How Education is Saving Your Life

I grew up on top of a hill in southern West Virginia, where my only neighbor was my uncle’s family. Most days after school, I played with my cousin, Myranda, in the yard between our houses. At the time, I thought we had a lot in common. Myranda was a few years older than me, but we both had easily tanned skin, light eyes, and preferred the outdoors. Our hair was the same grainy brown color that lightened in the sun.

When we were preteens, or nearly, she tried to introduce me to drugs. The opioid epidemic was beginning to permeate our area and my parents had talked to me on various occasions about the danger in trying drugs, even just once, and so I was adequately prepared to say no in the face of peer-pressure. It was a dramatic affair that resulted in me being pushed out of a tree stand, landing on a yellow jacket’s nest, and being stung twenty-six times as I fled the angry wasps barefoot through the woods. She apologized without any real accountability, and our friendship died quickly from there.

While I was taking pre-ACT tests, Myranda had dropped out of high school to pursue heroin full-time. Because she became addicted at such a young age, she never learned how to drive, never held a job, never had her own apartment, and never had a relationship that wasn’t centered around procuring more drugs. Her friends either became addicts by association or fell out with her over incessant borrowing turned thievery.

The key difference between us was education – both of my parents had completed different types of post-high school degrees and always talked to me about doing my best in school. They provided context for my education – school wasn’t a place to send me while they worked, but access to knowledge and skills that would create a path toward different opportunities.

In this instance, my parents provided me with knowledge of my choice – I could say no and knew the reasons why I might. This is only one way education has saved my life.

To say that education prevents violence can feel like a nebular claim, or perhaps to some, overly obvious. Does any type of education prevent violence, or is there specific content that is preventing violence? The answer is yes.

The UN defines education as an empowerment right, meaning that it is necessary for a person to exercise the rest of their human rights to their fullest potential. In this regard, any education a person receives widens the gap between them and the likelihood that they will experience violence.

The content, quality, and breadth of education matter in widening the gap further. For example, Social-Emotional Learning curriculums have been identified as effective violence prevention education. Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) curriculums teach life skills in problem-solving, managing emotions, and creating positive relationships by focusing on five main components – self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, relationship skills, and responsible decision making.

It is a simple concept – people who are grounded in themselves and can form positive relationships with other individuals and their community are less likely to be involved with any violent crime, either as the perpetrator or the victim. It is a radical concept, though, that fills me with radical hope: when people know better, generally, they do better.

Education is radical not because of any specific content, but because of the opportunities it provides. Education provides avenues to increase personal agency, it gives people the skills to navigate various societal systems (e.g. the legal system, the healthcare system, and the financial system), it deepens interpersonal relationships and makes it possible to be more tolerant and empathetic toward others.

Education is saving your life, whether you are an eager lifelong learner or someone that’s had to be dragged through every educational experience you’ve endured. There is no way anyone could make their life better without the knowledge of how to do so. But this is wonderful news. If education can prevent violence, we can all do something to prevent violence.

To find out more about how you can become part of the solution to end violence in West Virginia, visit ItsOnUsWV.org/take-action.

To see the violence prevention curriculums available to your community, provided free by RDVIC, visit our website at rdvic.org/violence-prevention.