Blueprint for Action: Preventing Youth Violence in Minneapolis
Here's a description and purpose of the event excerpted from the city website (link above): The City of Minneapolis recognizes that youth violence is a public health epidemic that requires a holistic, multi-faceted response. Drawing on a mix of increased law enforcement and public health strategies to address the root causes of violence and significantly reduce and prevent youth violence in Minneapolis, the city, in partnership with a host of community stakeholders, created the Blueprint for Action. Goals identified in the Blueprint:
- Connect every youth with a trusted adult,
- Intervene at the first sign that youth are at risk for violence,
- Restore youth who have gone down the wrong path, and
- Unlearn the culture of violence in our community.
We weren't able to to attend the entire day, but we were honored to participate in closing the day with song. As with many of these events, Put On Your Climbing Shoes seemed to be the most fitting. Local youth, legislators, activists, youth workers, educators, city employees had gathered to learn and deliberate intentional effective steps to work together to impliment the above goals and live as peacemakers in everyday working, playing, speaking, doing, being.... There was much mental exercise and much flexing of the heart muscle and now it was time to stand together and get our groove on for goodness in the world. As I began, everyone was responding to a call to physically write and display their pledge for 24/7 peace on the wall.
May we all do our part to cultivate courageous kindness and justice that finds its full consummation in reconciliation & restoration rather than retribution. May we be mindful even of our violent thoughts and subdue them with peace - which must be cultivated within to be perpetuated without. I know I can't do this alone. We are all in this together.
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