Monday, December 7, 2009
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Questions for a Safer Chicago *
youTHink invites you to give us your input on what you think may make Chicago a safer place for young adults. Some questions to consider may be:
What would a safe community look like to you?
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Protect Children, Not Guns 2009
Protect Children, Not Guns 2009
Release Date: September 16, 2009
File Size: 382 KB
File Format: pdf
Download Document
The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 3,184 children and teens died from gunfire in the United States in 2006—a 6 percent increase from 2005. This means one young life lost every two hours and 45 minutes, almost nine every day, 61 every week.
Of these deaths, 2,225 were homicides, 763 were suicides and 196 were due to an accident or undetermined circumstances. Boys accounted for 2,815 of the deaths; girls for 369 deaths. More than five times as many children and teens―17,451―suffered non-fatal gun injuries.
- The number of children and teens in America killed by guns in 2006 would fill more than 127 public school classrooms of 25 students each.
- More preschoolers (63) were killed by firearms than law enforcement officers (48) killed in the line of duty.
- Black males ages 15 to 19 are almost five times as likely as their White peers and more than twice as likely as their Hispanic peers to be killed by firearms.
- Between 1979 and 2006, the yearly number of firearm deaths of White children and teens decreased by about 40 percent, but deaths of Black children and teens increased by 55 percent.
- Since 1979, gun violence has ended the lives of 107,603 children and teens in America.
- Sixty percent of them were White; 37 percent were Black.
- The number of Black children and teens killed by gunfire since 1979 (39,957) is more than 10 times the number of Black citizens of all ages lynched throughout American history (3,437).
Second Annual Urban/Suburban Youth Summit on Gun Violence
The latest data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that
3,184 children and teens died from gunfire in the United States in 2006.
This represents a +6% increase from 2005.*
To help address the issue of gun violence, UCAN will host its
Second Annual Urban/Suburban Youth Summit on Gun Violence
on December 5th, 2009 from 9:30a.m. to 3:30p.m.
at George Westinghouse College Prep High School.
The Summit will unite youth, community leaders, policy makers, and advocates in a solution-focused agenda to improve the public's understanding about the effects of gun violence, to engage community support in reducing gun violence, and to educate on the issues critical to America's youth. The main goal of the Summit is to foster youth civic activism and leadership, with youth attendees identifying the most significant issues pertaining to their age groups on gun violence and working with community and business leaders to identify and implement solutions and strategies to end gun violence. In addition, Senator Emil Jones III will be speaking. The Summit will include:
- Highlights from UCAN's 2009 national Teen Gun Survey and local focus group findings
- Various youth workshops reflecting discussions on focus group findings as well as education and policy issues
- Creation of a "Call to Action" plan detailing what youth can do tomorrow to advocate for change, and how youth and adults throughout Chicago communities can work together to make a difference in reducing gun violence
Students from the following schools will be participating in the Summit:
- Bethune School of Excellence
- Collins Academy High School
- Fenger Academy High School
- George Westinghouse College Prep High School
- Johnson School of Excellence
- Latin School of Chicago
- New Trier Township High School
- Rockford Auburn High School
- Thornton Township High School
- Uhlich Academy and High School
To learn more, to attend, or to support the Urban/Suburban Youth Summit on Gun Violence, please contact the Director of U-LEAD, Lee Roe, at roel@ucanchicago.org. To download further details about the Summit,click here.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
YouThink Chicago's Launches Artistic Anti-Violence Campaign
YouThink Chicago, a partner organization of the Social Force Art Collaborative, invites you to take part in a new initiative that attempts to combat the high rates of youth violence in Chicago through a unique form of performance art.
Footworking is a style of dance native to Chicago and is part of a growing movement to provide alternatives to violent conflict resolution. Instead of picking up guns and throwing up fists, youth and community organizations have begun to engage in "Footworking Battles" to (re)establish positive relationships between rivaling parties through healthy, creative competition.
Throughout the month of November, YouThink is designing unique shoe tags that will act as a visual reminder of the successful impact Footworking Battles maintain as an alternative to violent conflict resolution. These shoe tags will have a links to useful information about our initiative, as well as video performance and testimonials about the power of Footworking. In collaboration with several community organizations, these shoe tags will potentially be released at an exciting event on 12.11.09. We are still engaged in the planning process for this event, and we hope that the campaign launch will take place at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.
Please visit our blog throughout the month November for exciting updates as this initiative continues to grow.
Peace,
YouThink Chicago
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