Violence Prevention through Youth Leadership

The OJJDP FY 10 Earmarks Program furthers the Department's mission by providing grants, cooperative agreements, and other assistance authorized by the Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 1974, as amended, to organizations identified in the Conference Report to accompany the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2010 (P.L. 111-117), H.R. Conf. Rep. No. 111-366 at 702-714.

UCAN's Violence Prevention and Youth Leadership program is a school- and community-based violence prevention and youth leadership development program serving at-risk youth in under-performing schools in Chicago. Culturally relevant programming engages young people in efforts to increase public awareness, influence peer behavior, and engage adults in order to address violence in Illinois. Peer mentoring and leadership training empower young people to choose alternatives to violence and to encourage partnerships for community-wide violence prevention solutions. The program includes: engaging 270-300 students in violence prevention and youth leadership services; creation of ten youth entry-level workforce jobs; engaging 15-20 young people of color in empowerment and self esteem groups; and 75% of engaged students will self-report a change in their views on at least one aspect of interpersonal violence. NCA/NCF