Hill '68, a teacher and psychologist, received a $25,000 Wall Service Award that will fund a violence prevention program at five San Francisco area homeless shelters. The Jump Start workshops teach people of all ages to work out conflicts instead of fighting. Developed in 1988 for use in schools, the program uses violence prevention as a framework forteaching negotiation skills, unlearning racism, and deconstructing the cultural biases that underlie other forms of prejudice. Participants learn how to think critically about why we use violence to defed self-respect in our culture, and to explore other ways of de-escalating tense situations.
Hill says that homeless shelters bring together in close proximity some of the most stressed and least valued people in our society--and many of those people are children. Research has shown, Lorie says, that children who witness someone getting hurt suffer significant trauma. Her goal is to help prevenet new trauma among these children and adults by helping them manage and handle conflict.
An interracial team of facilitators leads the workshos, which use powerful exercies, role-playing, skits, films, and conversations, all designed for the developmental level of the participants.
"If my work creates change in one life, and that person can turn around and teach one other person how to live in a safe and respectful way, that is what this work is about for me," says Hill.
