Exercises in communication

In the wake of the Los Angeles riots, Marithe and Francois Girbaud, the French designers of jeans and other casual wear popular with urban American youth, have introduced an educational program they call the "Peace Movement."

The course includes exercises in self-awareness and communication skills for sixth, seventh and eighth graders, "so they can learn to negotiate and mediate differences without resorting to violence," said a company statement.

The exercises will be presented this month to students and teachers in middle schools in the Greensboro, N.C., area, where the Girbaud manufacturing operations are based.