Creative problem solving part of workshop series offered by Boys and Girls Club

The Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County wants to help area youth overcome stumbling blocks and obstacles by learning how to use them as stepping stones to find good in their lives. By providing opportunities for youth to discover themselves and develop their thinking, confidence and communication skills, the Boys and Girls Club is fulfilling a large part of its mission.

 One such opportunity is a workshop series called, "Faces in the Crowd," offered by the Boys and Girls Club of Northern  Chautauqua County for middleschool age youth on Saturday, April 29 and Sunday, April 30. Pre-registration is required for  the workshop series which runs from 9 a.m. until 5 p.m. both days. This special, "Faces in the  Crowd" workshop series deals with topics including creative problem solving, self-esteem, cultural appreciation and effective communication. Youth will learn various violence prevention and conflict resolution techniques for dealing with inter-personal difficulties such as name calling, stereotypes, bullying, cliques, and racism. Gender issues, harassment and discrimination are also addressed.

The workshops do not rely on "lecture and teaching," but rather on the elements of surprise and self-discovery. The workshops are designed so participants can discover, understand, and possibly be motivated to change their own thinking patterns, attitudes and beliefs. The workshop series will feature the special "Faces in the Crowd" kit. The kit includes multi-cultural masks, mirror, pop-up books of multi-cultural crowds, and specially designed exercises. Many of the exercises involve role-playing and other creative techniques designed to help the youth participants understand themselves and others better.

Though the "Faces in the Crowd” workshop series deals with some serious topics, they are highly interactive and presented in a gentle and encouraging way. Each day there will be breaks for lunch, fun and relaxation activities. Some special out-of-town guests will participate at the workshop weekend at the Boys and Girls Club. Sister Maureen Connolly, program director of the New Covenant Center, of Omaha, Neb., will come with two eighth-grade boys from Nebraska. The mission of New Covenant Center is to raise consciousness concerning values that promote justice and peace and to empower youth and adults to demonstrate these values in their lives. Senior Connolly was referred to the "Faces in the Crowd" program by the Gandhi Institute in Memphis, Tenn. Several wonderful and generous local families are opening their homes to act as hosts to these special visitors.

"Faces in the Crowd" workshops have been presented at businesses, institutions, schools, and organizations, including the Simon Wiesenthal Center/Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, and has been praised by such notable persons as Hillary Clinton and Arun Gandhi, grandson of M.K. Gandhi, director of the M.K. Gandhi Institute.

Chautauqua Opportunities, Inc., has been instrumental in helping make education Concerning diversity issues a priority and has been partnering with the "Faces in the Crowd" program to make it accessible to a wider audience.

Participating youth will receive a certificate of achievement at the end of the workshop series. Refreshments will be provided, including drinks and donuts in the morning and pizza for lunch. Please call Aracelis Morales, program coordinator or Lynn Dorler, executive director of the Boys and Girls Club of Northern Chautauqua County, at 366-1061 to pre-register a child for the "Faces in the Crowd" workshop series. The Boys and Girls Club is located at 323 Central Ave., in Dunkirk.