November Calendar Resources

Stop Violence - Try Mediation

According to the National Crime Prevention Council, mediation has helped to reduce violence in neighborhoods and in schools. Using peers as mediators – a process known as "peer mediation" – is a popular way of handling conflicts and preventing violence in middle school and high schools. Schools using this process recruit and train students interested in being peer mediators. Guidance counselors or other trained professionals teach the young mediators how to listen to both sides of an argument, offer unbiased impressions, and help students in conflict find a workable solution to their problem.

For more detailed information on peer to peer mediation:
National Crime Prevention Council www.ncpc.org
National Peer Helpers Association www.peerhelping.org

Provided by Youth in Action, National Youth Network

Wipe Out Smoking Month and The Great American Smokeout Day (November 20)

RESOURCES - Call these agencies for brochures, posters, and help in planning your events.

Florida N-O-T (Not on Tobacco) Regional Coordinator
Terry Williams
407-425-5864
twilliams@alacf.org
American Cancer Society     1-800-ACS-2345
American Lung Association 1-800-586-4872
Gearing Up to Stop Smoking 1-800-428-6100
Nicotine-Free Teens www.nicotinefreekids.org
Stop Teen Addiction to Tobacco www.stat.org
QuitNet www.quitnet.org
(If you would like free QuitNet flyers to distribute, please call 617-437-1500 or e-mail info@jointogether.org.)
Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids   www.tobacco-freekids.org
The American Legacy Foundation   www.thetruth.com

SADD Buckle Up Challenge (November 1-November 30)

SADD chapters need to make their peers' seat belt use a high priority. We need to do all we can to increase seat belt use by young people. The following is a list of activities that SADD chapters in other schools have conducted.

Conduct seat belt checks. One day without warning hold a seat belt check at the entrances to your school. Stop all cars entering the school grounds to check for seat belt use. Give a candy bar to those who were wearing their seat belt and give a note to those who were not that says, "Please buckle up." Keep count of the number of people who wore their seat belts and the number who did not. Conduct seat belt checks again in the following months to see if more people are buckling up. Try a seat belt check when students are leaving school, too. Your goal is 100% participation!
Put license plate numbers of all drivers who are buckled up coming into school in a hat for a drawing to win prizes such as a pizza party or ice cream sundae party.
In between seat belt checks put up posters, hand out literature, and read PSAs over the public address system to remind everyone to buckle up.
Erect a chart in the lobby of your school or out on the front lawn tracking the numbers as they increase. Design the chart in the shape of a seat belt. Indicate the number of seat belt users from the first seat belt check and continue to paint in the progress as you go.
Obtain permission from your administration to paint buckle up messages at the entrances and exits of your schools.
The Quick Click Buckle Challenge, which emphasizes the ease of putting on and taking off seat beats, is a fun way to get people to wear their seat belts. Winning teams can even compete with teams from other schools or challenge teachers to a "belt-off." Providing awards to the winners adds more fun to the competition.

National Youth Appreciation Week (November 10-16)

Youth Appreciation Week is designed to encourage a greater exchange of ideas between young people and adults. Youth Appreciation Week offers your club the opportunity to make a community impact by holding one or more worthwhile, fun events that involve both adults and children.

Your Youth Appreciation Week program can include:

An awards ceremony or a dinner for a few top students.
Offer to be a delivery service for students and teachers who want to send an anonymous “thank you” to someone for something that s/he did that was positive and helpful.
Sell lollipops, flowers, etc with handmade “appreciation” notes attached to them.
Invite everyone to perform random acts of kindness.

For additional information, please contact Optimist International Programs Department by email at programs@optimist.org, or call 800-500-8130, extension 224.
http://www.optimist.org/default.cfm?content=members/mbrcdpa10.htm

National Family Week (November 23-29)

The National Family Week website provides information on all aspects of planning and implementing a National Family Week celebration. Visit the following site for more details http://www.nationalfamilyweek.org/

National Family Volunteer Day (November 22)

National Family Volunteer Day is designed to showcase the benefits of families working together, to introduce community service, and encourage those who haven't yet made the commitment to volunteer as a family. National Family Volunteer Day is held the Saturday before Thanksgiving and kicks off National Family Week.

Volunteering as a family provides quality time, strengthens communication, and provides opportunities for family members to be role models, while making significant contributions to their communities. This year, communities around the country will be working with families, corporations, non-profits and Volunteer Centers to make family volunteering a national tradition. http://pointsoflight.org/programs/seasons/nfvd