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PARTNERS | HEALTHY CITY | HOW HEALTHY | VISION | SUMMIT | PRIORITIES | FUNCTIONS | CITY OF FALL RIVER |
In an
effort to reduce the
potential for violence in the community over the coming years, the Peace
By Piece Summit was hosted by the
Community
Partnership Task Force of the
United Neighbors Community Partnership and the
Fall River
Shannon Initiative on March
28, 2009 at Bristol Community College. United Neighbors Executive Director
Jenny DiBlasi says her agency has surveyed hundreds of city
residents about their biggest areas of concern in their
community and found the vast majority of respondents fearful
of gang activity and violence in their neighborhoods. "So,
we pulled the concerns of the people together and decided to
see how we could help," she stated. The summit featured workshops on various topics
related to violence prevention, keynote speaker Teny O. Gross of the
Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence in Providence. The
event was free and open to youth, adults and seniors interested in
working towards a peaceful Fall River. The group plans to keep
meeting over the coming months to expand participation and ideas.
Click here for the article in the Fall River Spirit. Click
here for the article in the Fall River Spirit.
Click
here for photos of one of the planning sessions. For more information about
the project, contact
United Neighbors
director Jenny Diblasi at
508-324-7900 or
Youth Services
coordinator
Christian McCloskey
at 508-324-2419. |
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(Top row, left and center) United Neighbors Executive Director Jenny DiBlasi and BCC President Jack Sbrega welcome over 100 participants to the day-long workshop at Bristol Community College's Commonwealth Center. (Top row, right) Student advisor Tom Khoury and Paul Leite of B.M.C. Durfee High School's Peaceful Coalition introduce members of the Coalition along with Youth Outreach Workers at one of the workshop sessions. (Middle row, left) Steven Tith and Jeff Nelson describe some of their experiences with gangs in Fall River at one of the forums. (Middle row, right) Fall River City Councilor Steve Camara goes over some of the "isms" that often lead to violent behavior. (Bottom row, left) Youth Services coordinator Christian McCloskey and Tommy Teixera listens to the presentations. (Bottom row, center) Peaceful Coalition member Jimmy Ling demonstrates his hip hop expertise for the group at the end of the conference. (Bottom row, right) Teny O. Gross, Director of the Institute for the Study and Prevention of Violence in Providence, decries the lack of meaningful investments in young people in America, the result of which is often violence among youth. |
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