Now, the Safe Night concept is spreading across the country. Safe Night USA Project Director Maria Alvarez Stroud is enthusiastic about the overwhelming interest she has seen. In Miami, for example, Safe Night planners expect 500 youth to attend a concert and beach party on June 5 with conflict resolution skill training in the middle. The same night, seven Safe Night parties will be held in Berkeley, California, with some focusing on violence prevention and others on conflict resolution. In Detroit, the goal is to have 150 Safe Night parties on June 5.
Organizers say the concept can work well in rural areas, too.
In Kentucky, for example, the goal is to have Safe Night events in all 122 counties, many of which are predominantly rural. In Paducah, which was stunned by a school shooting in 1997, a Safe Night is being planned for June 5. Her organization, which specializes in teaching conflict resolution skills in schools, has joined a number of other national youth-oriented organizations in supporting the effort. Alvarez Stroud tempered her enthusiasm with a note of caution about seeing Safe Night as a complete solution to issues of youth violence. Safe Night appears to be an effective violence prevention strategy, but it s not a cure-all.