The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Newsletter is prepared under Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Cooperative Agreement No. 2012–MU–FX–K009 with Development Services Group, Inc.

The views, opinions, and content of this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of OJJDP.

The Forum is a vibrant national network of federal and local stakeholders. Through

cross-system partnerships, data-driven strategies, and balanced approaches

combining prevention, intervention, enforcement, and reentry, the Forum strives to

prevent violence and promote the safety, health, and development of our nation’s

youth and their families.

FORUM GOALS

Elevate youth and gang violence as a public health problem to an issue of national significance.

Enhance the capacity of participating localities, as well as others across the country, to more effectively prevent youth and

gang violence.

Sustain progress and systems change through engagement, alignment, and assessment.

YOUTH VIOLENCE IS

PREVENTABLE

The Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention

estimated that 4,481 youths

between ages 10 and 24 were

victims of homicide in 2013—

that’s an average of 12 young

people murdered every day.1

Nearly one in four serious

violent crime victims known to

law enforcement is a juvenile.2

Youth violence is a serious

problem that can have lasting

harmful effects on victims and

their families, friends, and

communities. It creates fear that

causes people to withdraw from

community life. It can increase a

community’s healthcare costs,

decrease property values, and

disrupt social services.

Youth violence is preventable, but comprehensive solutions

are needed. A growing body of

research indicates evidence- based practices can reduce

youth and gang violence and

improve outcomes for our kids.

References

1. Centers for Disease Control and

Prevention (CDC). Web-Based Injury

Statistics Query and Reporting System.

Atlanta, Ga.: U.S. Department of Health

and Human Services, CDC. Available at

http://www.cdc.gov/injury/wisqars/index.html

2. Melissa Sickmund and Charles

Puzzanchera (eds.). 2014. Juvenile

Offenders and Victims: 2014 National

Report. Pittsburgh, Pa.: National Center

for Juvenile Justice.

The National Forum on Youth Violence

Prevention is a network of communities

and federal agencies that work together,

share information, and build local capacity

to prevent and reduce youth violence.

Established at the direction of President

Obama in 2010, the Forum brings together

people from diverse professions and

perspectives to learn from one another

about the crisis of youth and gang violence

in the United States and build

comprehensive solutions at the local and

national levels.

Participating federal agencies include the

Departments of Justice, Education, Health

and Human Services, Housing and Urban

Development, and Labor and the White

House Office of National Drug Control

Policy.

Youth attendees participate in a roundtable

discussion at 2015 Summit.

The Forum’s 15 participating cities are

Baltimore, Md.; Boston, Mass.; Camden,

N.J.; Chicago, Ill.; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit,

Mich.; Long Beach, Calif.; Louisville, Ky.;

Memphis, Tenn.; Minneapolis, Minn.; New

Orleans, La.; Philadelphia, Pa.; Salinas,

Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; and San Jose, Calif. Led by federal and city officials, these sites

develop comprehensive youth violence

prevention plans together with chiefs of

police, public health commissioners, school

superintendents, community-based

organizations, youth and family groups, and

business and philanthropic leaders.

The Forum operates on three

key principles:

1) Multidisciplinary partnerships are key

in tackling this complex issue. Police,

educators, public health and other service

providers, faith and community leaders,

parents, and youths must all be at the

table.

2) Balance and coordination of

prevention, intervention, enforcement, and

strategies between and among

communities.

3) Data and evidence-driven strategies

must inform efforts to reduce youth

violence in our country. These three

principles are critical for directing and

leveraging limited resources to have a

lasting impact.
The National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Newsletter is prepared under Office of Juvenile Justice and

Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP) Cooperative Agreement No. 2012–MU–FX–K009 with Development Services Group, Inc.

The views, opinions, and content of this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions, or policies of OJJDP.

SEATTLE AND NEW ORLEANS SHARE LESSONS LEARNED

Promising approaches from one community can be adapted for use in another locality

when local context in taken into consideration. In early March, a three-person delegation

from the Seattle National Forum site traveled to Louisiana to participate in the New

Orleans Health Department’s Youth Violence Prevention Summit and engage in peer-to- peer training. As a city just 3 years into adopting a community-wide approach to

addressing youth violence, NOLA wanted to hear from a site that had more experience.

Noting the differences between New Orleans and Seattle, one Summit attendee asked, “What about your work is applicable in our community?” The answer: A great deal.

Though our cities differ in many ways, the challenges faced by our most vulnerable

communities are similar.

BOSTON YOUTH VOTE FOR CHANGE

Boston youth were directly involved in decisions to fund seven projects, including several

park renovations, community art walls, and Chromebooks for three Boston high schools.

At 26, Shari Davis is one of the youngest city department heads in Boston and a fierce

supporter of involving young people in local government. She helped Boston lead its first

Participatory Budgeting Project (PBP) dedicated entirely to youth, where teens and

young adults decided how to spend $1 million of the city’s capital funds. While in its pilot

phase, PBP galvanized youths from all parts of Boston. They mulled over the city’s

needs and generated about 500 bright ideas that were later organized by category. Five

months later, they were voting on 14 of the best submissions, with residents as young as

12 at the poll.

IN THIS EFFORT

The Forum is strengthened by the diverse perspectives, skills, and expertise of our

partners, so we are always looking for ways to expand our efforts. If you are interested

in partnering with us or learning more about

youth violence, here are ways to reach out. To learn more about the Forum and access

Preventing Youth Violence: Opportunities for

Action, visit our Web site at

http://tinyurl.com/oebbzyz

Need help? Want to build a youth violence

prevention plan? Access the Forum Toolkit at

http://youth.gov/docs/NFYVP_Toolkit_LKP.pdf

A LESSON IN PREVENTION

Prevention is the foundation of

the public health approach. Ultimately, the best way forward

is to stop the violence before

it starts.

Much can be done to move

youth violence prevention

strategies forward. A growing set

of individual and program- and

policy-level strategies has

proven to lower the risk and

occurrence of violence:  School-based programs that

promote positive social skills

for youth and build skills in

solving problems nonviolently

 Family approaches that help

caregivers set

developmentally appropriate

rules and effectively monitor

youth activities and

relationships

 Community, economic,

environmental, educational,

and other policies that

enhance safety and increase

opportunities for positive

social interaction

All of us in the Forum must rely

on data and information about

best practices based on

research. Using the science that

drives the public health

approach to violence prevention

will provide the best results.

While we must continue to guide

young people involved in

violence toward better, brighter

paths, continue to police our

communities through thoughtful

and effective means, and

recognize that offenders

returning to the community must

be given every chance to break

the cycle of offending, it is

prevention that promises to stem

the tide of youth violence.

“When a child opens fire on another child, there’s a hole in that child’s heart that government can’t fill,

only community and parents and teachers and clergy can fill that hole.... And so that means that this is

not just a gun issue, it’s also an issue of the kinds of communities we are building—and in that, we all

share a responsibility.” —President Barack Obama

Attorney General Loretta Lynch delivers plenary

speech at Youth Violence Prevention Summit.

If you are interested in partnering with the

Forum, would like to get your city involved, or

have questions, email bzanjani@dsgonline.com