Broward schools, Project Bridge and Communities Stand-Up for Peace

Broward County Public Schools (BCPS), Project Bridge and the communities they serve are working together to address violence in a community-wide program. As part of an ongoing community-wide campaign, youth from BCPS and community organizations will be collaborating with local government, business and community leaders to work towards eliminating youth violence.  Schools and community centers across the county will participate in a week of educational activities including: creating a human peace symbol, decorating the schools with pinwheels for peace, and peace marches.

Choose Peace-Stop Violence Week will be held September 20-24 across Broward County, with a special day of “Stand Up for Peace Across Broward Day” to be held on Wednesday, September 22nd. Administrators are being asked to consider stopping all activities at the school at 9:45 a.m. for 10 minutes to address this very important issue.

Schools and the community facilities across Broward will be simultaneously speaking with one voice and one goal in mind – to eliminate youth violence in Broward County.

Violence and risky behaviors have become a serious problem in our communities and schools. It has been proven that safety and respect within the home, schools and the community at large is essential for a students’ academic achievement and their overall well-being. Local members of government, business, and community are working with Project Bridge and BCPS to launch an ongoing campaign to eliminate youth violence in Broward County.

“Here is another example of how the schools and communities are working together to show the continued commitment to youth violence prevention in the County,” said Amalio Nieves,  project director of Project Bridge, “We cannot do it alone. We need everyone to Stand-up for Peace.”

Project Bridge is a four-year Federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant awarded in Broward County to help youth in the community overcome barriers to success. The grant primarily focuses on youth violence prevention, mental health, and bridging families to resources in the community in an effort to ensure all Browardís youth thrive. Broward’s Project Bridge is working collaboratively to spread the word that violence prevention can make a difference in the lives of our children and is an investment in our collective future.

The Federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students initiative has funded more than 365 urban, suburban, rural, and tribal areas nationwide since 1999. This grant is the result of a unique collaboration among the U.S. Departments of Education, Health and Human Services, and Justice and was created in response to rising concerns about youth violence and school safety. Each grant site determines how funds can best be used within the community to link new and existing services. Partnership between schools and communities creates a coordinated, cooperative effort that recognizes the complexity of youth violence and its root causes. Using programs and services that have a proven track record of success, as well as strategies for both prevention and intervention, the Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative helps reduce the risk factors that come between children of all ages and their ability to learnóand to stay safe and healthy.

For more information on the Federal Safe Schools/Healthy Students Initiative, visit (www.sshs.samhsa.gov). For more information on Project Bridge’s Safe Schools/Healthy Students grant, programs and services, contact Shari Bush, Project Bridge,

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Posted by Andrea Freygang on Sep 21 2010. Filed under Broward County, Families, Fort Lauderdale, Local news, Schools. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response or trackback to this entry