Violence is a public health issue because of its tremendous impact on the health and well-being of our youth.
Communities are eager to find ways to stop youth violence.
These programs are drawn from real-world experiences of professionals who have successfully worked to prevent violence among children and adolescents. Youth violence, once thought to be a problem only in inner-city neighborhoods, is now a nationwide concern. In 1998, for example, more than 3,400 persons under the age of 19 died as a result of violence. That s an average of 9 deaths daily from violence. The homicide rate for young people in the United States is the highest of all developed countries.