The Mediation Center of the Coastal Empire recently announced a rebrand and a refocus for one of its more successful youth programs. The Children of Peaceful Engagement program was introduced on a trial basis in 2017 and has now been expanded and launched as BRAVE – Building Relationships and Voicing Emotions.

“We are committed to building on our youth programs and, after a successful trial period working with school-age children, we believe that our program to help children develop the skills for Building Relationships and Voicing Emotions offers a real opportunity for the greater Savannah community,” Mediation Center Executive Director Jill Cheeks said.

The BRAVE program teaches children who are going through stressful situations how to build skills to create healthy relationships and understand emotions. Proven engagement strategies that focus on understanding and emotional learning can be taught on-site in schools, libraries, meeting centers and other public facilities. BRAVE consists of four modules and can be customized to be delivered in one session or multiple sessions.

This summer, BRAVE will be implemented by Horizons Savannah and will continue at Park Place Outreach, a youth emergency shelter that provides support for troubled children and teens from Savannah and the surrounding area. Julie Wade, executive director of Park Place Outreach, said “BRAVE is a very informative program with impressive curriculum. It keeps the children’s attention and is centered on the biggest social issues youth face today, such as being able to deal with anger, the grief cycle, feelings of denial and acceptance. Youth need to feel heard, share experiences, and learn new skills, and BRAVE delivers.”