Leading Organizations Join Forces To Support National Youth Violence Prevention Week

During the week of March 29th through April 2nd, people from all over the country will unite in a unique educational and awareness event focusing on effective ways to prevent and reduce youth violence. Students, educators, counselors, law enforcement officers, social workers, service organizations, faith-based groups, parents, and the public will participate in various activities to demonstrate the positive role young people can have in making their schools and communities safer. To further encourage community-wide participation in the event, campaign founders National S.A.V.E. (Students Against Violence Everywhere) and The Guidance Channel, have recruited sponsors including the National Association Of Student Councils, NEA's Health Information Network, National Association Of Social Workers, National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers, Join Together, Tolerance.org, American School Counselor Association, Association for Conflict Resolution, United Religions Initiative, and YouthNOISE.

Plainview, NY (PRWEB) March 18, 2004 --During the week of March 29th through April 2nd, people from all over the country will unite in a unique educational and awareness event focusing on effective ways to prevent and reduce youth violence. Students, educators, counselors, law enforcement officers, social workers, service organizations, faith-based groups, parents, and the public will participate in various activities to demonstrate the positive role young people can have in making their schools and communities safer.

With the support of several national premier youth-serving organizations, each day of the week will focus on a specific violence prevention strategy. These include promoting respect and tolerance, anger management, resolving conflicts peacefully, supporting safety, and uniting in action. "Strategy Sponsors," including Teaching Tolerance, American School Counselor Association, Association For Conflict Resolution, National Youth Court Center, and Youth Service America, will offer activities, information, and spokespersons to support each day's focus through the campaign website, www.ViolencePreventionWeek.org.

The campaign is also striving to unite communities in their efforts to address youth violence by encouraging participating schools to host in-school violence prevention conferences on the campaign's "Unite In Action Day" scheduled for Friday, April 2nd. In addition to offering workshops on various prevention strategies and recognizing local efforts by those who are effectively working to reduce youth violence, these conferences are intended to provide an opportunity to establish local community roundtables that will develop action plans to reduce youth violence throughout the year.

To further encourage community-wide participation in the event, campaign founders National S.A.V.E. (Students Against Violence Everywhere) and The Guidance Channel, have recruited a number "Sector Sponsors" who will bring their unique expertise to the campaign. These groups are providing leadership to various community sectors, such as social service agencies, service organizations, and the media. The growing list of Sector Sponsors include the National Association Of Student Councils, National Education Association's Health Information Network, National Association Of Social Workers, National Association of School Safety and Law Enforcement Officers, Join Together, United Religions Initiative, and YouthNOISE.

The award-winning campaign website at www.ViolencePreventionWeek.org, serves as the crossroads for all those involved in the event. There you'll find links to all of the sponsors' websites, message boards for networking, e-cards to promote the event, and contact information for spokespersons. The site also provides everything needed to prepare for the event, including the official campaign Action Kit that serves as a step-by-step planning guide, suggestions for how each sector of the community can support the campaign, and access to the campaign newsletter to keep updated on campaign events around the country.