While the media tends to over play the drama of school violence problems, it’s not all hype. There is a real problem of violence and fear in our schools.

     There are many good and necessary solutions in place.

     Some solutions have undesirable side effects. The side effects of some solutions are unacceptable over time. No one solution will solve the whole problem. People cannot rely on authorities alone to keep them safe and foster the sense of security required for focusing on other things, e.g. academics, work tasks, problem solving. Our population is becoming increasingly diverse in its cultures, ethnicity, religions, race, sexual orientations and learning styles, abilities, and needs. People need tools to help them get along with each other without necessarily agreeing with each other or liking each other. People feel more secure when they are equipped with skills to solve problems. There is no program currently available that fosters cooperation without a total reliance on a central authority to mandate compliance and punish misbehaviors and/or on altruistic motivation through the understanding and acceptance of another person’s world-view.

     In "LIVE... AND LET LIVE" workshops participants will learn to cooperate with each other, to minimize the potential for violence and feel more secure. The "Live … and Let Live" program is based on a theory of Cooperation developed and tested by Political Scientist Robert Axelrod, Institute of Public Policy Studies, University of Michigan.