Description
The Help Increase the Peace Program (HIP) is an experiential training program designed to encourage young people to explore their world and how violence plays a part in it. Through activities which build community, break down stereotypes, and teach communication skills, HIPP teaches children habits of nonviolence they can bring to an increasingly violent world.
The Help Increase the Peace Program (HIPP) began in Syracuse, NY in 1991 through the American Friends Service Committee?s Youth Empowerment Project. Since that time, HIP has expanded to 19 states around the country, working with youth and the adults in their lives to reduce violence and intolerance in schools and communities.
HIP is a dynamic, interactive and engaging program based on dialogue and active learning, rather than didactic methodology. Through three-day workshops and follow-up activities, participants build skills for responding to conflicts without violence, analyze the impact of societal injustice on their lives and the lives of others, and work on taking action for positive, nonviolent personal and social change. The three HIPP workshops?Basic, Advanced, and Training for Facilitators?are designed for increasing levels of skill development. Participants have the opportunity to complete the series and become HIPP facilitators themselves. Follow-up activities help participants move from envisioning personal and social change, to taking action for change.
HIP happens in schools, community centers, youth programs, juvenile detention centers, and substance abuse prevention programs. It has been done with young mothers, with youth who have dropped out or been expelled from school, and with feuding gang members. It has been used to bring youth together across racial and class lines.
HIP workshops focus on the Head, Heart and Hand:
- Head?Participants analyze the root causes of violence and identify their options.
- Heart?HIPP workshops build community through laughter, fun, and shared experience, focusing on self-awareness, self-esteem, empathy and listening skills.
- Hand?Participants develop tangible skills in cooperation, communication, and conflict resolution.
