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News from Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative | August 30, 2013 |
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Making the Most of Summer
Most youth can hardly wait for their summer vacation to start, then a few weeks after school lets out many of them find themselves with too much time on their hands, and too few constructive activities to fill it. This was not a problem this summer for a number of SYVPI youth who were able to take part in some very exciting, life-changing activities. |
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Michael Passian, Youth Engagement Specialist with
SYVPI's Central Network, demonstrates Rock-Paper-Scissors with Summit participants
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Building Peace in the Global Hood
Twenty-eight youth from the YMCA's summer job and readiness program participated July 30-31 in the International Youth Peace Summit, "Peace in the Global Hood," held in Seattle at the Madrona K-8 school. There were 80 participants in all, including young people from around the United States, as well as Mexico, Korea, Japan, the Philippines, and even Mongolia. Some of the youth were either bi- or tri-lingual and acted as translators.
The Peace Summit was a collaborative event involving SYVPI, the Global Peace Youth Corps (GPYC), the YMCA of Greater Seattle, Therapeutic Health Services, the World Affairs Council, Jovenes en Accion, the U.S. Department of State, and the Subway on 23rd & Jackson. Its purpose was to bring youth together from all backgrounds of faith, culture, nationality and ethnicity to become leaders in working towards the common goal of global peace.
The first day of the Summit featured teamwork activities designed to bridge the language barriers and bring people together in new ways. One ice-breaker was a Rock-Paper-Scissors competition. Each youth started by playing the hand game with someone they did not know. If they won, the other person joined their team or "posse." This process continued until there was only one group left. A youth versus staff competition was also held, with the youth coming out as the winners. ("Our reflexes are getting a little slow," explained Jamila Taylor, SYVPI Central Network Coordinator.)
On the second day, the youth worked in teams to create art pieces called wishing stars. The stars were designed to express their dreams of what peace would look like. A small team worked on each point of the star, but planned the overall design for the whole star with a larger group.
The finished stars will be made available for display in public locations throughout the city.
 | | A group with their completed wishing star |
The SYVPI youth were able to attend the event as a result of the expanded funding the Seattle City Council designated for SYVPI last year. On August 7, 2013, a number of the Summit participants, accompanied by Central Network Coordinator Jamila Taylor; Michael Smalls, YMCA Senior Director of Leadership and Education Madrona K-8 and Garfield Scholars; and Kenshu Aoki, President of GPYC-USA, attended the City Council's Public Safety, Civil Rights and Technology Committee meeting to report on the event.
Speaking through an interpreter, a participant from Japan told the councils that she had been apprehensive about coming to the United States because she could not speak any English, but she soon found out that this was not an insurmountable problem. Even though the participants came from different cultures, they all wished for peace, she said. "Even though I couldn't speak their language, I could feel their hearts and their joy."
 | | Peace Summit presentation to City Council committee |
In addition to exposing youth to other cultures and building leadership skills, there was another benefit as well. A young woman from Seattle shared with the Council that the project had also provided her with peace of mind-a chance to get away from the drama of everyday life, from standing on the street corners, and from having nothing to do during the summer.
A video recording of the council meeting is available online at http://www.seattlechannel.org/videos/video.asp?ID=2401340
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 | Open for business!
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Young Entrepreneurs Learn How to Start a Successful Business Ten SYVPI teens joined the ranks of U.S. entrepreneurs during July and August. As participants in the Integrity Solutions Entrepreneurial Training Community Matching Grant project, they conducted industry research, learned about marketing, sales, technology, legal documents, and the relevance of culture and fitness in preparation for selling bath and body products which they crafted themselves. The project culminated in the First Annual Market Place which was held at the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls
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In 2012, 13% of U.S. adults were starting a business, or were new business owners. Of those...
41% were women
59% were men
69% worked from home
82% were funded by savings, family, and friends
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Club Field on August 15th. Customers were invited to sample and purchase candles, bath salts, incense, and more. The proceeds from all sales went directly to the teens. Mariko Lockhart, SYVPI Director, purchased bath salts, brown sugar body scrub, and a scented candle. "The different bath salt scents are wonderful! It's hard to decide which is my favorite. The youth did an excellent job in manufacturing these very professional products and were very charming and personable salespeople at the Market Place. They clearly gained multiple skills in this Community Matching Grant project."Debra Fatimah, the originator of the project, was very pleased with the results. "I am indeed humbled," she said, "by the level of engagement from the community and the willingness from parents and guardians to participate....the amount of visibility and needs assessment of each individual involved exceeded my expectations and we have been able to establish ongoing mentoring relationships. I have a strong conviction [about the role of] art and commerce in the therapeutic process of healing and eradicating the symptoms of feeling impoverished."
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 | SYVPI youth with Seahawks coach Pete Carroll
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Learning from Pete Carroll: Life and Football Coach
On August 17th, SYVPI youth from the three networks got an opportunity that would make most Seahawks' fans green with envy: a chance to spend some personal time with Seahawks Head Coach Pete Carroll. A group of about 20 youth, along with the Network Coordinators, traveled to the Seahawks training camp in Renton where they got a chance to tour the facility, throw a few footballs, and hear Carroll's insights on success first-hand.
In addition to his football duties, Coach Carroll leads "A Better Seattle," a Seattle Seahawks community relations program partnering with the YMCA of Greater Seattle and the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. Among its many roles, ABS helps to develop partnerships between corporations, law enforcement and community groups to build healthy communities and reduce youth violence.
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March on Washington Memorial Youth Mentoring Summit
Five youth from the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative, accompanied by Hazel Cameron, Executive Director of the 4C Coalition, traveled to Washington, DC to participate in the March on Washington Memorial Youth Mentoring Summit which occurred on August 26-27, 2013. The summit solicited input from young people to help develop messages that will engage their peers to achieve in school and reduce risky behaviors. The Seattle youth were chosen due to their outstanding leadership, participation, and attendance in the 4C Coalition's group mentoring program. Look for photos and a full report on their experiences in the September SYVPI newsletter.
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Case Manager Can Relate to Challenges
The Southwest Youth and Family Services' SYVPI Case Manager, Cleo Floyd, was featured in the Seattle Times on August 3rd. The article highlights his perseverance in overcoming more than just the usual obstacles to passing the Washington State Bar Exam. The silver lining to Cleo's story is that he emerged from the struggles with an enhanced ability to understand his clients' situations, and stands as living proof that one's past does not have to define their future--attributes he brings to his job at the Southwest Youth and Family Services. Read the full article in the Seattle Times.
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Safe Youth, Safe Community is a newsletter published by the Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative. Our mission is to prevent and reduce youth violence, which has disproportionately affected communities of color in Seattle, through coordinated community mobilization to identify youth at risk of perpetuating or being a victim of violence and connect them with needed support in reaching their full potential. For more information, please visit our website www.safeyouthseattle.org.
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