Education Authority Y Box Doc

ACTIVITY: TRAFFIC LIGHTS

Example Story: PLEASE USE AN ALTERNATIVE STORY BASED ON THE AGE AND ABILITY OF THE GROUP OR INDIVIDUAL “The Line” The ‘Top lads’ and the ‘Bottom lads’ had been at it for as long as anyone could remember. It was just what you did. You stuck with your side. You backed your mates. You didn’t let the other lot get one over on you. Every few years it would die down, then spark up again — sometimes from a cheeky comment online, sometimes a bad tackle in a football match, or someone vandalising a wall or a bench that “belonged” to one side. The stories of old fights were told like legends, passed down from older brothers and uncles. And the younger ones listened, soaking it all in. This summer, things had boiled over again. It started small — a few scraps here and there. But now, the lads were meeting two or three times a week for fights. “Fair digs,” they called them, though they were rarely fair. Phones were always out, filming, posting, mocking. John was fifteen. He lived with Mum as Dad was in prison for a violent crime. John witnessed his Dad treating his Mum badly as he grew up. There was regular violence at home and on the streets. It was normal. He’d been part of these fights for a couple of summers now, known as one of the best fighters in his group. He used to like the rush of it — the noise, the respect, the way older lads nodded at him after a good swing. But lately, things had changed. He’d started seeing a girl, wanted to do better at school, and had promised his mum he was done with fighting. He’d already been arrested twice. One more slip, the police said, and he’d be facing real trouble. Then came the message: “Everyone TURN UP TONIGHT OR ELSE.” A boy from the Bottom of the Town had been cornered and bullied the night before. Payback time. The plan was simple: meet at the shops, grab what they needed, then head to the old car park to fight. John didn’t want to go.

He could already hear what the others would say if he didn’t: “Gay” “Traitor” “Doesn’t have our back.” So, he went. At the shops, someone opened a bag — inside were weapons. A hammer. A knife. A few batons. John froze. The air changed. A few lads looked uncomfortable, but no one spoke up. He was handed a stick. It felt heavy — heavier than it should have. As they started walking, his phone buzzed. It was his girlfriend. “Where are you?” He told her. “If you go through with this, I’m done. I can’t be with someone who doesn’t care if he ends up in hospital or jail. Please, John.” He stared at the screen. His chest felt tight. When they reached the meeting point, he saw the other group. They were bigger, older, and one had a dog straining at the leash. The leader of John’s crew shouted, “Stick together and get stuck in!” Then chaos.

CORE COMPETENCY 1 AND/OR 2

Type: Group (could be modified for individual)

Aim: To reduce interpersonal violence Objective: To explore feasible alternatives to violent behaviour Methodology: The facilitator begins by explaining the theme of the session-exploring violence and looking for alternatives. The facilitators highlights that during the session, everyone will first be given a snippet of a story. The story is true and taken from a young man who engaged in research on male youth violence. Everyone is given a section of the story and asked to read their snippet aloud; each person in turn; 1, 2, 3… Ask no one to interrupt during the first telling of the story. Once the story has been fully read, the facilitator divides the participants into two or three teams (depending on numbers). The facilitator advises the teams that they can earn points using a traffic light system. If they correctly identify a red, amber or green area, they are awarded different points. Red =2 Amber =1 Green = 3 Combination of red and green =5

Shouting. Running. Metal clashing. Phones out, filming.

The facilitator provides the teams with red, amber and green coloured pages. The facilitator uses the same story and reads through again to the group

John swung once, missed, then saw one of his own mates on the ground, bleeding from his head. Another was crying, trying to drag him away. It wasn’t pride anymore — it was panic. By the end, people were in ambulances. Videos, spread online before anyone even made it home. And when the police came knocking the next morning, John didn’t even fight it. He just sat there, staring at the floor. Now, weeks later, he sat in the juvenile office again. His mum beside him, eyes red. He kept thinking about that night and previous nights and the choices he made and/or didn’t make.

The facilitators advise the teams to lift their red sheet when they see imminent danger/threat or point of intervention within the story; they are asked to lift their amber sheet if there is the potential for danger/threat; lift their green sheet if they see a possible point of intervention and have a solution; and lift both red and green if they see the threat and have a solution. As the facilitator reads slowly, they carefully observe who is raising the coloured pages.

As pages are lifted, the story is paused and the teams are asked for their input. Scores are awarded if the intervention points are successfully identified.

The facilitator appraises possible alternative carefully, ensuring they are actually feasible and clarifying with the young men how realistic their alternatives would be in real life or what skills/support they would need to use them. This can form the basis of later skills work.

Tools required: Coloured pages A story

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