NEWS & VIEWS
Reports
National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence
This report presents findings from the second National Survey of Children's Exposure to Violence. In 2011, the survey gathered data on exposure to violence, crime, and abuse among 4,500 children up to age 17. Approximately three in five (58 percent) had been exposed to at least one type of violence in the past year: physical assault, sexual victimization, maltreatment, property victimization, or witnessing violence.
Mentoring in Juvenile Treatment Drug Courts
This brief provides tools, tips, and strategies to jurisdictions that are initiating mentoring programs as well as those that offer mentoring programs within juvenile treatment drug courts. Evidence has shown successful mentoring relationships have a positive effect on school competence, intimacy with peers, and self-worth.
Violent Deaths Among Delinquent Youth
OJJDP provides an overview of mortality rates among youth enrolled in the Northwestern Juvenile Project—a randomly selected sample of 1,829 people who were arrested and detained in Cook County, Ill., between 1995 and 1998. When compared with rates of the general population, deaths among delinquent youth were more than four times higher. Most were homicides resulting from gunshot wounds.
News
Basketball Greats Played for Peace
Howard Moore, former men's basketball coach at the University of Illinois at Chicago organized a special homecoming for athletes Tim Hardaway, Sonny and Jabari Parker, and Antoine Walker. The four played in an all-star tournament supporting Moore's antiviolence effort, "Legends Taking Back the Streets." It was an opportunity to get community members thinking and talking about how to curb Chicago's violent crime.
Seattle's Black Community Reels From Killings of Young Men
This year, deadly shootings of young black men have cast a shadow over Seattle. The trauma is a heavy burden for the black community, some of whom are personally connected to victims. On Aug. 25, police unveiled a strategy to deal with the violence, including daily internal briefings and weekly meetings with federal agencies and police departments in neighboring areas.
Government Advisor and Business Magnate Join Forces Against Violence
Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft are working together to reduce domestic violence and sexual assault. The Patriots charitable foundation will fund educational programs aimed at high school students, and Healey plans to launch the initiative in nearly 100 schools this fall. Healey hopes to teach students across the state about teen dating violence, dangerous relationships, and respect for women. She wants to use young athletes as leaders in raising awareness and changing attitudes.
Memphis Mayoral Candidates Discuss City's Impact on Young People
In August, seven Memphis (Tenn.) mayoral candidates weighed in on how city government can affect youth. Asked "what would you do to enhance the lives of young people," the politicians touched on everything from enhancing public safety initiatives and reducing gang activity to boosting neighborhood jobs and afterschool services. Incumbent Mayor A C Wharton said he would continue advocating for pre–K and early childhood development.
Detroit Holds Youth Safety Summit
A leadership and safety summit hosted by the Detroit, Mich., U.S. Attorney's Office sought to build trust between city police and youth. Crime prevention strategies were discussed, and local authorities looked to foster leadership skills among young participants.
Newport News Steps Up Employment Program
Three hundred young people completed the Newport News, Va., Summer Training and Enrichment Program (S.T.E.P.), designed for kids from rough schools and neighborhoods. The program offers more than a few months' respite, with mentoring, field trips, and lessons in finance. It's all healthy, hearty preparation for work, school, and the road ahead.
Salinas Finds Success in Strategic Plan
Local antiviolence strategies in Salinas, Calif., may be working, according to a recently published evaluation. In 2008, the Community Alliance for Safety and Peace was created to address gang violence, especially in Hebbron Heights, where violence, poverty, and unemployment once reigned. The National Council on Crime and Delinquency evaluated the city's four-pronged strategic plan. When crime data were collected on Hebbron Heights from 2011 through 2014, there was a general downward trend in various criminal offenses. School retention also improved: Fewer students within the Salinas Union High School District dropped out, and more made it to graduation.
Newark Residents Hold Peace Rally
Yogis and hip-hop fans were among the crowds that filled Newark's South Ward to remedy gun violence. The rally, "Twenty-Four Hours of Peace," was part of Mayor Ras Baraka's effort addressing violence as a threat to public well-being. Baraka has led 34 "Occupy the Block" summer rallies in New Jersey to spark discussions on violence and policing.
Other Resources
Building Dreams, Breaking Barriers
Chardae Anderson is a Clemson University sophomore studying to be a CPA. For the past 4 years she has participated in the university's Building Dreams mentoring program for children of incarcerated parents. In this video, Anderson describes how her mentor helped her "see beyond her reach." She can recite the statistics on children of incarcerated parents that point to anxiety, depression, and anger, but with help from her mentor, Anderson is following her own path to success.
Positive Youth Development and Educational Success
Partner Build Grow offers tools for sustaining school-based approaches that promote cognitive, social, and emotional health as well as educational success. The Action Guide has practical steps for integrating evidence-based student supports into state and local systems and breaks down policy advocacy into four areas: Mapping Assets, Building an Action Team, Connecting with the Policy Environment, and Communications.
Planning for Better Communication
The National Resource Center for Mental Health Promotion and Youth Violence Prevention has developed "Communication Planning for Program Success and Sustainability," an online resource for Safe Schools/Healthy Students grantees. Through three learning modules—an introduction, strategy development, and action strategy—grantees can step-up their communication planning.
Mentoring Gets Professional
A new LinkedIn page invites members to share mentoring stories and find local youth mentoring opportunities. The page was developed in part by MENTOR: The National Mentoring Partnership, which has helped millions of young people find the support they need to build productive and meaningful lives.
What to Consider When Building a Logic Model
This guide describes logic models and their design. The tool has two sections for logic model development: those for programs serving youth in juvenile justice settings and those for programs that serve youth in neglect settings. Each suggests five long-term outcomes or system changes and includes detailed questions that walk through logic model creation.
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