The relevant House Committees should investigate the agencies' current practices and encourage better coordination of efforts. The importance of strong family relationships to the healthy growth and development cannot be overstated. The Members of the subgroup recommend that the federal government should launch a national public health campaign to raise awareness of the importance of raising healthy children and the key role of parenting in this effort. The Working Group should strongly endorse this recommendation. The Working Group should state clearly and concisely its finding that a strong national economy is essential to our progress on the challenge of youth violence.
Parental engagement is the single most important factor in a child's healthy development.
The single most important influence in the healthy development of the child is positive interaction with adults. Mentors can play a key role especially for at-risk youths whose family situations can contribute significantly to the propensity for violence. The subgroup recommends increased support for initiatives that help families and students coordinate the differing schedules of school and work. While Congressman Etheridge strongly supports the bipartisan effort that has produced these consensus items, he feels strongly that the bottom line is commitment. We must engage in making a national commitment to address the problem of youth violence.