Sonoma County Copwatch Trainings

For several months, Sonoma County Copwatch has been formulating a curriculum for a Youth Know Your Rights presentation and workshop. Based on situations youth are likely to find themselves in, and coordinated with the Sonoma County ACLU, this is a training every youth in our community should take. We are currently looking for teachers and classes who would be interested in inviting up to your school to provide our youth with this important information.

With a majority of High Schools in our community now under regular patrol by police officers, and with the staggeringly high rate of youth incidents with police at younger and younger ages, it is essential that students know their rights, and are able to assert them with the full support of school staff and administration. We have developed this curriculum to target those issues that youth would most often run into, (e.g. detention and suspension, locker searches, detainment and questioning by school faculty and administration versus police officers and other important topics.

Our workshops are facilitated by area youth who are knowledgeable about the law, and issues facing youth. They have extensive experiencing working with youth, facilitating groups, and working with de-escalation and conflict resolution techniques. We are offering this because so many of our youth have their first experiences with police and authority at such a young age, and deserve the right the knowledge to defend themselves, and assert their rights, when in those situations.

The curriculum has been used my numerous groups across the Bay Area, and we are committed to providing information through a balanced, honest approach. We hope you consider inviting us to your classroom soon.

For more information about scheduling a training, or if you have questions about our workshop, policies, or anything else about this project, please contact Patrick B at sonomacopwatch@riseup.net, or call Free Mind Media at (707) 579-1605

-The volunteers of Sonoma County Copwatch