Mission statement:
"To promote choices and strategies that cultivate nonviolent communities."

"Many who live with violence day in and day out assume that it is an intrinsic part of the human condition. But this is not so. Violence can be prevented." -Nelson Mandela

History:
In 1995, ANNE PARRY from Chicago decided to address the issue of school violence with a fresh approach and created TAKE TEN - a slogan that encourages children to TALK IT OUT, WALK IT OUT, WAIT IT OUT before engaging in violent behavior. Take ten deep breaths before you say something that hurts; take ten steps back before getting involved in a fight; and take ten seconds before using something as a weapon. TAKE TEN is simple: it is a short positive phrase that provides children with a common language to demonstrate their choice for nonviolence. Take Ten is an outreach project of the Robinson Community Learning Center.

Philosophy:
The goals of TAKE TEN are to reduce violence, prevent violence and to teach children positive alternatives to violence. Violence is defined as anything that harms oneself or another living being, place or thing. The objective is to shift what is acceptable and expected behavior in society today, namely violence, to attitudes and behaviors that expect and teach nonviolence. In order to obtain these goals, TAKE TEN volunteers work with children to teach them skills to "Talk it Out, Walk it Out, and Wait it Out" (Click here to see stills).By providing children with these skills, children are better equipped to think before they act when faced with a conflict that may result in violence.

TAKE TEN gradually becomes ingrained into the psyche of the school and schools have reported that a fundamental social change occurs after TAKE TEN is integrated into their culture.