The Campaign for Nonviolent Schools (CNS) is a youth-led effort dedicated to addressing the root causes of school violence and its everyday manifestations. The Campaign is built on a strong foundation of student-led organizing to improve school climate, create pro-student discipline policies, enhance trust and communication between students and school staff, and bring equity in human and material resources to all schools.

“If schools are going to become safer, young people have to be part of the solution”
-DeVante Wilson

The Campaign is building a nonviolent student movement across neighborhoods, schools and organizations, engaging hundreds of youth in exploring the roots of violence in their own lives and developing a personal commitment to nonviolence. Please contact us if you would like to bring a youth led workshop to your classroom or community.

“Before I thought that not being violent was weak, but now I understand that nonviolence is powerful”
-Shania Morris

Prison-like school environments, a lack of resources, high staff turn-over rates, and suppression of youth leadership are examples of conditions that enhance feelings of anger, frustration, and helplessness that young people may already be struggling with. These conditions help to create school environments which are a breeding ground for physical and emotional violence directed at other students and staff members. The Campaign seeks to address these conditions of Structural Violence by organizing to implement (and supporting where in existence) policies in collaboration with School District leadership that end the School to Prison pipeline and promote equity in human and material resources.