TEACHING children to control their emotions could stop us creating a society of gangsters, an educational leader said today.
People attending a conference on "emotional literacy" in education and adulthood stood in silence for one minute to remember the children killed in recent gun crime incidents.
Dr Larry Jones, director of studies at The London Academy for Higher Education, told the conference in East Ham, east London: "I don't think emotional literacy is being taken very seriously in this country. The Government should encourage us to educate ourselves and others emotionally."
The Academy, based in Stratford, east London, is trying to raise awareness of the emotional literacy programme, which tells children how to raise their self-esteem and withstand peer pressure and the dominance of gangs.
"What is the root cause of the problem?" Dr Jones asked. "Emotions are powerful, and education of the emotions is crucial.
"How many children are underachievers, and are out there today, feeling they're not good enough?
"But they need to know that there are other people who have felt like that, and overcome it.
Glamorised
"There is talk of extending prison sentences - but, believe it or not, some children would like to go to prison because they believe they would be cared for in the prison."
Dr Jones asked what computer games were doing to children, and added: "On TV, guns are being promoted as good things, shooting is being glamorised - so (they think) why can't they get a gun and try it.
"And people talk about self-defence, or jealousy - it's not just drugs, but it might be over a girlfriend or boyfriend."
He added: "We are creating a society of gangsters."
Emotional literacy created many benefits, including reduction of crime, fewer dysfunctional families, and economic development.
He said: "We need to change the way we look at life, to teach that you don't need to fight to be a man, there's no need for you to use a gun or a knife."
There were cordons up outside East Ham police station, opposite Newham Town Hall where the conference was taking place. A Scotland Yard spokesman said police had arrested a man at 6.50am today after a shot was fired at a window of the police station. Nobody was hurt.
HOW would you tackle gang culture amongst our young people? Have your say.
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Just to let you know that I have done a website on this very subject:
www.bullyeq.com
Yet more social profiling? By the guys who are being paid a fortune to sort all matters of social ills?What a crock of-----We never had a problem that we have now with society? Since britain joined Europe with its Human rights laws Ect ?What we need in britain isnt people on thousands of pounds each year to tell us where we are all going wrong?What we need is to bring back real punishment to keep control over kids and society? Im sorry but we really do need the Birch/ Corporal punishment and capitol punishment back.Since we abolished these we have esculating crime figures with children refusing to go to school and parents attacking teachers Ect ???
this just shows how far removed from the real world educational big wigs are.
Ifzal Chaddeye, Beswick im in full agreement with you .
That's no use though because most of the majority of kids will end up that way anyway i mean most of the teens and kids today in England are all hooked up on drugs, they all drink, smoke, hang around on street corners a large majority of them do anyway and its not right because they just take over the streets every friday & saturday when they could just sit in their mates houses or play games or watch movies and everything most kids also think they are gangstas these days they need to spend more time with their parents instead of trying to lead a life of their own.