VOA常速英语:Program Breathes Calmer New Life into Angry Young Men

Twice a week, all year-round, this group of kids gathers at Baltimore Police Academy to participate in Pneuma.
一周两次，全年无休，这群小孩子聚在巴尔地摩警察学院，一同参加Pneuma项目。

Most of these boys join the program because they had difficulty focusing in school or controlling their impulses.
大多数男孩子之所以会参加这个项目，主要是因为他们难以专注学业，也没办法控制自己的冲动。

“Up, shake it out.”
“起，活动活动。”

Here, they exercise and meet with adults who care about them, like school Principal Nikomar Mosley, who volunteers with the program.
在这里的话，他们不仅可以进行锻炼，还能和关心他们的大人见面，比如志愿参加该项目的尼古拉·莫斯利校长。

“We allow our students to engage in different push-ups and sit-ups and things that will build them physically. Sometimes, with the physical push that helps to keep their minds focused.”
“我们会让学生们做俯卧撑和仰卧起坐，帮助他们强身健体。有时还会增加一些体能训练，从而集中注意力。”

“In and out.”
“吸气，呼气。”

Other exercises focus on breathing.
其他训练则侧重呼吸。

“We want our young men to understand that oftentimes when they act out of impulse actions, they don’t think about it.They just act. So, (what) we try to do is get them to slow down. If you take a deep breath, it slows things down.”
“我们希望孩子们能知道，很多时候当他们意气用事，自己是意识不到的。他们做了就是做了。所以我们现在努力做的就是让他们放慢速度。如果你能深吸一口气，很多事情就会慢下来的。”

“I’m strong.”
“我很坚强。”

And that makes it easier for them to control their anger and learn to forgive.
这非常有助于他们控制自己的怒气，并且学会原谅。

Pneuma founder Damion Cooper says it took him more than 4 years to learn this lesson.
Pneuma的创始人达明·库珀称，他花了四年多的时间才学到了这个教训。

“Throw!”
“Throw!”

24 years ago, he was shot and the bullet stopped within an inch of his heart.He became very bitter and angry until he decided he had to move on.
24年前，他被人用枪射中，当时子弹就停在了距他心脏只有一英寸的地方。自那以后，他开始变得痛苦易怒，直到有一天，他决定自己该是时候往前看了。

“I started doing some volunteer work in a prison.Not been known to me, for a year and half, I wound up mentoring the very young man who shot me.Once we found out that this was the young man, I forgave him.”
“于是我开始在监狱做一些志愿工作。而当时我不知道的是，原来足足有一年半的时间我都在为当年开枪打我的那个小伙子作指导。后来真相大白，我还是原谅了他。”

“We have to learn to introduce ourselves.”
“我们要学会向别人介绍自己。”

Finding the strength to forgive is one of the lessons Project Pneuma kids learn.
发现原谅的力量也是孩子们在Pneuma项目中学到的课程之一。

“My best friends have gone to this program. And they used to always fight no matter what some else I would say to them.But now, they calmed down to the point where you could push them and they could look at you and like shrug their shoulders.”
“我有几个最好的朋友以前就参加过这个项目。以前不管我说什么，他们总是会打来打去。但现在不一样了，他们会先冷静下来，接受别人的劝说，最后可能看看对方，耸耸肩，这件事就算过去了。”

“You have an opportunity now to always get positive reinforcement.”
“你们现在一直都有机会得到正强化。”

The participants range in age from 9 to 14.
参与者的年龄从9岁到14岁不等。

“It gives the younger children an opportunity to look up to someone and to develop a big brother within the program.So, it develops leadership amongst our children and also helps keep it diverse.”
“不同的年龄让小孩子们有了仰慕别人的机会，他们可以在项目中结识一位老大哥。这样不但孩子们的领导能力得到了培养，也有助于保持多样化。”

“I love it back in me, because I want to help, then I want to give it back, cause that’s what all about.”
“我喜欢自己心平气和的样子，因为我想要去帮助别人，想要让别人也能冷静下来，就是这样。”

Pneuma is also engaging these boys, young and old, in serious discussions about how they can change their community for the better.
Pneuma也鼓励孩子们不管年龄大小，都参与到严肃的讨论中去，共同探讨如何改变自己的社区，让它朝着更好的方向发展。

Results so far suggest the program is working well.
迄今为止，所有结果都表明项目运行十分良好。

“Since we started the Project Pneuma, none of the young men had been suspended at all — not one.”
“自从Pneuma项目启动以来，没有一个小伙子中途退出——一个都没有。”

“This program is very invigorating. This program is very fun for me to be around.”
“这个项目非常鼓舞人心。参与到其中也十分有趣。”

Not only is it invigorating and fun, but kids have stayed with the Pneuma Project for more than 3 years now because it offers something many of them are missing in their lives — encouragement, moral support and consistency.
不单单是有趣和鼓舞人心，孩子们参与Pneuma项目已经有三年多了，因为它给很多人带来了原本在生活中所缺少的东西——鼓励、道德支持还有稳定。

“Let’s go.”
“出发。”