The Students for Peace initiative is a youth violence prevention program that is implemented as a pilot project. It was first introduced to Romulus High School and River Rouge High School in 2012. It began as an initiative to determine if we could reduce violence in schools and create a culture of calm. Upon meeting with the principals they agreed to be the first to implement. The program was active for 30 days. The principals, staff, and students of both schools, expressed visible, positive impact on student behavior. They reported there were no incidents of violence on the 22nd and the number of fights dropped significantly in both schools.
In Spring 2015, Principal Sean Waters of Carver Academy contacted our organization regarding the violence in his school and asked if we would implement the program. He stated that 91% of his students had been suspended for fighting. Once again, we agreed to try it for 30 days along with the competing school Emerson elementary. Once again our goal was to test the program's influence on reducing violence. The results were amazing. Please view outcomes on video page. Over 1500 students have participated in the Students for Peace initiative since 2016.
After finalizing the full year competition, Ecorse High reported the most significant reduction. Principal Kenneth Mcphaul reports that fights and suspensions were cut from 47 to 23, a 50% reduction for the 2018-2019. Robichaud Principal Melanie Learst also reported a decrease from 19 fights to 12.