De-escalation and Conflict Resolution Training 2/10/2015

Reel Works in Schools SONYC program at West Prep Acadmy Last Tuesday morning Reel Works’ teaching artists from Reel Works in Schools SONYC program at West Prep Academy headed to Midtown to attend a Ramapo for Children workshop focused on how to de-escalate conflicts in middle school environments. David Richmond, Caitlin Gibbons, and Orges Bakalli joined program directors, managers, group leaders, and teaching artists from various organizations around the New York area for the 3-hour training. The session began by creating a community agreement in which the phrase “Don’t Yuck My Yum” was discussed; meaning what is good for me may not be good for you, and vice versa. The phrase offered a point of entry for an open discussion on various conflicts in each individuals’ program. After fleshing out each conflict, the group worked on how to effectively de-escalate these conflicts. Trainees learned about the conflict cycle, the building blocks for success, the differences between consequences and punishments, and the six steps for crisis intervention. Reel Works staff gave it a big thumbs up!Jess DeCarolis