News from Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative | December 19, 2014

The Delridge Mural, an SYVPI - Work Readiness Arts Program (WRAP) project

Photo courtesy of Jenny Crooks

Season's Greetings

to our local and global community
of friends, colleagues and partners

Wishing and working for peace this holiday season and throughout the New Year!

The Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative Team

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A Message from the Director:

The holiday season leading up to the year's end is a time of celebration and reflection. For me, it is a time when I rejoice in family and friends while also mourning the loss of loved ones. This year, with the recent events in Ferguson, Staten Island and Cleveland, I join the many thousands throughout the nation who mourn with both sorrow and outrage the deaths of Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Tamir Rice and others, perhaps less well known, but all of whose lives matter.

So, in this final issue of the year, I share my gratitude and appreciation for all of the youth service providers and community partners who are working to keep our young people safe and to help them thrive.

To strengthen our efforts on this front, we have joined with three national initiatives that will be rolled out in Seattle over the coming year. By accessing resources through these initiatives, we aim to address the disproportionate impact of violence and lack of educational and employment opportunities on youth of color.

First, by accepting President Obama's My Brother's Keeper challenge, Seattle will plan and implement strategies to close the opportunity gap for these young people.

Second, as a partner in Cities United, we will seek to address black male homicide.

And finally, as a newly accepted member of the National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, we will strengthen the support net for young people 18-24 who age out of many services and systems.

Mariko Lockhart

Director

Seattle Youth Violence Prevention Initiative

Warm the Homeless Project

Help SYVPI Youth Warm the Homeless on December 30th

The low temperature in Seattle last month on November 25th was 38 degrees. It was a relatively balmy temperature for this time of year -- unless you are homeless and living on the streets.

That evening a group of SYVPI youth, led by Michael Gebrekristos and Martha Laumoli, Case Managers with SYVPI's contracted partner Sea Mar Community Health Centers, helped warm bodies and souls by handing out 100 hat, gloves, and scarves bundles that they had collected to the homeless of Downtown Seattle. Donations from local business also allowed them to also pass out hot chocolate, cake, and other pastries.

The youth were deeply impacted by the evening and all were happy they were able to participate in this humanitarian endeavor. So much so, that they immediately began planning a second event to be held on Tuesday, December 30th.

"Our goal this time is to hand over 200 gloves and hats to folks living on the street," according to Richard Maltby, SYVPI Program Manager at Sea Mar.

Anyone interested in contributing to the project or joining their efforts is urged to contact Michael as soon as possible at michaelgebrekristos@seamarchc.org or (206) 219-5975.

Michael's video of the event is available at http://youtu.be/vDUo9iPwlGI

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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.