Partnerships with Community

Organizations

A challenge faced by art organizations attempting to integrate conflict resolution

into arts programs involves finding partners in the efforts to help youth. To develop

and implement strong conflict resolution programs, art organizations should invite

members of other youth-serving organizations to forge better partnerships, and to

learn more about all efforts made to help youth in the community. Partners from

recreational and juvenile institutions, charitable institutions like the YMCA or

Catholic group homes, youth development organizations, personnel from school

districts, mental health centers, and Head Start organizations, the state bar associations, and local community mediation centers are experienced in the teaching and

practice of conflict resolution education.

If you are interested in developing a conflict resolution component for an arts

program, another partnership you may also explore is with a local conflict resolution

educator. They can lend their expertise in the conflict resolution field and help

manage some of the questions that will inevitably occur once the program is

running. You may contact any of the organizations below to find a conflict resolution facilitator in your area:

National Center for Conflict Resolution Education

424 South Second Street

Springfield, IL 67201

Phone: 217-523-7056

Fax: 217-523-7066

Email: info@nccre.org

URL: www.nccre.org

Association for Conflict Resolution

1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW

Washington, D.C. 20036

Phone: 202-667-9700

Fax: 202-667-8629

E-mail: membership@crenet.org

URL: www.acresolution.org

National Association for Community Mediation

1527 New Hampshire Avenue, NW

Washington, DC 20036-1206

Phone: 202-667-9700

Fax: 202-667-8629

Email: nafcm@nafcm.org

URL: www.nafcm.org

Educators for Social Responsibility

23 Garden Street

Cambridge, MA 02138

Phone: 800-370-2515

Phone: 617-492-1764

Fax: 617-864-5164

Email: educators@esrnational.org

URL: www.esrnational.org
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Environarts, Inc.

P.O. Box 2458

Tempe, AZ 85280

Phone: 480-774-9844

Fax: 480-858-9757

URL: www.environarts-inc.com

Community Boards

3130 24th Street

San Francisco, CA 94110

Phone: 415-920-3820

Fax: 415-626-0595

URL: www.communityboards.org

US Department of Justice Office of Community Dispute

Resolution

810 7th Street, NW, Room 6125

Washington, DC 20531

Phone: 202-514-8827

Fax: 202-616-1159

URL: www.usdoj.gov/cdr

International Center for Cooperation and Conflict Resolution

Teachers College at Columbia University

525 West 120th Street

New York, NY 10027

Phone: 212-678-3402

Fax: 212-678-4048 (fax)

URL: www.tc.columbia.edu/iccr

Brunson Consulting

770 Benton Street, #3

Santa Clara, CA 95050

Phone/Fax: 408-247-2964

Email: brunsonconsulting@yahoo.com

Marc Steiner

P.O. Box 4744

Albuquerque, NM 87196

Phone/Fax: 505-256-1060

Email: st:einer@cnsp.com
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The Partnership for Conflict Resolution

Education in the Arts

How have arts programs integrated the ART of Peacemaking training into their

work with youth and the arts?

The following sites participated in the Partnership for Conflict Resolution Education

in the Arts-the Art in Peacemaking workshops. They illustrate how arts programs are

positively impacting the lives of youth and how they are strengthening their work

with youth through conflict resolution education. This report was compiled in part

by Phillip Bloomer, Richard Bodine and Donna Crawford.

Center for Modern Dance Education

Community Arts for Children At-Risk

Hackensack, New Jersey

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

The attendees utilized the Group Problem-Solving model to re-think and re-commit

to their summer program for “at-risk” youth. They developed a training program

incorporating ideas about peaceful conflict resolution for program teachers, all new

staff and volunteers working with the at-risk students in the program. Special

emphasis was placed on tools for deescalating conflict. They have also used mediations during snack time discussions, theatrical re-enactment to highlight alternative

outcomes, expression of aggression through movement studies and using “conflict

word webs,” a brainstorming technique linking related ideas about conflict, for

discussions.

Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center

Youth Arts Program

Seattle, Washington

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

The Langston Hughes Cultural Arts Center initiated a program of conflict resolution

training for youth using theater and acting techniques as the vehicle—some roleplay scenarios and follow-up discussions of techniques for effective resolution. They

also established a more open communication style within the program focusing on

training both staff and youth to enable the exploration of feelings and the avoidance of blame fixing.
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Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs

Gallery 37

Chicago, Illinois

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

Gallery 37 has begun using the positive mirroring technique to de-escalate tense

situations involving the youth employed throughout the program. In an effort to

defuse and redirect disruptive behavior in the Summer Programs, behavior management training seminars using conflict resolution strategies were conducted with new

teaching artists and a re-vamped incident report process now includes a mentoring

component for the individuals whose behavior is cited. The curriculum behind the

Gallery 37 programs has been changed to include a day which focuses on positive

ways apprentice artists can interact with each other and ways for them to effectively

manage their anger toward others.

Delaware Theatre Company

Children at Risk Program

Wilmington, Delaware

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

Conflict resolution principles have become a basic component of the Delaware

Theatre Company’s artist/teacher training. Program participants view conflict and its

resolution as a basic component of playwriting and have incorporated many techniques from the training workshop into the playwriting and acting program that

serve the “at risk” youth. The techniques learned are also utilized on an informal

basis by the DTC’s administrative staff.

San Jose Repertory Theater

Red Ladder Theatre Company

San Jose, California

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

The San Jose Repertory Theater incorporated conflict resolution techniques/information into their existing extensive adult training component of the program. Participants believed that much of their work is of a conflict resolution nature and felt the

training reinforced their work.
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Stopover Services of Newport County

Arts S.O.S.

Middletown, Rhode Island

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

The staff utilizes conflict resolution techniques during the S. O. S. Weekly Playback

Theater rehearsals to discuss the upcoming youth-focused workshops and presentations for the week. They feel they work better together as a result. They have also

integrated conflict resolution activities into their arts program for youth and believe

this to be the area where they have received the most benefit from the Art of

Peacemaking workshop. They have presented a three month long conflict resolution

workshop with each arts group. Arts S. O. S., an after-school arts program for highrisk youth, meets with four different groups once per month for delinquency

prevention workshops. The training was reflected in the following monthly program

themes:

• communication skills and the conflict escalator,

• peacemaking,

• the “how to” of negotiation (in response to the direct requests of the highrisk youth with whom they work).

Boys and Girls Clubs of Metro Atlanta

Youth Art Connection

Atlanta, Georgia

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

The Youth Art Connection has initiated a special arts project that devotes equal time

to learning artmaking and conflict resolution skills. They have also benefited from

the expertise of a youth advocate who was trained in the partnership working with

one of their programs targeted for girls. Additionally, several of the individual

partnering Boys & Girls Clubs whose administrators/coordinators participated in the

Art of Peacemaking workshop are implementing conflict resolution classes or

training peer mediators at their club sites.

Arizona Commission on the Arts

A.P.P.L.E. Core Program

Phoenix, Arizona

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

A follow-up session was conducted at the Roster Artist Symposium to further

explore the efficacy of conflict resolution in the A.P.P.L.E. program. There are

additional follow-up plans targeted toward teaching CR skills to youth participants

in the program. The staff who attended the initial workshop report that they make

considerable use of the communication skills learned, especially the active listening

strategies, and the conflict de-escalation training in anger management. Many of

the attendees also reported that the negotiation training was useful in working with
74

individuals who were disrupting program activities. Many found the group problemsolving process quite useful as a process for involving youth in the planning of group

program activities. The process diminished disruption and arguments and allowed

for more significant participation by more members of the group—that is it seemed

to counteract the tendency of a few to dominate discussion and determine group

direction.

Illusion Theater

Peer Education Program

Minneapolis, Minnesota

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

Staff members have used many of the skills and exercises in their Peer Education

Program in which they work with youth. Although they were already using some

conflict resolution materials in that program, they gained many new tools from the

Art in Peacemaking workshop. They report using exercises and training especially in

the scenes/modeling from their Prevention Plays.

ShenanArts Inc.

Growing Stages Theatre for Youth

Staunton, Virginia

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

ShenanArts has developed two programs focused on conflict resolution and peacemaking through the community:

• Peacemakers’ Theatre: The Theatre is a ten-week workshop program

conducted with three Augusta County High School groups. The schools

developed three short one-act pieces on Conflict Resolution using conflict

resolution and transformation as the core of improvisational explorations. The

pieces were based on actual incidents at each high school, and performed

together as an evening of theatre for the public in March 2001. The program

is scheduled to continue and expand.

• Silence the Violence: This program was commissioned by the United Way of

Harrisonburg/Rockingham County to develop a 50-minute touring piece on

the prevention of violence in the community. The finished script has been

mounted in a touring production by youth for the community.
75

Lane Arts Council

YouthArts

Eugene, Oregon

How has conflict resolution education been integrated?

The Art of Peacemaking materials and training experience have been a valued and

adaptable training development resource. The YouthArts program coordinators have

infused effective communication and community building concepts, techniques, and

activities into a range of six artist, youth, partner and broader community workshops held over the past two years. Activities that build skills in effective communication and lead to cooperative problem-solving have been especially beneficial to

the artists and teen-team assistants working in the ArtConnection summer programs in twelve of the rural Lane County communities. Our ArtsConnection partners have reported experiencing smoother operations and better working relationships among the artists and teen-team summer staff. YouthArts coordinators have

also incorporated Art of Peacemaking strategies and techniques in their work with

community partners to collaboratively manage programming and develop resources.

This has been useful in nurturing effective and mutually respectful working relationships that are essential to their goal of positively impacting youth through the arts.
76

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This document is supported by a joint project between the National Endowment for

the Arts and the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency

Prevention. The opinions, findings and conclusions or recommendations expressed in

this publication are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the

National Endowment for the Arts and Department of Justice. Award No. 98MU-SFXK001, awarded by the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, funded

this project. The Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention is a component

of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Assistance,

the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, and the Office for

Victims of Crime.