WASHINGTON — The DC Attorney General is working to fight crime beyond prosecution — with prevention.
His team awarded 11 nonprofits with Leaders of Tomorrow grants focused on youth violence prevention.
“We have to try to work on the prevention side of the equation along with the accountability side of the equation," DC Attorney General Brian Schwalb said. "And that's where these Leaders of Tomorrow grants come from.”
He said more than 200 groups applied.
One of the groups that was chosen is the DC Police Foundation, which offers mentorship by building relationships between officers and kids in the community.
Executive Director Patrick Burke said they're using their grant to support 200 kids in the Marshall Heights Bison Football Program.
“Essentially, these kids that range in age from five to 13 years old, are mentored, they keep their grades up, and then they participate in extracurricular activities, primarily being football," Burke said. "Everybody working together to hopefully keep keep our young people off the streets and build positive interactions with our law enforcement officers.”
AG Schwalb initially launched the grant program to provide $250,000 in funding for evidence-based projects that foster positive youth development and reduce violence.
But, after hearing the announcement, The Greater Washington Community Foundation decided to contribute, which increased the total in new grant funding to $1.5 million.
"When you think about the trauma just that young people see, especially in Washington, DC, that they're exposed to violence at such an early age…. I think it's important and imperative that we continue to build relationships at all ages," Burke said. "[It's important] that they have a mentor or somebody that they can go to."
Here's the full list of the groups selected, and what they'll be using their grants for:
- Access Youth: Access Youth will serve 250+ girls at eight partner schools implementing programming designed to help kids improve behavior, interpersonal skills, and self-esteem, and reduce anger and violence. The program involves a structured curriculum and extracurricular activities, aims to foster empathy and peaceful pathways, and creates a pipeline of student leaders and mediators.
- Anacostia Coordinating Council – Building Futures Program: Building Futures will serve young individuals between the ages of 16 and 21, many of whom have experienced marginalization and trauma in their communities as a result of violence, through a one-year youth empowerment and workforce development program. Participants will receive mentorship and support to develop essential soft skills, learn about community development and economic empowerment, develop ideas into business plans, and gain hands-on experience in project management, entrepreneurship, and co-operative leadership.
- BEST Kids, Inc.: BEST Kids, Inc. will provide year-round mentoring services to youth in foster care and other at-risk youth ages 6 to 21. Mentors will be trained in violence prevention and will attend workshops with mentees to help them cultivate positive leadership and address risky behavior. BEST Kids, Inc. will also host a violence prevention roundtable at the end of the grant period.
- GALA Hispanic Theater: GALA Hispanic Theater will serve 22 – 35 Latinx youth (ages 12-18) experiencing poverty through a program designed to help develop academic and workforce skills, connect with Latinx role models, and cultivate creative expression. GALA will also offer paid stipends to students to work backstage, in the box office, and as house management, giving them on-the-job training experience.
- Horton’s Kids: Horton’s Kids will serve 100 middle and high school students with tutoring, homework help, mentoring, and coaching. Program participants will also be screened for behavioral health needs and referred to individual, family and/or group therapy if needed. Horton’s Kids will also launch a Youth Advisory Council that will serve as a platform for older youth participants to provide valuable input, share feedback, and actively participate in decision-making processes related to the program.
- Life Pieces to Masterpieces: Life Pieces to Masterpieces will serve 100 boys in daily in afternoon and summer programs, and 10 – 15 young men in a Saturday academy. The daily and summer programs (for boys 3 to 13) will include mentoring, in-depth math and literacy tutoring, and opportunities for cultural enrichment, creative expression, and leadership development. The Saturday Academy (for young men ages 14 to 18) will provide academic support, college and career readiness training, financial literacy skills, and public speaking practice.
- Mothers Outreach Network: Mothers Outreach Network will launch a pilot project to support youth and families involved with the Child and Family Service Agency. Through this project, Mothers Outreach Network will leverage youth and family support and meaningful engagements to address root causes of youth violence, poverty, and economic inequity. The project will provide legal guidance and education, as well as guaranteed income, for transition-aged youth (ages 14 – 25) and their families.
- Negotiation Works: Negotiation Works will train 30 DC students in negotiation to address youth violence. The courses will teach conflict resolution strategies, active listening, and effective communication.
- Network for Victim Recovery DC: Network for Victim Recovery DC will contribute to the long-term wellbeing and success of young DC residents and mitigate risk factors associated with youth violence by providing trauma-informed and restorative justice services for young victims of crime. Youth ages 13 to 24 served through this grant will be referred to restorative justice services and given options to address the harm caused by violence and trauma they experienced. NVRDC will also employ a wrap-around continuum of services including crisis response, supportive advocacy, individual therapy and free legal assistance for young crime victims.
- The T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project: The T.R.I.G.G.E.R. Project will serve 50 vulnerable youth (ages 14 – 24) in the summer T.R.I.G.G.E.R. University program. The program helps youth participants to decrease risk factors for involvement in violence—as victims or perpetrators—through youth and family support, conflict resolution training, academic support, and workforce readiness training. Participants also have opportunities to increase social and emotional skills and positive community involvement.
- Washington DC Police Foundation: The Washington DC Police Foundation will bridge the gap between youth and law enforcement and help teach life skills for a successful future through the Marshall Heights Bison Youth Football program. Through the program, youth ages 4 to 13 are mentored and equipped with skills to address challenges they face growing into young adulthood. They participate in football practice, game days, tutoring, library mentoring, and team building opportunities.