LONG BEACH : 4th-Graders Learning Conflict Resolution
A Cambodian neighborhood group in Long Beach has received $21,000 for a program aimed at encouraging an ethnically diverse group of students to resolve conflicts without resorting to violence.
The Cambodian Assn. of America is using the proceeds for an after-school program at Whittier Elementary School, a Long Beach campus where more than half the students come from Cambodian families, executive director Him Chhim said.
The grant was part of $250,000 in awards from the California Community Foundation, a charitable group that emerged after the 1992 riots to encourage better race relations.
Most of the grants awarded this year are aimed at low-income neighborhoods, including the Pico-Union area of Los Angeles and the Oakwood section of Venice, a spokeswoman said.
The program in Long Beach, which began last week, involves about 25 fourth-graders at Whittier Elementary and their parents. The participants include Cambodians, Latinos and African Americans, Chhim said.
Terry Yamada, a professor who heads the dispute resolution center at Cal State Long Beach, works with the children, encouraging them to talk about their problems and control anger. College students are assisting, said Whittier Principal Mary Marquez.
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