March 19, 2007, Philadelphia, PA—The Anti-Violence Partnership of Philadelphia was recently awarded a $20,000 grant from the Chestnut Hill Health Care Foundation to implement the Student Anti-Violence Education (SAVE) program in two Northwest Philadelphia elementary schools. SAVE Counselors will conduct weekly, curriculum based, lessons at Francis D. Pastorius and Henry H. Houston Schools. The program will reach a total of about 400 students in the 4th & 5th grades.

The 16 week, highly participatory SAVE program is based on the public health model of violence prevention. The premise of this model is that violence is a learned behavior and alternatives to violence can also be learned-- not through a single program or activity, but through a barrage of interventions that are sustained over time. "Children are exposed to senseless and brutal acts of violence in real life, which are then steadily reinforced by television, music and movies. With children surrounded by these models of violent behavior, it is no surprise that they come to accept violence as an appropriate way to resolve disputes. Through the SAVE program, youth are taught skills of communication, anger management and nonviolent conflict resolution," explained Julie Rausch, Executive Director of The Anti-Violence Partnership.

"This program is very timely. Many of our students' first response to frustration or perceived threat is to physically lash out. Students need to learn strategies and alternatives to replace violent responses," said Louis Di Cesari, a counselor at Pastorius.

Student Anti-Violence Education (SAVE) was created in 1991. Since its inception, SAVE counselors have provided anti-violence training to over 20,000 children and youth in Philadelphia. SAVE is a program of The Anti-Violence Partnership, a nonprofit organization working to end the violence in Philadelphia. The Anti-Violence Partnership (AVP) provides a range of violence prevention and victim support services. For digital photography of the program please contact Jennifer Drass 215.438.9070.