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PRINT  | VIEW AS WEB PAGE | TELL A FRIEND September 30, 2010
UNITY Updates

Urban Peace Academy Webinar, November 3, 2010

Prevention Institute/UNITY, the National League of Cities' Institute for Youth, Education, and Families, and the California Cities Gang Prevention Network are excited to feature Urban Peace Academy in a live webinar scheduled for November 3, 2010. The Academy, developed by Advancement Project, is the training component of a comprehensive strategy to reduce gang violence in Los Angeles. Advancement Project is a new generation civil rights "action tank" that utilizes policy and advocacy; research, data analysis and mapping; strategic partnerships with public and private stakeholders; legal action, when necessary; and stakeholder capacity building to expand opportunity for all. 

Webinar participants will learn how the Academy develops teams of trained professionals, particularly hard core gang intervention workers and law enforcement, who respond to and reduce violence in Los Angeles' hot zone communities. Participants will also learn how the Academy operationalizes summer safety programs, and is developing tailored training for parks and recreation workers, first responders and hospital emergency room staff, who are critical to implementing a comprehensive neighborhood safety strategy. 

The panel features:

  1. Susan Lee, J.D., Director of Urban Peace, Advancement Project
  2. Fernando Rejón, Urban Peace Academy Manager, Advancement Project
  3. A Gang Intervention Practitioner
  4. Billie Weiss, UNITY Co-Chair and Associate Director of the Southern California Injury Prevention Research Center, UCLA School of Public Health (moderator)

Read more about this webinar and register online.
 

content separatorCDC renews UNITY funding
Prevention Institute will continue working closely with city leadership and communities, and support local efforts to prevent violence through the Urban Networks to Increase Thriving Youth (UNITY) initiative. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention affirmed Prevention Institute's approach toward preventing violence by funding another three-year cooperative agreement for UNITY. This investment allows us to build on the accomplishments of the last five years. Read the press release and a five-year overview of UNITY outcomes, findings and recommendations from our first phase of funding.
 
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Prothrow-Stith updates chapter in PI's textbook
The second edition of Prevention Institute's Prevention is Primary has just been released, and the latest version features a fully updated and revised chapter on violence prevention, written by UNITY Co-Chair Deborah Prothrow-Stith and UNITY Project Director Rachel Davis. This chapter offers a framework for mapping violence prevention strategies tailored to specific communities. It also provides lessons learned from cities that have successfully applied the public health approach, which UNITY colleagues have told us that they found useful. Read the press release and download the first chapter of Prevention is Primary for free. Order the book at our website and receive $15 off the cover price, for a total of $60.
 
content separatorWhere is UNITY in October 2010?
  • National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention, Oct. 4-5 in Washington, DC. At CDC's invitation, UNITY Project Director Rachel Davis will co-present on a prevention panel with Rodney Hammond from CDC and Angel Rios from the City of San Jose, Calif. Rachel will share lessons learned from UNITY, including how a public health approach to preventing violence must integrate evidence and experience into comprehensive strategic plans. For more information on the Forum, read "Salinas-area leaders to attend White House-sponsored forum to address youth violence" in The Californian.
     
  • The California Wellness Foundation Violence Prevention Conference, Oct. 19-20 in Hollywood. In a panel moderated by Neil Rainford of the CDC, UNITY City Network representatives from Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Minneapolis and Seattle will share how they successfully fostered community involvement and youth leadership through comprehensive city-wide violence prevention strategies. See the agenda. UNITY representatives will also gather before the conference for a City Network Convening and site visits to local organizations like Homeboy Industries, and meet colleagues working to prevent gang violence in California cities.
     
  • Coalition for Juvenile Justice National Disproportionate Minority Contact Conference, Oct. 23-25 in Jersey City. UNITY will present a plenary panel on prevention as part of a larger strategy to eliminate disproportionate minority contact in juvenile justice. The panel features Lieutenant Michael Sullivan from the Minneapolis Police Department and Neil Rainford of the CDC, as well as Xavier Morales and Howard Pinderhughes of the UNITY team. See the agenda.
     
  • International Conference on Urban Health, Oct. 27-29 in New York City. In one workshop, Xavier Morales will highlight lessons from UNITY for preventing violence affecting youth in U.S. urban areas. His second workshop explores the links between preventing violence and preventing chronic disease, including joint strategies. Learn more about the links between violence prevention, healthy eating and active living.
     
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UNITY Staff Announcement
Prevention Institute welcomes Benita Tsao, Program Coordinator. Benita works on initiatives that prevent violence and promote safety and health equity. Her expertise in non-profit communications, journalism and community education make her a valuable addition to our UNITY team. Read her full bio.

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UNITY is supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).  Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services or the CDC.  UNITY is also funded by a grant from The California Wellness Foundation.

"Violence is not the problem of one neighborhood or group, and the response and solutions are not the responsibility of one sector of the community or of one agency, professional group, or business. Coming together and owning this problem and the solutions are central."

-Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, Harvard School of Public Health

UNITY is an initiative of Prevention Institute
Visit our website: www.preventioninstitute.org
Prevention Institute 221 Oak Street Oakland, CA 94607
t 510.444.7738 | email: prevent@preventioninstitute.org