The 6th Annual Basura Bash is being hosted by Safe & Sound and Keep Greater Milwaukee Beautiful, with the support and partnership of the Department of Neighborhood Services, and Milwaukee County Parks on Saturday, May 18th at Walker Square Park (1029 S. 9th St). Basura Bash is a community building and beautification project on the Southside of Milwaukee that involves working with block watch groups, residents, Safe & Sound Safe Places, local businesses, community and faith-based organizations, law enforcement and our local leaders to build pride through a series of neighborhood improvement activities including, garbage cleanup, tire and graffiti removal, alley and building identification numbering, vacant lot clean ups, recycling information, and a major "basura bash" in our streets and alleys on the Southside.

  

UW-Milwaukee Center for Urban Initiatives & Research and the Violence Prevention Initiative at the Medical College of Wisconsin presents the Restorative Practices: Repairing Harm and Building Communities Confernece held on May 29th at the Italian Conference Center from 7:30am - 3:30pm. Restorative practices are efforts that build, maintain, and restore communities around inclusive networks of right relationships. They bring people together when relationships are damaged by the specific actions of one or more people. National experts Carl Stauffer and Kay Pranis will join local voices Arno Michaelis, Pardeep Kaleka and other to inform individuals about the principles, methods, evidence, and applications of restorative practices toward building a better community through a day of discussions and workshops.

Click here to register for the event.

 

  

  

Several youth from the VPI community partnerships  participated in a Listening Session with Chief Edward Flynn on April 9, 2013 at the Holton Youth + Family Center. The session gave youth an opportunity to share concerns and offer suggestions for improving relations between the youth community and police. Youth discussed topics of youth rights, gun violence, Conceal and Carry laws, safety at school, and stereotyping youth according to dress attire or by the location that they live in. 

  

  

 

"This youth listening session was a great opportunity to sit down with young leaders and discuss their concerns.  I am grateful to the Holton Youth and Family Center for opening their doors to us and hosting this event.  Only with strong partners like the Violence Prevention Initiative, Holton Youth and Family Center, and our youth, can we create and maintain neighborhoods capable of sustaining civic life and reduce crime, fear and disorder in our community."

 

Edward A. Flynn

Chief of Police

Milwaukee Police Department    

 

 

  

  

  

The Holton Youth + Family Center hosted over 100 people on Thursday, April 18th for their Holton Hero Housewarming.  The event celebrated the newly renovated Holton Youth + Family Center and the progress the Center has made in the community over the past couple of years.  The housewarming included tours of the Center given by HYFC Youth Leadership Council members, a presentation by HYFC staff and youth, and plenty of community conversation.

 

Since HYFC has re-opened upon completion of building renovations, daily attendance has been higher than it was before the renovations began.  HYFC staff worked diligently to stay in contact with youth and families during the construction process to ensure they remained involved in the Center.

  

  

The Violence Prevention Initiative was pleased to partner with Jewish Family Services to host Jackson Katz, PhD on May 1, 2013 at the Italian Conference Center. Dr Katz presented his multimedia presentation, "Tough Guise: Violence, Media, and the Crisis in Masculinity." During the program, Katz illustrated how mainstream media images from sports, television, Hollywood film, and music videos help promote violent masculinity as a cultural norm. Following the presentation, Dr. Katz met with the conference participants and signed copies of his latest book. Attendees continued to discuss several of Jackson's points after the presentation to incorporate into their daily work. The conference gathered over 200 participants interested in domestic violence prevention and interventions.