I know exactly where I was when the shooting at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado hit the news. It is one of those events that make a lasting impression on all of us. From that day forward, all anyone has to say to refer to this national tragedy is "Littleton". Certainly this reference is a sad legacy for a once-idyllic town in the glorious rocky-mountain-high state of Colorado.

I was just outside of Kansas City, Kansas the next day, presenting assemblies to students at a high school. After the assemblies, I had my usual opportunity to meet with students that were touched by the program and wanted to talk. One more time, I was flooded by a wave of emotionally distressed teens desperate to share about the painful impact of verbal (if not physical and sexual) abuse they experienced in their homes, homes that all included a problem drinker, one parent or another.

Over a dozen of these teens shared scars on their wrists with me or other tales of suicide attempts as a result of the alienation, rejection and low self-esteem they now carried with them. Others, with attitudes perhaps more comparable to the student perpetrators at Littleton, shared about intense feelings of isolation that led to uncontrollable anger, and fits of rage. The emotional distress from their home lives now spewed out helter-skelter at others who triggered similar feelings of rejection: student cliques, teachers, school authorities and other social institutions.

We devote this issue of News of Hope to inform and motivate every one of us to address the issue of teen violence in our communities, first and foremost any root cause from within the home. Let us start by asking: What are others doing in various communities and schools around the country? What do others see as the cause of increased and intolerable levels of youth violence? Is the answer stricter law enforcement and trying teens as adults? Check out ‘Trying Teens as Adults. Does it Curb Crime?’ for some intriguing results that affirm findings that emotional distress in youth has an impact on their criminal behavior. Is gun control going to make the difference? See ‘Canada’s Tough Gun Laws Mean Fewer Child Killings’ for another perspective.

There are numerous educational institutions and organizations studying these topics. We want you to know how to access them so you can be empowered on your campus, in your community, and in your home. With knowledge, of course, comes responsibility. As you become informed, we encourage you to become an advocate for teens as well. They are the future; we adults are their gateway to that future.

This year, we are committing our resources and Legacy of Hope to collaboration with serious prevention partners in schools, non-profit youth agencies, corporations, and associations that want MORE than a speech or entertainment. We want partners dedicated to positive change.

We are developing a Service Learning Component to LEGACY OF HOPE that schools and non-profits can use to educate and involve youth in service towards prevention and intervention issues like alcohol and drug abuse, teen pregnancy, gangs, Aids and violence. Youth involved in peer helpers, student assistance, and conflict management are already involved in awareness and prevention as are teens in many youth service organizations like Future Homemakers of America, Key Clubs, Youth to Youth, Friday Night Live, IDFY, PRIDE, SADD, MADD and more. Our study indicates that many more teens might be interested in becoming a part of community solutions. First, create awareness and engage their interest in prevention (i.e. LEGACY OF HOPE assemblies) then educate and guide them through Service Learning curriculums coordinated by schools and after-school non-profit agencies.

The outlook is POSITIVE. There are many more youth who are eager to make a positive contribution than those intent on destructive behavior.

As we go into the new millennium with hopes and dreams aplenty for health and prosperity worldwide, we at LEGACY want to take a moment to acknowledge all the dedicated educators and advisors, non-profit agencies and volunteers, associations, corporations, and government representatives who leave a 20th Century legacy of caring and commitment to prevention and intervention.

Now forward into an amazing future!

Every quality prevention program needs certain elements to be successful and long lasting. Here are 5 key elements to assist you in implementing a successful prevention program:

Programs need to be based on a needs assessment that includes data. Data is the road to funding. Data allows for tailoring the program to local needs and gives you a means of evaluating its effectiveness. We used to say that you couldn’t get prevention data. You can, however, document change that occurs as a result of your program (i.e.The effectiveness of implementing support groups on a school campus can be evaluated by tracking the number of students attending over time, any change in their attendance or truancy, improvements in grades, decreases in confrontations on campus.)

Base your program on current research. We can not, in a normal school or community setting, establish the controls necessary to test new ideas adequately. However, academia does not have to contend with everyday school or community "reality". We can surely benefit from what they have had time to research and have learned.

Define your goals and objectives tightly. A narrow objective is easier to accomplish, and easier to evaluate if you have reached your goal. You can’t do everything with one program. Be successful with a smaller objective rather than wasting time not reaching an unrealistic larger one.

Evaluate and re-design. You do not have to have an academic evaluator. In fact, sometimes a non-academic evaluation tells you more about how your program is really doing. You need to know what to change. And you need to change and update your program regularly.

Collaborate and be Comprehensive. No school based program, no community based program, no enforcement or treatment program can stand alone and accomplish what you can accomplish if you all work together. It is more productive to have many people with varied viewpoints and approaches.

Joint planning and collaboration – the kind where each agency gives up a little control in order to accomplish more is highly effective. It can be VERY hard, especially in the beginning, but it is worth it! Once people try it and have some success, they usually want to do more things collaboratively.

Subabuse-digest, Tuesday, September 1, 1998; Volume 01: Number 418

As lawmakers present legislation to get tough on juvenile crime, research shows that trying juveniles as adults may not be the answer. Three studies indicated that sending minors into adult criminal courts could make them more likely to commit more crimes.

In the wake of increasingly violent juvenile crime, several laws are making it easier to try youths as adults and send them to prison. According to a U.S. Justice Department study, 15 U.S. states have statutes that allow youths to be treated in criminal court. In Oklahoma, for instance, a 7-year-old can be tried as an adult if it can be proven the youngster knew what he did was wrong. In New York, all 16 and 17-year-olds automatically are tried in criminal court for certain felonies.

The most recent study, "Excluding Violent Youths from Juvenile Court: The Effective-ness of Legislative Waiver" concluded that trying kids as adults increases, rather than reduces, their crime rate. Compared to youths who stayed in the juvenile system, the University of Maryland study found that those sent to adult courts were more likely to commit a crime during the predisposition period and more likely to be rearrested once they returned to the community.

Another study conducted by Dr. Donna Bishop at the University of Central Florida found that juveniles coming out of the adult system recidivate six times faster than those who stay in the juvenile system. A similar study conducted by Jeffery Fagan at Columbia University revealed similar results.

"Sending kids into the adult system is having the reverse effect," said Judge Frank Orlando, director of the Center for the Study of Youth Policy in Florida. "Children adjudicated as adults will become dangerous adults."

Source: Join Together Online

Students want political leaders in the United States to take action on school violence, Youth Crime Alert reported in June. Students are asking for more parental leadership, smaller classrooms and more counselors and teachers.

"It's sad we even have to talk about solutions," said 17-year-old Stephen Keene, whose brother Craig was injured in the 1997 shooting at Heath High School in Paducah, Kentucky.

A number of students testified before the U.S. Congress, urging legislators to fund early identification and intervention programs for troubled youth. They also said schools need models for intervention and response to crisis.

Keene said the first place to look for a solution to school violence is within the home. Others added that teachers need to enforce rules. Carly Celmer, a senior from Miami, said many teachers are afraid to punish students for fear of retaliation. So far, Congress' response to the issue has been a call for more gun control, restrictions on the violence shown on television and in the movies, a crackdown on video games and commissions to study the problem.

While Canada has had occasional acts of school violence, the country's stricter gun laws have helped prevent tragedies of the scope of those that have plagued the U.S., the Cox News Service reported June 29.

"Our children watch the same violent movies and television programs, they play the same violent video games, they also come from broken homes, and yet, the rate at which our children kill other children is far less than in the United States," said Wendy Cukier, president of the Coalition for Gun Control.

Canada has enacted several laws that tightened the rules of gun ownership in the country. Saturday night specials are banned, a 28-day waiting period on purchases of firearms was imposed, and there are more restrictions than in the U.S. on who can own a gun. A law passed in 1995 requires every firearm owner in the country to be licensed by 2001 and all firearms must be registered by 2003.

According to Jean Valin of the federal Canadian Firearms Center, 82% of Canadians support the new laws.

After hearing about the Columbine High School shooting in Littleton, Colo., Cukier said the United States could do more to address their increased problem of school violence. "You need public support, institutional support and political will," she noted.

In response to the school shootings this past year, legislators in a number of states are taking steps to combat juvenile violence, Youth Crime Alert reported in its June issue. In order to deter youth crime, many states are imposing more effective penal strategies and are balancing them with prevention and early intervention initiatives.

In Alaska, for instance, juveniles who use a deadly weapon while committing certain crimes or who have previous convictions automatically are tried as adults. The governor of Delaware is backing legislation that would close a loophole waiving background checks in private handgun sales and transfers. Also proposed is a $5 million increase for prevention, intervention and school discipline programs.

In Michigan, legislation is being considered that would require mandatory expulsion of juveniles who assault teachers or school employees. Current state law already requires expulsion if a youth takes a gun or other deadly weapon to school. The governor of Missouri has established a task force on school violence, while North Carolina's governor has created a toll-free number for students and parents to report information about threats to schools. Virginia also established a toll-free hotline under its Partnership for School Safety initiative, which also includes an Internet site to report school crime and training for deputy sheriffs, small police departments, school staff and parents.

A youth crime prevention program in South Carolina was chosen as a national model for helping prevent youth violence, according to the May 19 Children & Youth Funding Report.

The South Carolina program that offers services to children and their families through local community groups was praised by U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno. It was developed as part of the U.S. Justice Department's "5 Goals 4 Kids" initiative launched after the school shooting in Jonesboro, Arkansas.

The South Carolina program creates a series of neighborhood mentoring co-ops throughout the state. The co-ops are one-stop shopping for state and federal assistance, such as after-school activities, youth mentoring and family services.

The program aims to foster programs that address the areas of truancy reduction; increasing after-school opportunities; reducing gun injuries; substance abuse prevention; and health insurance enrollment.

The Center for Peaceable Schools at Lesley College (617) 349-8491 held its seventh annual institute from July 6-9 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The institute, "Creating Peaceable Schools," is a hands-on program for teachers, administrators, and parents aimed at promoting non-violent means of conflict resolution in America's schools. It is available as a 3-credit graduate course or on a non-credit basis.

The Center for Peaceable Schools at Lesley College houses the nation's only Masters Degree program in Curriculum and Instruction with a connect-ration in non-violent conflict resolution. The institute consists of workshops, small group discussions, skill-building sessions with leading authorities in the fields of psychology and education, and networking with practitioners from across the country.

Since its first summer institute in 1993, Lesley's Center for Peaceable Schools has trained hundreds of faculty members, student support teams and human service workers for the task of disseminating techniques for creating safe schools and supportive learning environments in schools.

Themes slated for this summer include "Roots of Violence, Roots of Peace," "Anti-Bias Classrooms and Caring Communities," "Culture and Conflict Resolution in the Classroom" and "Creating Peaceable Schools: Integration and Strategies."

Lesley College is a multi-site university with undergraduate and graduate programs for women and men in education, management, human services and the arts. Lesley is the 15th largest granter of master's degrees in the United States, offering programs at its Cambridge campus and at more than 150 sites in 15 states.

The David and Lucile Packard Foundation recently awarded grants to California nonprofits for projects that address violence prevention and substance abuse. For violence prevention: $91,443 to Family Service Mid-Peninsula in Palo Alto for a violence prevention program for youths and adults; $73,451 to Family Violence Prevention Fund in San Francisco for national violence prevention project on child abuse, domestic and youth violence; and $308,730 to California Institute for Mental Health in Sacramento for its Healthy Families program.

The John S. and James L. Knight Foundation recently awarded children, youths, and families grants, with a portion of the funding supporting youth violence programs. The Girl Scout Council of Santa Clara County in San Jose, Calif., received a $25,000 for Got Choices anti-gang program for at-risk schoolgirls. Junior Achievement of Central South Carolina received a $25,000 expand Success Skills: training in vocational and life skills for nonviolent youth offenders.

The General Mills Foundation provides grants to violence prevention programs in communities and to national organizations with a priority of violence prevention. Grants start at $1,000, with a maximum of $10,000. The foundation is expected to award $15 million in funds for 1999. Grants available in communities of: Albuquerque, N.M.; Buffalo, N.Y.; Carlisle, Iowa City and Cedar Rapids, Iowa; Carlisle, Pa.; Carson and Vallejo, Calif.; Cincinnati and Toledo, Ohio; Covington, Ga.; Duluth and Minneapolis, Minn.; Great Falls, Mont.; Reed City, Mich.; and St. Charles and West Chicago, Ill. No deadline for applications. Nonprofits in priority communities should contact local Community Partnership Council for application information. If not in these priority areas, write the foundation for copy of the annual report with a Common Application Form or download from foundation web site.