Youth violence is a national issue. According to the U. S. Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC), since 2003, nearly 32,000 American youths lost their lives. During the same six-year period, America lost 4,349 U.S. soldiers in the Iraq war.
In Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools are asking for more mentors. The CPS request for more mentors parallels the CDC’s recommendations to reduce violence. The CDC recommends the following approaches:
(1) build strong families
(2) teach young children to peacefully resolve conflicts
(3) provide mentors to serve as guides and role models for positive youth behavior
(4) reduce social and economic causes of violence in young people’s environments
(5) ensure spiritual or character-based training for young children and reinforce that training throughout their early teen years.
In Chicago, the Chicago Public Schools are asking for more mentors. The CPS request for more mentors parallels the CDC’s recommendations to reduce violence. The CDC recommends the following approaches:
(1) build strong families
(2) teach young children to peacefully resolve conflicts
(3) provide mentors to serve as guides and role models for positive youth behavior
(4) reduce social and economic causes of violence in young people’s environments
(5) ensure spiritual or character-based training for young children and reinforce that training throughout their early teen years.
