Violence Prevention

TFS addresses violence prevention through: instructor training, curriculum design, parental engagement, and partnerships, including neighborhood law enforcement. Our Life Skills curriculum, parent engagement, and partnership elements are underpinned by ongoing research-based training, including trauma informed care, toxic stress, awareness of emotional triggers and de-escalation techniques, and training regarding mandatory reporting of abuse and neglect.

Advancing Youth Development (AYD) training provides instructors with the tools to help students have voice and choice and take ownership of their own learning, providing them a sense of empowerment. TFS engages Thandor Miller, a Youth Development Specialist and Master Facilitator of Youth Work Practice, to lead AYD sessions. Program partner DC Alliance of Youth Advocates provides workshops that build TFS’ staff cultural competence and understanding of our target population. Traumatic stress training gives instructors insights into issues our students face and explains to some degree why we may see them exhibit unsafe behaviors, while also providing theoretical and practical training on how to safely de-escalate students when they are displaying aggressive or violent behaviors.

Additionally, all instructors receive mandatory reporter training, with evidence-based training on signs of abuse and neglect, provided by the Safe Shores the DC Children’s Advocacy Center, which is dedicated to working with and advocating for children and adolescents affected by trauma and violence.

TFS staff training, curriculum, partnerships, and parental engagement all work together to prevent violence and to ensure the safety and security of all TFS participants.

For more information about The Fishing School and to get involved, please visit www.fishingschool.org, or call (202) 399-3618.

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