PAVE (Project Against Violent Encounters) is pleased to announce that Michael Dreiblatt of Manchester Center, Vermont is their new youth educator. Mr. Dreiblatt has served as principal, dean of students, teacher, educational consultant, grant writer and mediator and is a former member of the Vermont Agency of Education Harassment, Hazing, and Bullying Prevention Advisory Council.
The mission of Project Against Violent Encounters (PAVE) is to end domestic and sexual violence and to provide supportive and educational services to individuals, families, and the community.
As youth educator for PAVE, Mike Dreiblatt will continue to provide free classes and workshops to students in Bennington County on healthy expression of feelings, bullying prevention and alternatives to violence. Other topics include:
- emotional management skills
- conflict resolution skills
- self-protection strategies
- importance and development of self-esteem
- how to resist peer pressure & bullying
- assertiveness skills
- effective communication skills
- decision making skills
- how to express anger appropriately
Mike Dreiblatt has been a national speaker since 2001. His first book, How to Stop Bullying and Social Aggression, provides K–8 teachers, school administrators, and counselors with fun, interactive lessons and activities that stop bullying, support students’ safety and well-being, promote healthy social-emotional development, and improve academic achievement. Mike’s second book, The Wallop Story, includes lots of fun role plays and step-by-step help on how to stand up to bullies.
PAVE has been successfully providing services, in Bennington County, Vermont, for over thirty years. In 2017, PAVE assisted 1,000 people in need throughout Bennington County, including victims of domestic violence, sexual violence, dating violence, and stalking. These services include: 24 hour emergency hotline, court and social service advocacy, support groups, case management, emergency financial assistance, information and referrals, legal assistance, access to emergency and transitional housing, supervised visitation, parenting classes, and community and in-school education. PAVE provided 3,016 nights of shelter and assisted families’ transition from emergency to stable housing. PAVE provided a safe environment for 58 children to visit with non-residential parents and offered a parenting program to parents and children. Finally, PAVE provided educational programs to approximately 3,500 teachers, parents, and children.