Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/934374
T hirteen years ago, Carmel therapist Julianne Leavy, along with her broth- er Michael Leavy, started the non- profit Harmony at Home (HAH) to put coun- selors into schools to work with children trauma- tized by violence. The program started in Salinas; now 41 Monterey County schools have the Sticks & Stones program, which serves children who have been affected by violence of any kind. "There were no services for traumatized chil- dren in Salinas who had been exposed to esca- lating violence," Executive Director Julianne Leavy says. "Now the program includes 12 schools on the Peninsula." An anti-bullying program known as Olweus (which originated in Norway) soon fell under the HAH umbrella. "I always knew I wanted to do bullying prevention," Leavy says, "but I did not want a Band-Aid. A one-day workshop is not effective. You can have great intentions and show kindness but you need it every week, and Breaking the Cycle, One Child at a Time 206 C A R M E L M A G A Z I N E • W I N T E R 2 0 1 8 Har mony at Home Provides In-School Inter ventions B Y B R E T T W I L B U R • P H OTO G R A P H Y B Y K E L L I U L D A L L (Left) Harmony at Home Executive Director Juliane Leavy with mental health advocate Savannah Alvarez, a past program partic- ipant. The nonprofit aims to "end the cycles of violence and abuse by empowering children and young adults…"