Stop the fights.
Fix the fight culture with psychology, activism, and a simple jobs program.
Let's startWhat makes fights stop
Fights happen because backing down feels like losing in front of everyone. Here's what worked at other schools:
- Change the culture. In 56 schools, students we call “social referents” took a public stand against conflict, and it fell 30%.
- Show the real numbers. Students think most of their classmates like the fighting. False. A poster can fix that.
- Give people a summer job. In Chicago, a summer job cut violent-crime arrests 43%, and most of the drop came after the summer ended.
Picking up where you left off.
Pick your school and we'll look up the deans and counselors who deal with fights, plus the local job programs and businesses that could hire students this summer.
School not in the list (middle school, private, outside the US)?
Spend a week paying attention
No filming, no names. Just notice, and write down:
- Where the fights happen, and at what time (passing periods, lunch, dismissal)
- Whether there's always a crowd, and how many phones are out
- How it started: something online, a rumor, a bump in the hallway
- Whether it's mostly 9th graders (nationally, it usually is)
- Where the nearest adult was
Then come back and pick whichever of the four matches what you saw.
Here's the thing most students get wrong: they think way more of their classmates are fine with fighting than really are. Students in one study thought bullying was 3–4 times more common than it was. That wrong guess is part of why people join the crowd: they think everyone else wants to see it.
This survey asks each question twice: what you think, and what you think most students think. The gap between those two answers is your whole campaign.
It's already anonymous: no email addresses collected, because nobody answers honestly about fights with their name attached. Press Publish in your copy, then send it out.
People think backing down is weak, that a fight is something to watch, and that nobody really wants them to stop. A few students shape those beliefs more than anyone else. When they treat fighting as pointless, the whole school starts to, and that changes more than what the crowd does when one starts. It changes whether people fight at all. Psychologists call those students social referents.
Who starts saying “not worth it”?
Every dot is a student, and the lines are who they're friends with. The big ones are the social referents. Pick who starts telling their friends that fighting isn't worth it, and watch how far it spreads.
A model, not a prediction: each student comes around once enough of the friends they watch have, and a referent counts for four friends. Real schools are messier. In the study, conflict fell about 30%.
A social referent is a student other students pay attention to, and copy. What they wear, say, laugh at and ignore quietly tells everyone else what's normal.
- They aren't always the most popular or the loudest. They're the center of each friend group: the captain, the group mom, the guy who's somehow friends with everyone, the person whose group chat everyone's in. Every group has one, including the groups where fights start.
- Everyone decides what's normal by watching a few people. If those few treat fights as entertainment, everyone does. If they treat fights as a waste of time that ends in suspensions and people getting hurt, that becomes the normal view instead.
- It worked in real schools. In 56 middle schools, groups of students designed their own campaign against conflict, and conflict fell about 30%, most in schools where more of the group were social referents. In 26 Kentucky high schools, training respected students to step in cut violence by about a fifth. Paluck, Shepherd & Aronow, PNAS 2016 · Coker et al., 2017
Step 1. Name yours
Ask five people who don't hang out together: “Who at this school do people listen to?” The same names come up. Aim for one per friend group, including the groups where fights start. They stay on this device and go into your scripts below.
Step 2. Pick the one thing you're asking them to do
One behavior, public, easy. Every referent gets the same ask, so it reads as how things are at your school, not as one person's opinion.
Step 3. Teach the three D's
Green Dot's whole training fits in three words. Share this with your referents, then with everyone. Nobody has to jump into a fight.
Step 4. Talk to them one at a time
Never at their lunch table: their friends are exactly the audience that makes it hard to agree to anything. Catch them alone, admit it's a slightly weird conversation, and ask for the one thing.
Your ask, in every script: don't film it, walk away from it. Change it above and these rewrite themselves.
Say this, one on one
Hey [their name], can I be real with you for a second? I really respect you, and I know a lot of other people here do too. The fights at this school keep ending the same way: people getting suspended, people getting hurt, [one specific thing you've seen: the fight by the gym last week / someone getting jumped over a rumor / a video going around]. Most people are over it. Nobody wants to go first. People listen to you, so I think you could help. I'm asking you one thing: when a fight starts, put your phone away and walk off, where people can see you do it. A fight is a show, and the crowd is the audience. People run over because they think everyone else wants to see it. When the people everyone watches walk away instead, the crowd gets smaller, and a fight with no audience is a lot less worth having. I'm not asking you to run anything or give a speech. Just that one thing, where people can see it. I'm asking [two or three other names] too, so it won't be just you. Would you be down?
Add names above and you get one of these per person, with their name in it.
Do it properly Run it like the study did: a group, not a favor
- Nominate. A one-question form to the whole grade: “Name up to five people at this school you pay attention to.” The top names are your referents. Invite them plus a few volunteers, so the group isn't only the popular kids.
- Meet every two weeks with a teacher or counselor as the adult in the room. Twenty to thirty students. Food helps.
- Let them pick the message. You bring the survey numbers. They decide what they're willing to say and do in public. Messages they wrote are the ones they'll repeat.
- Make it visible. The posters in the next step, with their faces if they're up for it. A short moment at an assembly. The study's point was that referents had to be seen taking the stance.
- Hand it down. Recruit freshmen and sophomores in the spring. 9th grade is when fights peak, so they matter most.
Email — A student-led group to cut down on fights at [school name] — would you be our advisor?
Dear [Counselor's name], I'm a student at [school name]. I'd like to start a small student group aimed at the fights at our school, and I'm writing to ask whether you would be its staff advisor. I ran an anonymous survey of [#] students at [school name]. [A%] said they'd rather walk away from a fight if they could do it without looking weak, but on average students guessed only [B%] of their classmates would. [C%] said they had been in a physical fight at school this year, and [D%] want a paid summer job. The model comes from two published trials. In 56 schools, a group of 20–30 students, chosen partly by asking classmates whom they pay attention to, met every two weeks and designed their own public campaign against conflict; those schools saw about 30% fewer conflict reports in a year (Paluck, Shepherd and Aronow, PNAS 2016). In 26 Kentucky high schools, training respected students to step in when violence was starting reduced violence by about a fifth (Green Dot, Coker et al. 2017). What we'd need from you is a room every other week, your name on the paperwork, and about an hour a month. [#] students have already said they'd join, including [names people would recognize]. Could I come by and talk it through? Thank you, [your name] A student at [school name]
Find their email on your school's staff directory.
Each poster puts one number from your survey where everyone will see it. They only work if the numbers are real, so each one says where they came from. Put them where fights happen: that hallway, the lunchroom, the doors at dismissal, and your stories.
Put your survey numbers on the posters
Optional. When your results come back, type the percentages here and the posters (and your scripts and emails) fill in. They stay on this device.
No names, no photos of fights, nothing that calls anyone out. If your referents want their faces on one, ask each of them first and print it yourself.
fewer violent-crime arrests for Chicago teens who were given an eight-week summer job with an adult mentor, compared with teens who applied and weren't picked. Most of the drop came after the summer ended. Boston's lottery found 35%, and New York's program helped most for teens who'd already been in trouble. Heller, Science 2014 · Modestino 2019 · Kessler et al. 2022
What made it work: a real paycheck, an adult at work who checks in, and a summer spent around different people. A generic after-school program doesn't have the same record. You can't hire anyone yourself, but you can do most of the legwork that gets a program started.
A Find out what already exists near you
Don't build from scratch if you don't have to. Two things probably already exist near you:
- Your local workforce development board. Every part of the country has one, usually running an “American Job Center.” They get federal money for youth ages 14–24 (it's called WIOA Youth), and they're required to spend at least a fifth of it on work experience, like paid summer jobs. Most of that money is meant for young people who are out of school, but many boards also run or fund summer jobs for high schoolers, and they know who does. Search for your county's workforce development board.
- A city or county summer youth jobs program. Big cities almost always have one (Chicago's One Summer Chicago, New York's SYEP, Boston's SuccessLink), and plenty of smaller ones do too. Search for your city's name plus “summer youth employment program”.
If a program exists, the ask is simple: make your school a recruiting partner, with an application day at school and spots set aside for students who need it most. If nothing exists, skip to B and C: your school can run a small version with local businesses.
Email — Summer jobs for students at [school name]
Dear [Youth program coordinator], I'm a student at [school name] in [your city]. We're working on reducing fights at our school, and summer jobs are one of the few things with strong evidence behind them. In randomized studies, summer jobs cut violent-crime arrests for teens by 43% in Chicago (Heller, Science 2014) and 35% in Boston (Modestino 2019), and New York's program helped most for teens who had already been in trouble (Kessler et al. 2022). Most of Chicago's drop came after the summer ended. I ran an anonymous survey of [#] students at [school name]. [A%] said they'd rather walk away from a fight if they could do it without looking weak, but on average students guessed only [B%] of their classmates would. [C%] said they had been in a physical fight at school this year, and [D%] want a paid summer job. Could our school become a recruiting partner for your summer youth jobs? Specifically: 1. An information session and application day at [school name] this spring. 2. A set number of spots for students our counselors and deans refer, including students who have been in fights, without screening anyone out for their discipline record. 3. Help with the paperwork that stops students from finishing: work permits, IDs and bank accounts. Who would be the right person to talk to about this? Thank you, [your name] A student at [school name]
Find their email on the workforce board's website.
B Get the school to run it
A program lasts when someone on staff owns it. Your job is to hand the principal a plan that's already half done: the evidence, your survey numbers, the businesses you've lined up, and a short list of asks.
- Six to eight weeks, about 20–25 hours a week. That's the shape of the programs that worked. Chicago's was 25 hours a week for eight weeks, at minimum wage.
- Every student gets an adult at work who checks in. The Chicago program gave each teen a job mentor. That's the part schools skip, and it's the part that matters.
- Paid, always. Unpaid “volunteer” hours aren't what was studied. If a business can't pay, the workforce board may be able to cover wages.
Email — Proposal: a summer jobs program at [school name]
Dear [Principal's name], I'm writing to propose a summer jobs program for students at [school name], as part of a student effort to reduce fights at our school. In randomized studies, summer jobs cut violent-crime arrests for teens by 43% in Chicago (Heller, Science 2014) and 35% in Boston (Modestino 2019), and New York's program helped most for teens who had already been in trouble (Kessler et al. 2022). Most of Chicago's drop came after the summer ended. What made those programs work was a real paycheck, an adult at work who checked in, and a summer around different people. I ran an anonymous survey of [#] students at [school name]. [A%] said they'd rather walk away from a fight if they could do it without looking weak, but on average students guessed only [B%] of their classmates would. [C%] said they had been in a physical fight at school this year, and [D%] want a paid summer job. I've started asking local businesses; [#] have said they'd host a student. What I'm asking the school for: 1. One staff coordinator, such as a counselor or career advisor. 2. A partnership with [the local workforce board or summer youth program], if they'll take our students, and an application day at school in the spring. 3. Spots set aside for students the deans and counselors refer, including students who have been in fights, with nobody screened out for their discipline record. 4. Help with work permits, IDs and bank accounts, and bus passes if the jobs aren't walkable. Could I have fifteen minutes to walk you through it? Thank you, [your name] A student at [school name]
Find their email on your school's staff directory.
C Line up local businesses
Start with places students already go and places that already hire teens: grocery stores, restaurants, the rec center, the library, parks, hospitals, a family's business. Walk in when it's slow (mid-afternoon, not lunch), ask for the manager, and have the one-paragraph version ready. Then send the email so they have it in writing.
Thirty seconds at the counter
Hi, I'm [name], I go to [school name]. We're setting up a summer jobs program for students, and I'm asking local businesses if they'd hire one student for [six to eight] weeks this summer, with someone here checking in on them once a week. Could I leave you the details, or who should I talk to?
The chamber of commerce and service clubs like Rotary or Kiwanis can introduce you to dozens of owners at once. One email to them can be worth twenty walk-ins.
Email — Could you hire a [school name] student this summer?
Hi [owner or manager's name], I'm a student at [school name]. We're starting a summer jobs program for students at our school, and I'm asking local businesses whether they'd host one to three students this summer. Here's what it would look like: - [six to eight] weeks, about [20–25] hours a week, starting [date] - paid at least minimum wage [or: wages covered by (the workforce board or program)] - one person at your business who checks in with the student once a week Why it matters: in randomized studies, a summer job cut violent-crime arrests for teens by more than a third. You'd also be getting a motivated worker for your busy season, and a pipeline of future hires. Could I stop by, or could we talk for ten minutes this week? Thank you, [your name] A student at [school name]
Find their email on their website or Google listing.
Keep track
Every business you ask. It saves on this device, and the count goes into your email to the principal.
D Make sure the students in fights get in
Here's the trap: a summer jobs program that only takes students with good grades and clean records goes to the students who needed it least. The Chicago program recruited from high-violence schools, and in New York the biggest benefits went to teens who had already been arrested. So:
- No screening on discipline records. Get this in writing from whoever runs the program. A suspension shouldn't disqualify anyone.
- Save spots for referrals. Ask the deans and counselors to refer students who've been in fights, then fill the rest by lottery so it isn't only for “good kids” or only for “bad kids.”
- Ask people personally. A flyer won't reach them. A friend, a coach or one of your referents saying “you should do this, I'll help you apply” will.
- Clear the paperwork. The usual reasons students don't finish: a work permit (many states need one under 16 or 18), an ID or Social Security card, a bank account for direct deposit, a way to get there. Hold an application lunch where you fill them out together.
- Never call it a punishment or a reward. It's a job, open to anyone, with some spots set aside. Nobody should feel singled out for signing up.
Email — Summer jobs: referring students who have been in fights
Dear [Assistant Principal's name], I'm a student working on a summer jobs program at [school name]. In randomized studies, summer jobs cut violent-crime arrests for teens by 43% in Chicago (Heller, Science 2014) and 35% in Boston (Modestino 2019), and New York's program helped most for teens who had already been in trouble (Kessler et al. 2022). Most of Chicago's drop came after the summer ended. The students who benefit most are the ones who usually get left out: students who have been in fights or suspended. Would you be willing to refer students you think would benefit, and to tell them about it yourself? Hearing it from an adult who knows them makes a big difference. We're asking the program to set aside spots for referrals and not to screen anyone out for their discipline record. We'll help each student with the application, work permit and ID. Could I send you the details, or come by for five minutes? Thank you, [your name] A student at [school name]
Find their email on your school's staff directory.
A message for students — post it, or send it to someone directly
paid summer job this year?? [pay per hour], about [hours] hours a week, and we'll help you fill out the application and the work permit. no grades or record requirement. application lunch is [date] in [room]. tell your friends
Fights are different at every school. Let's work out yours.
Where they start, who the crowd follows, which adults students trust, and which businesses near you would hire a sophomore: none of that is the same at two schools. A Doorstop Session is us working with you and your friends to figure it out and put it into practice.
- Read your survey results with you and pick the number that will land hardest
- Map your school's referents and plan the first ten conversations
- Get the summer jobs pitch ready for your principal and local businesses
- Set up the referent group so it outlasts you
Free for public schools.
Rather write to us first? Send this and a person will reply.
Email — Student at [school name] — help with fights at my school
Hi Ben, I'm a student at [school name]. Fights at my school look like: [where, how often, how they start]. I need help with [the survey / finding referents / the posters / the summer jobs program / talking to admin / something else]. So far I've [what you've already tried, if anything]. Thanks, [your name]
ok real question about all the fights at our school
1 minute anonymous survey, no names:
[paste your form link]
i'm trying to prove most of us are over it
Want more help?
We can work with you directly to make these changes.
Email — Student at [school name] — help with fights at my school
Hi Ben, I'm a student at [school name]. Fights at my school look like: [where, how often, how they start]. I need help with [the survey / finding referents / the posters / the summer jobs program / talking to admin / something else]. So far I've [what you've already tried, if anything]. Thanks, [your name]