Keeping Kids Safe
In 2005, there were 321 shootings in Boston with 122 during the first 6 months. During the first six months of 2006, there were 214.
Supporting Statistics
- According to the Massachusetts Youth Risk Behavior Survey (2005), over one-fifth of high school students (22%) reported having their property stolen or deliberately damaged at school in the past year.
- In the past academic year, four Boston area middle schools reported 366 crime-related incidents within the schools.
Enabling youth to be safe and learn
One of the biggest issues facing youth today is violence. In 2005, Boston experienced its most violent year in a decade. 2006 is on track to be far worse than 2005.
As part of a collaborative effort of more than 50 community-based and faith-based organizations, and public agencies known as Boston’s High-Risk Youth Network, United Way of Massachusetts Bay (UWMB) is working to reach young people who are at-risk before they are claimed by truancy, gangs, violence, substance abuse or pregnancy by identifying gaps in youth services and developing a blueprint to address those gaps.
One such initiative is UWMB’s Out of Harm’s Way. In partnership with Boston Public Schools, UWMB launched Out of Harm’s Way in January 2006 at Dearborn Academy in Roxbury and Dorchester’s Lilla G. Frederick Pilot Middle School, recently identified as a “hot spot” for crime by the Boston Police Department. A two-year pilot initiative, Out of Harm’s Way aims to eliminate violence as a barrier to learning and healthy development for middle school students by increasing resources and the capacity of teachers and after-school program staff to deal with the youth that are at risk.
UWMB’s investment has allowed both schools to hire new staff and provide training to learn about strategies that help identify children who are “at risk” and how to address barriers to help them (from transportation and to extending school building hours to understanding and dealing with the emotional trauma their kids face every day).
In addition to the presence of caring adult role models, critical to the success of Out of Harm’s Way is connecting schools and after-schools. In doing so, they may share resources (such as staff and space), integrate after-school staff into the operations and culture of the school, and increase communication to align after-school programs with school curriculum and leverage best practices.
The benefits? Prevention versus intervention is less costly. Investment in a child’s social and emotional wellbeing through the presence of caring adult relationships produces long-term positive effects not only on his self but positively impacts the wellbeing of the community.