What is CCRC?

• The Children's Creative Response to Conflict Program is a non-profit oragnization.
• A pioneer in the field of conflict resolution and children since 1972.
• A large network of facilitators who have given tens of thousands of workshops and courses throughout Canada, the U.S., Central America, Europe, the Middle East, and Asia.
• Since 1983, CCRC-Canada has been offering workshops and courses across the country to teachers, parents, and other child care givers, as well as the children they serve.

CCRC Mission Statement

It is the mission of Children’s Creative Response to Conflict (CCRC) to help educators, parents and those who work with young people learn creative skills of non-violent conflict resolution through cooperation, communication, affirmation, problem solving, mediation and bias awareness. The CCRC Board and facilitators model these approaches and continue to adapt techniques to meet the challenges of violence in the world by working locally and globally to achieve a peaceful and just Canada within our world.

History of the CCRC

The program began in the New York City Public school system in 1972 by adapting adult conflict resolution ideas to children. Two years of work went on before it was discovered that teaching conflict resolution is not effective. First, the children and adults had to be in a warm and affirming support system. The classroom was the most accessible place to begin building a caring community. Once open communication, cooperation and sensitivity became the norm, the children began to carry these ideas out of the classroom and into their own homes. In this type of atmosphere, conflict is viewed as a challenge to find solutions where everyone can win.

Since its inception in the New York City schools, CCRC has expanded its work to other school systems throughout the US. It has offered hundreds of workshops for parents, families, children and teachers in the US and abroad. Graduate level courses at the City College of New York have been taught by CCRC staff and other college courses have been sponsored by boards of education or by teacher colleges in several states.

Since 1982 C-CRC-Canada has operated as a non-profit organization offering workshops and courses in Canada to teachers, parents and other child caregivers, as well as to the children they serve.

CCRC Approach to Conflict Resolution

Recognizing that the seeds of violence and aggression are sown in children at an early age, C-CRC focuses on getting at the root of conflict and changing age-old patterns. C-CRC also emphasizes the fact that conflict resolution is an ongoing process and does not happen in isolation. Conflict Resolution is not simply a matter of quick-fixes, magical solutions, and technicques. In order for conflict resolution techniques and skills to be successful and to be integrated into children's lives, the process needs to happen within a safe, supportive and nurturing atmosphere. CCRC focuses on creating such an atmosphere through its first three themes:

• Cooperation
• Communication
• Affirmation

These establish a firm foundation for the fourth CCRC theme of Conflict Resolution which focuses on empowering children to act responsibly and to deal with conflict so that no one is hurt physically or emotionally.

CCRC is an experiential program. Our activities and approaches provide participants with new ways to explore conflict and to develop solutions. Participants have fun while strengthening skills and learning alternative approaches and techniques in the following four theme areas:

Cooperation
Successful conflict resolution is based on the contributions of everyone involved and on mutually acceptable decisions and solutions. Participants learn this process through cooperative games and activities and through learning exercises which help them work together toward a common goal. This creates a sense of community and co-responsibility.

Communication
Conflict often results from, or escalates because of, the misinterpretations, misunderstandings, and assumptions which arise from poor communication. In the C-CRC classroom, participants develop a sense of trust and sharing through learning and practicing the skills of observing, speaking ("letting it be known") in respectful ways, and attentive / active listening, all essential components of successful conflict resolution.

Affirmation
Mutual respect, appreciation, and acceptance of others and their points of view are necessary elements in conflict resolution. Participants learn all this through affirmation activities which focus on recognizing and accepting the positive qualities and abilities in themselves and others. They examine and learn how to deal with put-downs, labels, stereotypes, and other forms of attack on their self-esteem and dignity.

Conflict Resolution
Through skits, role-playing, storytelling, puppetry, and other activities, participants develop skills and resources for dealing with the conflicts in which they might actually find themselves. Participants explore alternative solutions to conflicts and cooperate in finding the one which has the best chance of working; i.e. the "win-win" / "fair-fair" solution which is acceptable to all involved.