National Youth Violence Prevention Week: March 21st-25th

There’s been a lot of talk recently about youth violence with everything from school and cyber bulling to suicides and dating violence. And for good reason. Youth violence is the second leading cause of death for young people aged 10 to 24 and is the leading cause of death in urban areas. And it all could be preventable.

In fact according to a 2007 American Journal of Preventive Medicine Article communities play a critical role in the prevention of youth violence and can work with schools to reduce violence by 15 percent in as little as six months through universal school-based violence prevention efforts. This week, we recognize National Youth Violence Prevention Week. The week aims to raise awareness to educators, students, teachers, school administrators, counselors, school resource officers, school staff, parents and the public on effective ways to prevent or reduce youth violence. Join countless public health advocates and get involved. Check out available resources here.

We encourage you to continue the conversation in early April and celebrate National Public Health Week with us.

The National Public Health Week campaign echoes the week’s message of violence prevention in all aspects of the community by promoting actions big and small including:

• working with school leaders to implement school violence and bullying programs.

• calling the police or local child protective services if you suspect an older adult has been abused or a child neglected.

• work with community leaders to establish a community safety task force.

• developing a suicide prevention program that encourages community members to inquire and respond to potential suicide situations.
  

To learn more about actions you can take to help prevent youth violence and raise awareness of injury and violence prevention visit the National Public Health Week website at www.nphw.org.