Youth Violence is on the rise

There was a compelling article from the Boston Globe last week about youth gun violence. What was most striking about this article was not that violence in general has increased in the Boston area, but that the number of victims under 17 has almost tripled since 2002.  Also, while the average of victims is decreasing so is age of the shooters themselves, which some experts say is a reason for the increased number of young victims. It's a vicious circle where as the shooters get younger, so do the victims.

Another potential issue with violence and crime is the disregard for consequences that seems to accompany many of these crimes.  Many perpetrators are acting impulsively and resorting to violence against their peers for petty
reasons

Boston Police Commissioner Edward F. Davis said that neighborhood programs and mentorship opportunities have played a role in lowering the number of shootings. According to a 2005 mentoring study, youth with mentors are 33% less likely to turn to violence. 

Providing mentorship opportunities reduces the likelihood of violence by one third! Imagine how we could increase that percentage by encouraging and supporting more mentorship opportunities!

As a new employee of the U-Dub (I'm only in the middle of my second week), I've been amazed by the number of passionate, dedicated people who are working to combat such statistics on a daily basis. It feels like every day I'm here I'm reminded of additional opportunities to participate and to work at changing our little corner of the world.  If you, like I did, have come across a heart-string-pulling article, it's a matter of just reaching out and finding opportunities to mentor and change a youth's life.