MANSFIELD — Tom Hager knows you can’t have peace without patience and self-control.
The principal at Malabar Intermediate School also knows these skills are a struggle for many youngsters.
“Our students are very reactionary. They’re very impulsive. They don’t think and we need to change that culture,” he said.
Malabar is piloting a new program to support students who may not always slow down and think through the consequences.
The program pairs at-risk fifth and sixth graders with community mentors who meet with them twice a month to focus on social and emotional skills.
“Each community member has three or four kids they meet with,” Hager said. “They they teach de-escalation strategies, coping skills, empathy and promote unity and acceptance.”
Starting next month, participating students and their families will also be invited to monthly dinners, hosted in different locations throughout the community.
“Our mission will be to foster positive relationships with students and their families,” Hager said. “We don’t want to lecture or preach. We want to build trust.”
‘It takes a village’
There are currently about 24 students involved in the program. Hager said that number will continue to grow based on the resources and volunteers available.
His objective is to have the community mentors “move up” with students, continuing to support them through middle and high school.
“I will tell you now it’s going to be a challenge. We’re all very busy. We all have things to do, but we have to make this commitment,” Hager said.
“We can sit up here and we can talk, but it’s going to take everybody in our community. We need people to connect with with students.”
Several area pastors have signed on to support the effort.
They include William Jordan of Faith Temple Church, Louis Blevins of Latter Rain Church, Renea Collins of Kingdom Grace Fellowship, Mark Cobb of Providence Baptist Church, Aaron Williams of Maddox Memorial Church, Jesse Rider of Crossroads and Crossroads campus director Doug Taylor.
Hager said students have already met twice with their mentors. All of them have received permission from a parent or guardian to participate.
Williams, who also works as a security guard at the school, said many of the parents he’s spoken to embraced the idea, saying their child would benefit from a positive adult role model.
“It takes a village and we want to be a part of that village,” Collins said.
“One of the things that I’m hopeful of is that we will be able to model for the children another way. Sometimes children just mimic what they’ve always seen. If we can be a presence and show them a different way, I think that’ll go a long way with bringing peace.”
Hager said the school will need additional volunteers and resources from the community to expand the program.
“The list (of students) is going to grow, but we can’t grow unless we have more support,” he said.
“If we could have 30, 40 kids connected with an adult all the way up through high school, maybe we’re going to save some of these kids’ lives.”
Peace on My Block
The Malabar effort is part of district-wide initiative Peace on My Block, which aims to promote a culture of non-violence among Mansfield youth.
Peace on My Block was first conceived by Brigitte Coles and Angel Singleton of We ACT. The district adopted it this year amid rising gun violence deaths in the city.
Banners now hang throughout the district urging peace on every block and in every classroom.
Teachers speak with students weekly about healthy conflict resolution. They also wear matching red t-shirts to represent the blood spilled from gun violence.
Supt. Stan Jefferson said schools throughout the district are finding additional ways to promote peace based on the needs of their student population.
Pastor Louis Blevins said he believes the added support is crucial for today’s youth, many of whom come from single parent homes.
“They are dealing with trauma and trauma brings about a lot of things, a lot of reactions,” he said.
