SchoolWise

Harassment in School

Teaching Relationship Safety

It isn’t new, romantic teacher-student relationships. Nor is bullying and teasing, often about sexual things. Body-image, social status, and mental health can be harmed in that supposedly idyllic setting—school. And teens, younger than ever before, are committing suicide.

These stories are exploited, even romanticized on popular television shows and in the movies. But whenever there’s a power differential, whenever one partner is in a position of authority or can coerce behavior with grades or job performance, the risk of harm and litigation is woven into the relationship, too.

It is not pedophilia when post-pubescent adolescents are targeted by predators. Teens are sought out for the purposes of pornography and sexual exploitation, but the perpetrators in these cases aren’t technically pedophiles. What are they? We talk with kids, parents, faculty and administrators about these things, when no one else, will.

Bullying, exclusion, molestation, social network and game addiction, too, should be addressed where we find the kids—in schools and in camps and community centers. Their people, the adults charged with their welfare, need to be educated, too, so we’ll talk to the PTA, and certainly teachers at in-service programs.

SCHOOL WISE workshops are really about safety, preventing critical events.

TeamWise

Smarter Players, Smarter Coaches

Because athletes are heroes. And our kids want to be just like them.

Sports are ruled by drive and energy; we reward talent and strength. But players, even coaches, can feel the rush of the game, and they sometimes feel entitled to break rules, think they earned the privilege with hard work, training, and having a fan base. They don’t always get what they might be doing wrong in relationships.

And this makes individuals and teams and team owners liable. Emotional, physical, financial and sexual safety can be compromised. Because athletes are heroes, even coaches, celebrities to their fans, they need to be careful in relationships, both on and off the field.

Because kids want to be just like them.

Fans don’t want to hear about violent episodes, often associated with alcohol and substance abuse, and the DUI’s are disappointing. They don’t want to hear about sexting or child abuse, certainly not pedophilia, or anyone associated with the team to be accused of acquaintance rape, or date rape, or any other type of relationship abuse.

They want strength with dignity. Litigation, needless to say, wastes valuable resources and time.

Team relationship training

Separate player and coach workshops

Empathy education for critical event risk reduction

TEAM WISE had to be created, mainly because culturally we hold athletes in high esteem. Wearing the uniform shouldn’t jeopardize anyone, not even the team.

ServiceWise

Pride in the Public Eye

Because our lawmakers and civil servants have to put the people first.

We take it for granted, assume, that our city, county, state and federal officials are honest, that they operate with our best interests in mind. Our country has a militia, a military with several arms, the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and that these have special departments, like the Navy Seals who found Osama Ben Ladin.

Being in the public eye, our public servants, including the police and fire departments and the National Guard, need to be exemplary, must put the people first.

To serve and for some of our officials, protect— that’s the goal. When public officials are accused of illegal acts, commit behaviors unbecoming to those representing their constituents, those of us who pay their salaries with our taxes, we have a right to demand that they take themselves more seriously. They represent who we are.

Rationalizations and the details of public scandals go viral, become newsworthy as sexual and financial abuse. Congressmen sexting, officers involved in sexual assault, officials involved in corruption, on the take—these behaviors undermine the integrity of office. Americans follow the news, and aren’t necessarily forgiving.

A little awareness about relationship violence, boundaries, and the cost o f losing the public trust, and none of it has to happen. When it does, it can be recognized and stopped.

SERVICE WISE is about keeping public servants accountable, holding onto the public pride in our country.

CorporateWise

Psychologically Safe Workplaces

Relationship-smart business cultures

Everyone knows that discrimination and sexual harassment are illegal, as are other types of relationship abuse. Employees fear of authority and job loss, don’t tell about harassment until it is too late. By that time, the damage is done, and someone is liable. Students fear the repercussions of bad grades. Teachers are also vulnerable to discrimination and sexual harassment, but face a difficult job market if they leave, and social isolation, possibly, if they tell.

The very threat of relationship violence, especially sexual molestation or assault, makes most of us fearful, anxious, and depressed. Work performance suffers, too, and absenteeism rises. It is a form of psychological abuse, too, the stuff of obsessions and bad dreams. And it is against the law.

When a person suffers an ethnic joke, or is insulted by a racial slur. The protected classes include— sex, age, ethnicity, race, disability, religion, national origin, and sexual identification. And more (veteran status, etc). The spirit behind the law is that everyone should be treated the same. Even joking, bringing pornography to work or watching it online, poking fun of individual traits of any sort, crosses the line.

When individuals suffer, when the workplace (or school) becomes a hostile environment, reports to the EEOC or a civil lawsuit might follow. ANY unwelcome sexual communication or racial comments, references to someone’s personal identity, might be evidence of criminal behavior or neglect on the part of an employer.

CORPORATE WISE workshops don’t preach. We just engage our participants. The subject matter, for most of people, is captivating.