City Of Louisville: National Youth Violence Prevention Week

Louisville KY

01 April, 2022

7:23 AM

Description

Press release from the City of Louisville: March 28, 2022 Learn more and register now! The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhood's (OSHN) Youth Implementation Team and other organizations serving the city's youth, announced today Louisville's participation in National Youth Violence Prevention Week (NYVPW), an initiative designed to raise awareness about youth violence and highlight prevention strategies involving youth, parents, teachers, school personnel and community members. "Public safety is something we – the public – have to work together to create. That's the message we're focusing on this week as we observe National Youth Violence Prevention Week here in Louisville to raise awareness about what we can do as a community to address this challenge," said Mayor Fischer. "We owe it to all our kids to do all we can as a community to keep them, their families and our neighborhoods safe. Because witnessing a violent crime, worrying about a violent crime or being part of a violent crime should never be normal for any child." From March 28 to April 2, a variety of events will be held to boost public engagement in preventing youth violence. These include virtual art shows, spoken word and anti-violence campaigns sponsored by organizations throughout the community. Each day has its own theme designed to amplify violence as a community-wide issue and work with others to find solutions. NYVPW is part of a national effort organized by Students Against Violence Everywhere (SAVE), an initiative of Newtown, Connecticut-based group Sandy Hook Promise. Locally, youth violence prevention efforts are being organized by a partnership that includes Metro Government's OSHN, YouthBuild, Cities United, Kentucky Youth Advocates, Metro United Way, JCPS, Worth The Words, and YMCA. Created by the Mayor in 2015, the Youth Team is managed by the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods to elevate the voices of young people on matters that impact them and their hometown. "National Youth Violence Prevention Week is an opportunity to center the voices of Louisville youth in conversations around violence," said Monique Williams, OSHN Director. "It's a time where young people mobilize other young people to bring awareness to the issue, discuss how it impacts them and their peers, and engage in activities that promote safety and peace." According to the SAVE, each day eight children die from gun violence in the United States and another 32 are shot and injured. Firearms are the leading cause of death among U.S. children and adolescents. In addition to the events taking place, youth can learn about the Reimage program, a collaboration between OSHN and KentuckianaWorks that offers a second chance to youth and young adults age 16 -24 who have been involved in the justice system. Reimage is actively recruiting young people for training that can set them on a career path in professional fields such as, manufacturing, construction, auto sales, and more. Those wanting to participate in the Reimage program can find more information here. Throughout NYVPW, students can get involved in a variety of ways including: Signing a peace pledge to stand against violence and efforts to create a safer community;Registering for the Networking Night on March 29;Registering for the One Love Ambassador Institute, held on April 2;Engaging in acts of kindness;Learning lessons centered around conflict resolution;Holding compliment days where students will say give praise and reassurance to peers;Learning about the three steps to violence prevention – look for warning signs, act immediately to prevent a violent incident, say something to a trusted adult. Participants are encouraged to use the social media hashtags #LouYVPW and #NYVPW. Click here to learn more about OSHN's National Youth Violence Prevention Week events. This press release was produced by the City of Louisville. The views expressed here are the author's own.