OJJDP News @ a Glance - March/April 2008

OJJDP To Host National Youth Gang Symposium in June 2008

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National Youth Gang Symposium banner

The 2008 OJJDP National Youth Gang Symposium will take place June 23–26 in Atlanta, GA. The theme this year is "Partnering to Prevent Youth Gang Violence: From Faith-Based and Community Organizations to Law Enforcement." OJJDP's cosponsors are the National Youth Gang Center. The event will offer innovative and successful gang prevention programs and strategies, as well as provide the latest information on youth gang activities and trends from top national experts.

This year's theme captures a central concept in OJJDP's approach to addressing the gang problem. Through close collaboration, pooled knowledge and resources, and coordinated services, we can effectively intervene in the lives of gang-involved youth and redirect them to a more positive, productive path.

Who Should Attend?

This symposium is designed for anyone involved in addressing our Nation's youth gang and violence issues:

School personnel
School resource officers/G.R.E.A.T. officers
Local Boys & Girls Clubs staff
Community-based organizations staff
Youth-development professionals
Law enforcement
Court, probation, and corrections professionals
Prosecutors
Researchers
Government agencies and elected officials
Youth leaders
Faith-based organizations

Sessions

The symposium will offer breakout sessions filled with information, strategies, and promising/best practices from multiple perspectives in the field dealing with youth gang issues. Sessions will apply to those working in law enforcement, State or local government, community or faith-based organizations, the justice system, or schools.

Session topics include:

Gang awareness with a national and regional focus
Brown/black gang conflicts
Gangster rap
Gangs in Indian Country
Female gangs
School-based prevention and intervention programs
Partnering within the community
Evaluation and performance measures
Sustainability and funding
Working with the media
Employment programs that work for gang-involved youth
Serving gang-involved families
Alternatives to incarceration
Targeted reentry

Presymposium Workshops

Specialized workshops will be offered prior to the symposium to allow participants to spend an entire day concentrating on a subject of interest. The workshops will take place on Monday, June 23, the day before the symposium begins.

Presymposium workshops being offered are:

National Gang Trends (Gangs 101)
The Evolving Role of Girls in Gangs
Classroom Management and Student Discipline
Team-Based Gang Intervention
Community Connection: Building a Collaboration
Gang Prevention Through Targeted Outreach
From Risk to Revenue: Employment Issues for Gang-Involved Youth
Gang Prosecution Strategies
Outreach to Gang Members and Their Families
Conducting a Comprehensive Gang Assessment

For detailed information, including a complete list of breakout sessions and descriptions of presymposium workshops, visit the registration is available.