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Teaching boys to maintain the peace "One day, some boys and I were working on a bike," Brother Robb Carter recalls, "and one of the boys told me about a fight he had witnessed the night before." The 10-year-old boy had been caught in the middle of a shouting match between two older girls in Philadelphia's East Falls section, Carter explains. The shouting drew parents out of their homes, and soon enough, someone pulled out a gun. "The boy said he was scared because he didn't want to get shot," Carter says. Many American boys are bombarded with displays of aggressive behavior. This conduct is reinforced everywhere, from popular television programs to toys, and especially in sports, where boys are encouraged to compete for the "top dog" position. Boys who live in high-crime areas, like Brother Robb Carter's friend, are at an even greater risk of embodying and emulating these behaviors - because they may be more likely to routinely witness violence, drug abuse and other anti-social problems, first-hand.

"Doing better" Carter hopes to become part of the solution here in Philadelphia. As Program Coordinator for The Peaceful Posse and a domestic abuse counselor, he often meets with a group of young boys to talk about the violence around them. The group brings about 60 inner-city youths together to share advice on how to cope with conflicts in a non-violent manner. "The challenge is always to do better," Carter says. The Peaceful Posse - along with its parent organization, Philadelphia Physicians for Social Reform (PPSR) - has held group sessions at two East Falls locations for two-and-a-half years. The Peaceful Posse maintains three principles: First, they believe there must be a strong, mentoring bond with a mature male. With a positive role model in their lives, the boys - whose ages generally run from seven to 14 - get a solid, productive foundation. The next element is creating a desire for strong peer bonding. "These boys must make heroic choices all the time," says psychologist Dr. Michael Reichert, The Peaceful Posse Project Supervisor. By creating close bonds with peers, boys can act as their own support network and create a sense of community. In other words, they form "posses" similar to those in the Wild West, where volunteers banded to together to aid in keeping the peace. This is not to be confused with vigilantism nor street gangs which may also use the term, "posse." In contrast, Brother Robb's "posse" is both peaceful and positive. Conflict resolution and impulse control training form the third priority. As one boy asked during a Peaceful Posse meeting, "If you see a man hitting a woman, and you tell him to stop but he won't, and you're not supposed to hit him, what can you do?" By creating a safe place for boys to talk about their experiences, they can work out non-violent strategies for solving their problems. On this occasion, the boys decided that the best response would be to call the police. In addition to their basic principles, the group emphasizes showing women proper respect. Carter says studies by PPSR show that a large number of violent crimes involve abuse of women. Dr. Herb Levine, the Posse's Project Administrator, maintains that much of domestic violence stems from "hurt people hurting [other] people." The group hopes to instill the message that hurting women will NOT take away a man's (or boy's) own pain. Instead, it will create a whole new series of problems. One question remains, however. Where are the men who will help promote nonviolence and responsibility? Levine says the PPSR actively seeks out men who wish to speak to younger boys about stopping the violence and finding alternatives. Volunteers are provided with supplemental training by PPSR before they attempt to step in as agents of peace, change and healing. The volunteers are never asked to "take over and tell the boys what to do," Brother Robb says. The training occurs over an intensive six-month period, during which the men enhance their abilities to mediate with, listen to, and learn from the boys. The world can be a scary place sometimes, because so many people out there are just waiting to knock you down. It's nice to know that someone is also waiting to pick you up - people such as Brother Robb Carter and The Peaceful Posse. To find out more about The Peaceful Posse, contact Dr. Herb Levine at (215) 843-0228. by Carl Kunz Carl Kunz interned with WHYY in the fall of 1997.