SAVE January 16

Student-run SAVE program aims to deter youth violence

By Dori O'Neal

Herald staff writer

Student-run SAVE program aims to deter youth violence

By Dori O'Neal
Herald staff writer

Two years ago, Kennewick High freshman Nickole Evans and a friend were walking down the street when two boys shot them with BB guns.

Evans was struck in the side with a BB, and her friend was hit in the head. The wounds were not serious, but the behavior definitely was something Evans worried about. When several students were killed last year at Columbine High School in Colorado, she decided to take some action of her own.

Evans, along with equally concerned teen-ager Eli Johnston, got involved with Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE). The national organization, which originated nine years ago in Seattle, is an action-oriented violence prevention program for students in kindergarten through high school.

The newly formed Tri-City Chapter of SAVE, of which Evans is president, hosted its regional get-together this weekend in Kennewick.

"I don't want what happened at Columbine High School to happen again," Evans said. "SAVE is an organization devoted to putting a stop to violence by empowering all students with the resources and support they need to stand against it. Things are changing already, but it's far from over."

The leadership retreat is being held at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church in Kennewick. Eighteen teen-agers from around the Mid-Columbia met at noon Sunday for an overnight retreat. The focus of the get-together discussions were violence in schools and ways in which to deter it. The event is co-sponsored by Mothers Against Violence Everywhere, the Benton Franklin Volunteer Center, Contact Helpline, RECA Foundation, Food Pavilion, Costco and members of the Unitarian Church.

The retreat ends at 1 p.m. today when the students take part in the Martin Luther King Jr. bell-ringing ceremony at Columbia Basin College.

The group's goal is to empower kids to be efficient facilitators and enable them to be effective when taking action against violence in their schools and communities. Other objectives in the program include learning ways to reduce violent youth behavior and promote healthy lifestyles, increase social and refusal skills, to instill respect for others as well as the environment and to increase positive identity and sense of purpose to everyone.

"Communication skills are so important to learn at a young age," Evans said. "And kids should be able to learn how to help each other during difficult times without being put down for it. Kids are always going to have to deal with peer pressure, but SAVE is one resource that makes it a little less stressful."

Evans said anyone interested in joining the Tri-City Chapter of SAVE can call her at 736-0853.

Kennewick student
organizes
group to help stop violence
'everywhere'

by Shirley Wentworth

Herald Basin bureau

Saturday

December 18, 1999

Tri-City Herald

Reporter

Shirley Wentworth can be reached

in Othello at

509-488-0657 or

via e-mail at

swentworth@cbnn.net

In the aftermath of Columbine High School, Nickole Evans didn't know what to do.But when the 15-year-old Kennewick High School student searched the Internet with her mother, she knew she'd hit the right thing when she found the Wed site for Mothers Against Violence in America, or MAVIA, a national organization dedicated to preventing violence.
"I was really affected by Columbine," Evans said."The thing that hurt the most was that the shootings started in Moses Lake - in our state."Evans contacted MAVIA's Seattle headquarters and found out how to start a Students Against Violence everywhere chapter in the Tri-Cities. The organization applied and received $15,000 from the state to help start chapters in Tri-Cities, Moses Lake and Wenatchee.
Evans asked her friend Eli Johnson, 14, if he'd help her start the chapter.
   "He seemed like a peacemaker," she said.
    She said she envisions a big Tri-City chapter and is looking for ways to get more people involved. About 708 students have signed up to attend a student ant-violence group training session scheduled for Martin Luther King Jr. Day, January 17, at Kennewick's Unitarian Universalist Church.
    The training uses group exercises and activities to teach students how to deal with stress, conflict, anger and drugs without violence. Parents, too, should be educated about the challenges their children fact, said Jenny Wieland, student anti-violence group director. For instance, they learn what to tell their children to do if someone with a gun comes around, she said.
Her 17 year-old daughter was killed when an acquaintance showing off with a gun put it to her head and pulled the trigger. Wieland said she had discussed just about everything with her daughter except guns.
Students do want to talk, and they do want to stop violence, she said.
A certain apathy is settling back amongst adults now that the columbine incident is months old, she said. Adults are more likely to go for quick fixes like asking for more police officers or metal detectors, she said.
     Students in the group make their own assessments about their schools and what kind of problems they think need be addressed. They tailor their local programs to fit their needs.
MAVIA was founded in Seattle in 1994 and has 112 chapters in 18 states. There are 74 chapters of the student anti-violence group in Washington, but most are on the west side.
   To learn more about MAVIA, call 800-897-7697 or check out its Web site at www.mavia.org.
   To learn more about the Tri-Cities' new student anti-violence group program, contact    Nickole Evans at nickole@tcfn.org

12/10/99

Tri-City Herald

School briefs - complied by the Herald staff

Tri-City students invited to confront violence

High school students from the Tri-Cites are invited to attend a two-day leadership retreat in January to learn about projects that will help promote peace at their schools. The retreat is sponsored by Students Against Violence Everywhere. It will be Jan. 16 and 17at Community Unitarian Univeralist Church, 619 W. Albany St. in Kennewick. Organizers Nickole Evans of Kennewick High School and Eli Johnston of Park Middle School are recruiting two to four students from each high school to participate. For information or to sign up, call 543-2910 or e-mail Nickole@tcfn.org. Deadline is Jan. 3.

Cadette and Senior Beacon - Girl Scouts of Mid-Columbia Council

January Edition of the Bulletin

Nickole Evans is a Senior Girl Scout and will be using the experience in putting together the SAVE retreat for her Gold Award.

S.A.V.E.
Students Against Violence Everywhere

RECA Foundation, the Community Unitarian Universalist Church, M.A.V.I.A. ( Mothers Against Violence In America) and the Seattle Chapter of S.A.V.E. (Students Against Violence Everywhere) are sponsoring a S.A.V.E Leadership Retreat January 16 and 17, 2000. Students attending will have an opportunity to learn about projects and programs that promote peace. Those programs may be implemented in local high schools. The young men and women participating in the retreat should be willing to share conference materials from each of the area high schools. The retreat will end with the 9th Annual Martin Luther King Celebration at Columbia Basin College. All registration and/or information requests must be directed to Nickole Evans at 509-543-2910 Where: community Unitarian Universalist Church. Please R.S.V..P. by January 3, 2000.

The Communitarian

Community Unitarain Universalist Church - January 2000

SAVE Retreat for King Weekend
Come celebrate Martin Luther King Weekend: Eli Johnston and Nickole Evans have organized a regional leadership retreat for SAVE (Students Against Violence Everywhere). Youth are encouraged to come for the Sunday service where Blues will be played, afterwards a lunch will be served (PIZZA anyone?) with retreat to start by 1:00. UU Youth and Adults that are interested in learning more about starting a chapter of Students Against Violence Everywhere in their local school need to register with Nickole or Eli, or just e-mail REVAns@tcfn.org. Register early, we can only host 60 youth and 20 adults.
The Retreat will end with youth participating in the Columbia Basin College MLK 9th annual bell ringing at 12:00 on Monday January 17, 2000. For a registration packet and more information please contact Ronda Evans at 736-0853.

1/15/00

Tri-City Herald

School briefs - complied by the Herald staff

Youth anti-violence conference set for Kennewick
The Students Against Violence Everywhere, SAVE., leadership retreat for high school students, from Wenatchee, Quincy, Othello, Walla Walla, and the Tri-City area, begins at noon Sunday at the Community Unitarian Universalist Church, 617 Albany Drive in Kennewick. this overnight retreat ends Monday at 1p.m. after the participants take part in a ceremony honoring Martin Luther King Jr. at the Columbia Basin College.
At the retreat, students will participate in workshops and learning leadership activities that will help them take action against violence in their schools and communities. Students interested can register at the door Sunday.
The event is sponsored by Mothers Against Violence Everywhere (MAVIA) Benton Franklin Volunteer Center, Contact Helpline, Realizing Every Community Asset Foundation (RECA), Food Pavilion, Costco and members of the Community Unitarian Universalist Church.