How To Stop Youth Violence: 7 Things You Can Do
The scope of the issue of youth violence in America is staggering and, at times, overwhelming. Simply put, we are failing our children. Far too many families know the pain and trauma that comes from losing a child to violence. Far too many young adults know the lingering shadow of early childhood and adolescence exposed to violence. Homicide is a leading cause of death for the 10 to 24 age group.
If we’re going to address the issue head-on, it’s going to take all of us working together on intervention and prevention strategies to shape a better world for the next generation.
We know it’s a complex and serious issue. We know the statistics are not on our side.
But we also know that we can’t just sit by while thousands of young people are treated for violent injuries every day. You probably agree if you’ve clicked on this article. That move signals that you contain the impulse to positively impact your community.
That impulse is empathy in action. Don’t ever lose it.
It Will Take All of Us to Stop Youth Violence
It would be too simple to say there’s one specific cause of the increase in youth violence in America. In truth, it’s a whole host of issues.
For underserved, often urban environments, violence is a symptom of many underlying problems. There’s the lack of quality education, teachers being stripped of resources and support, the prevalence of gang violence, the wage and economic gaps faced by minority workers leading to financial instability and poverty, the access to violent weapons and drug use… The list goes on.
Some of these are a direct result of government malpractice or oversight. But some of these are on us. A community is as strong as its people. If we’re going to seriously address youth violence, it’s going to take a village. Everyone must chip in to intervene and reverse the course of this alarming trend.
We owe it to our children and our children’s children. We cannot accept a world in which they’re afraid of being hurt at school or on their street corners. We cannot accept a world in which children are disproportionately at risk for violence due to their skin color, sexuality, and gender.
Put simply, we can, and we must do better.
Youth Violence Prevention Programs: What You Can Do
The movement towards addressing youth violence is in desperate need of individuals who want to help create change. While there are many organizations and government entities working on this problem, the truth is that the problem is so large that it needs as many helping hands as it can get.
Below, we’ve put together a few ways you can join the fight to reduce youth violence.
A few things to remember before we dive in.=:
First, it’s a good idea to take stock of what you’re good at. What unique skills or experiences do you have that you can contribute? Are you a talented cook? A strong organizer with problem-solving skills? A good listener? There are so many ways to help.
Second, we want to remind you that your safety is important. Whether you’re an adult or a young person, these are serious topics with high stakes consequences.
When helping to reduce youth violence, make sure that you stay safe, take regular stock of your mental health, and protect yourself. No one should be put further at risk by getting involved.
Okay, now let’s talk about ways to help.
#1: Explore Mentorship and Coaching Opportunities
We can’t overstate just how effective and healing therapy and counseling can be. For many adolescents lost in the throes of violence, unresolved anger is powering aggression and destructive, violent behavior.
For healthy anger management, more than anything else, people need an outlet. People need someone they can talk to: someone they can trust.
Underserved communities often lack mental health services or peer-to-peer counseling programs. A hands-on intervention program like that can be so effective in helping young people understand their anger, process their past traumas, and build healthy coping life skills in the future.
Check out mentorship programs in your area and consider lending an ear and offering some advice. You don’t need to be an expert; you just need to be compassionate.
#2: Help Fight Food Instability
One of the many risk factors behind youth violence is instability in the home. Young people who can’t rely on a safe, warm meal at home may be more likely to get involved with illegal and dangerous activities.
In fact, one study showed that for every 1% increase in instances of food insecurity, a person is 12% more likely to be involved in a violent crime.
That’s why helping to solve the scarcity of healthy, affordable (or free) meals also works towards the primary prevention goal of reducing violence. On a local level, look into food kitchens, meal deliveries, or grocery deliveries in your community, especially those that are offering healthy meals and food choices, which are too often a scarcity within underprivileged environments.
#3: Get Involved in Education and Schooling
As we mentioned earlier, in urban and underserved school districts, students are experiencing subpar education; teachers are facing unbearable circumstances and low wages. There seemingly are not enough resources to go around.
At the very least, students should be able to go to school without fear of violence.
So how can we improve the school system? By getting involved. Schools are often looking for volunteers to help mentor kids, run clubs or special events, or tutor struggling students. If you don’t have an abundance of time to help out, donating equipment or money to schools can make a huge difference.
Time and time again, we’ve seen that quality education improves the lives of young people. With the help of the community, we can make schools a little safer.
#4: Volunteer for After School Programs and Activities
Helping out in schools doesn’t have to be limited to class time hours.
Many studies have shown that involvement in the arts and sports can help at-risk youth avoid the pressures of violence and bad behavior. These activities can also teach valuable skills like goal setting, organization, work ethic, and the satisfaction of creating something and being a part of something bigger than yourself.
Sadly, after-school programs, especially in the arts, are often the first things to go when school budgets are cut. Individual members of the community can intervene to preserve these activities and provide students with a safe space after school to flourish.
#5: Back Legal Support for Underserved Youth
So far, many of our ways to chip in have been focused on violence prevention. Rehabilitation is the other side of the conversation.
Violence is often an endless cycle. Exposure to violence makes a young person more likely to engage in violence. Being a victim of trauma makes a person more likely to act out aggressively. Furthermore, interacting with the judicial system makes a person more likely to interact with it again. In other words, if you’ve already been arrested once, you’re more likely to get arrested again.
These cycles can feel impossible to break out of.
While there are a number of mental health gaps that contribute to this problem, another gap exists for underprivileged people within the legal system. Undocumented and minority young people face an uphill battle when it comes to the law today.
Whether you’re donating to advocacy law groups or lending your legal background (if you’ve got one) to the cause, there are a number of ways you can help break the cycle. You should also check out letter-writing programs. Again, a little bit of compassion goes a long way.
#6: Start With Your Neighborhood
It’s easy to get ambitious and lofty with your goals towards stopping youth violence on a national level. We won’t stop you, but we will remind you that preaching non-violence starts in our homes.
Many young people don’t feel like they have an adult they can trust and talk to. Knowing that we can make ourselves available to the young people in our buildings and neighborhoods. If you see someone wrapped up in violence or see bullying happening, intervene, step in, and talk to them. The CDC reports that one in five high school students has experienced bullying.
Going against the grain and standing up for what’s right is easier said than done, but it can make all the difference.
#7: Hold Leaders Accountable
Last but definitely not least, we think it’s vital that we ask more of our politicians and leaders. It's not just Washington, DC. We need to address this — make youth violence the most important topic on the ballot during local elections.
Go to town halls and ask politicians what they are going to do to keep our youth safe. When they provide answers, demand a timeline for accountability. Political involvement in this sense can inspire a grassroots movement to get more regular people involved in the governance of our communities.
A representative legislature that actually represents the people it works for is more likely to work in earnest towards protecting those people.
Youth Violence Prevention: An Evaluation
We hope this list was helpful in inspiring you to help reduce and stop youth violence.
Do you know of any other ways to participate in the change? We’d love to hear about them.
With the right resources, compassion, and a commitment to bettering the world, we can protect young people and ensure they have a happy and healthy future in front of them.
Sources:
Federal Data | Youth.gov
Nine Strategies To Prevent Youth Violence In Central America | Interpeace
Seven Things to Know About Repeat Offenders | The Marshall Project
Top 10 Causes of Death for Americans Ages 20 to 24 | Very Well Health