The third event in the series Bullying – Changing the Culture will be Tuesday, January 29, 6:45 to 9 p.m. in the Community Room of the Princeton Public Library. Jane Martin, an area psychotherapist who focuses on nonviolent communication, restorative justice, and healing in place of punishment, will talk about the “Third Wave” approach to bullying and will lead an interactive workshop. The bullying series is co-sponsored by Princeton Public Library and Not in Our Town.
Subtitled: Transcending Punishment: the Healing Approach to Bullying, the workshop will get to the heart of what Ted Wachtel, author of “Real Justice,” says “As a society, we do not intend to hurt children, but we often respond to wrongdoing with punishment. Those in power operate under the false expectation that punishment causes children to change their ways.”
Jane Martin is a licensed professional counselor at Volition Wellness Solutions, a holistic wellness center in Skillman. She works with families and children, especially teens and young adults, and her parenting workshop on discipline has been given in churches, schools, and at the Omega Institute. For 10 years she has consulted in school and retreat settings implementing Social Pathways, a bullying prevention program that relies on healing rather than punishment. She is also currently involved with ReTribe, an organization that runs deep healing retreats for teens to help them emerge into their full potential.The series began in the fall 2011 by showing and discussing the documentary, Light in the Darkness, which focuses on the community soul searching of Patchogue, NY, after the murder of an Ecuadorian immigrant by a gang of white teenagers. In spring 2012 for the “Bystanders Dilemma” we used skits and interaction with the audience to examine the role of the bystander in bullying situations.
Not in Our Town hopes to continue the series to include a program focusing on the person being bullied, and, subsequently a community discussion about what kinds of bullying happen in Princeton, how the children exhibiting the bullying behavior are dealt with, and how we can all help in ameliorating the situation. Surely the goal of all of us is to find the best way to raise thoughtful children who can live comfortably in community.
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All Are Invited to Participate