The SAAVI® Middle School curriculum you are about to use is a 20 lesson course prepared for teachers and other school and community based professionals. It can be offered over the course of a semester in a classroom setting.

The SAAVI® curriculum is based on the premise that violence is a learned behavior, and is the product of attitudes, beliefs and values that students have about themselves and others. If young people can be led to examine the relationship between their thoughts, feelings and behavior, violent "acting out" can be reduced.

The SAAVI® course helps students to recognize the impact of violence in everyday life while allowing them to explore their own anger in a safe environment. It aids them in developing enhanced communication and coping skills and to better understand the power and control dynamics of violent relationships.

This work is accomplished through the weekly lessons, exercises and homework assignments and the use of a journal in which the students keep track of what they've learned and experienced.

SAAVI® was launched six years ago in an effort to give school and community based professionals a user-friendly prevention/intervention tool in the struggle to make our schools and communities safer.