Young Black men in Britain are disproportionately likely to experience unemployment, involvement with crime, imprisonment and admission to mental health institutions. They often experience a sense of alienation and anger, partly as a result of the pressures on them and partly as a contributory factor. Thus, the situation can become a vicious cycle.
Men are often taught to resolve their issues, not by communication, but through using their fists or other forms of violence.
Marshall Rosenberg, the creator of NVC, says that anger management is like a fire alarm. Someone keeps setting fires and the fire alarm keeps going off. So the person says, "I must sort out that fire alarm". That's anger management.
NVC is more to do with stopping the fires from being started.
In NVC, we sometimes say that anger is like an iceberg - the anger is the 10% of the iceberg we can see above the water line. The 90% below the water line consists of pain, fear and unmet needs. When we deal with these, the anger goes.
I think Creative Communication/NVC can be very beneficial for young African Caribbean men because of the pressures they face in dealing with schols, unemployment, family, the police, etc. NVC is very effective at helping us to process emotional pain, fear, guilt and shame.
It can also be very beneficial for parents and teachers.
To find out more about Creative Communication/NVC, click here.
For NVC trainings and resources within Britain, click here.
Internationally outside of Britain, visit the Center for Nonviolent Communication.
See also Self-Love, Self-Respect and Connecting with Feelings and Needs
Black Success Stories explores issues affecting young Black men in Britain today, including education, politics, self-awareness and positive cultural reinforcement. Click here to order your copy of Black Success Stories.
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