[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 146 (2000), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages 16940-16941]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]



       IN HONOR OF THE 10TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT YOUTH CONGRESS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. DENNIS J. KUCINICH

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 27, 2000

  Mr. KUCINICH. Mr. Speaker, today I honor the 10th Congressional 
District Youth Congress, whose work on school violence is an inspiring 
vision of the potential for peace in the human spirit. The tireless 
work of these students stands as a testament to the ability of youth to 
lay the foundation for long lasting peace in our schools and 
communities.
  The 10th Congressional District Youth Congress convened in 1998 to 
work on advancing democratic principles by involving youth in 
activities to improve their schools and communities. Providing an open 
forum for discussion, the Youth Congress brings students together to 
establish themselves as a strong voice in community issues and 
initiatives.
  A student run organization, the Youth Congress is an advocate for 
parent and community participation in shaping students to reach their 
maximum potential. The Youth Congress endeavors to embrace and promote 
all forms of diversity in race, religion, gender, and sexual 
orientation, and works to bring understanding and acceptance to every 
aspect of local schools and communities. The students work to achieve 
these goals through promoting nonviolent organizing principles, and 
encouraging their schools to actively embrace peace.
  Concerned about the overwhelming presence of violence in their 
schools and a growing intolerance for diversity, the Youth Congress 
conducted a year long study of all aspects of violence, including 
peaceful resolutions. The students assembled a district-wide

[[Page 16941]]

coalition of public officials, police forces, school administrators, 
teachers and parents, to form a network of experience, expertise, and 
idea exchange. Drawing on this wealth of knowledge, the Youth Congress 
drafted a resolution to encourage and inspire action by their school 
administrators and the government officials.
  The action points of the resolution are as follows:
  We, the Students of the 10th Congressional District Youth Congress, 
for our safety and continued growth as problem solvers, critical 
thinkers, and involved citizens, urge you to adopt the following 
policies and programs:
  Establish a core curriculum throughout all high schools on conflict 
resolution and diversity education. This program should devote time 
evenly to nonviolent conflict resolution training and in-depth studies 
of diversity training and acceptance. The diversity training should 
include, but not be limited to, studies of the civil rights movement, 
gay and lesbian issues, native American history, a study of the 
Holocaust, and a wide range of cultural and ethnic education studies.
  Implement peer mediation and other proven student-to-student problem-
solving initiatives.
  Form a parent/student advisory board and task force charged with 
development and promotion of honor codes and disciplinary policies. The 
advisory board and task force will work to increase parent education 
and establish workshops to help parents teach and support nonviolent 
and cooperative problem-solving for families and communities.
  Establish student review boards with oversight of honor codes and 
disciplinary policies. The review board will also promote on-going 
conflict resolution awareness and training for all students and staff.
  Establish a policy that no student be removed from the student 
population without due process, and a plan for the student's eventual 
reentry or a clear and specific action plan for the student and family.
  Review the role of uniformed and non-uniformed police officers as 
well as security staff. Promote the role of police and security as 
facilitators or models of effective conflict resolution. Police 
officials should be resources to encourage students and staff to 
respect differences, as well as being informed liaisons with youth- and 
family-serving organizations in the community.
  Work to reduce class size to create an atmosphere conducive to 
appropriate learning and one that is less prone to create conflict.
  Provide access to mental health services, through creative 
partnerships with community-based health and mental health providers. 
Establish the presence in all schools of a full range of mental health 
services for students and staff. Special emphasis should be placed on 
continuing staff training, assessment and mental health counseling for 
all students and families, and establishing strong links with community 
social service agencies.
  Pass reasonable and uniform gun control laws within our cities, 
including registration and safety lock laws.
  Study the impact of a culture that among other things, has sold 
violence as entertainment and promotes insensitivity to human 
suffering. Encourage print and electronic news media to balance their 
coverage of tragedy, terror, death and disaster with attention to the 
aspects of human existence that ennoble, enrich and empower students, 
families and communities and in doing so begin to tell new stories 
about all of us.
  The students and youth of the Cleveland area will play a significant 
role in replacing our culture of violence with a culture of peace. The 
model they set forth this day can be used as a model in cities all 
across our nation.
  My fellow colleagues, please join me in honoring the work of the 10th 
Congressional District Youth Congress, as these students continue to 
lead the way in establishing long lasting peace in our schools and 
communities.

                          ____________________