Community Action Report
Health Disparities and Community Grant Program
July 2023
"Policy change begins with engaging policymakers to become active partners in dissolving outdated policies that inadvertently perpetuate youth violence.”
- Denver Children Affairs
Summary
Denver Metro Community Impact (DMCI), in partnership with the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) through the Health Disparities and Community Grant Program, to build partnerships to mobilize community power and transform systems to advance health equity. To do this, DMCI utilized its Community Impact Workflow to convert Community Voice engagement to Action.
In the Community Action phase, five dialogues were held that included youth, young adults, and youth navigators, and discussed the Community Voice Report on youth violence and safety from the previous 2022 summer dialogue circles.
Key discussions revolved around policy-making, with a focus on social media, gun violence, school safety, and holistic wellness. Recruitment for a youth board began, and participants expressed the need for a youth-friendly redesign of the voice report, incorporating visually engaging elements.
They also emphasized the importance of a centralized tool for youth resources and a platform to share experiences and thoughts. This initiative aims to address youth violence through inclusive participation and accessible resources.
Why Policy?
Policymaking plays a crucial role in combating youth violence. By formulating and implementing effective policies, governments and organizations can address the root causes of violence, protect vulnerable youth populations, and promote a safe environment for young individuals.
Key reasons why policymaking is essential in this context:
Prevention and Intervention:
Policies can focus on prevention strategies that target risk factors associated with youth violence, such as poverty, inadequate education, substance abuse, and family dysfunction. Interventions can include early intervention programs, mentoring initiatives, and community-based support services that address underlying issues and promote positive youth development.
Legal Framework and Enforcement:
Policy making establishes a legal framework that defines and addresses various forms of youth violence, including physical violence, bullying, gang-related activities, and cyberbullying. It enables law enforcement agencies to take appropriate action, enforce consequences for offenders, and provide protection for victims.
Resource Allocation:
Policies guide the allocation of resources, both financial and human, to support youth violence prevention efforts. This includes funding for education programs, mental health services, community outreach initiatives, and law enforcement efforts, ensuring adequate resources are directed towards addressing the issue effectively.
Collaboration and Coordination:
Policy making facilitates collaboration between government agencies, community organizations, schools, healthcare providers, and other stakeholders involved in youth violence prevention. It helps establish coordination mechanisms, data-sharing protocols, and joint initiatives, enabling a comprehensive and unified approach to combatting youth violence.
Evaluation and Improvement:
Policies provide a framework for monitoring and evaluating the effectiveness of interventions and prevention programs. Regular assessments and data analysis allow policymakers to identify gaps, measure outcomes, and make necessary adjustments to optimize strategies and achieve better results over time.
What Major Themes Arised?
The Community Voice Report was shared, and subsequent discussions focused on laying a foundational understanding of policy-making processes and identifying potential policies that could address the issues. Among the various topics discussed, social media's impact, gun violence, school safety, and holistic wellness emerged as the primary concerns within the conversations.
Social Media
Gun Violence
School Safety
Holistic Wellness
Connecting dots
Social Media
The youth acknowledged the importance of social media policies in addressing challenges like bullying, exposure to harmful content, and mental health issues. They emphasized the need for targeted policies to effectively address these problems and create a safer and more supportive online environment.
Additionally, discussions revolved around harnessing social media platforms as a tool to disseminate information, provide access to resources, and combat the aforementioned issues while ensuring online safety.
Gun Violence
The youth recognized that gun violence could be reduced through improved regulation. They acknowledged the need for a better understanding of existing gun control measures, identified gaps in current policies, and expressed a desire to explore ways to enhance and strengthen them.
Moving forward the focus will be on assessing what is already in place, identifying areas for improvement, and seeking solutions to address the issue of gun violence effectively.
School Safety
The youth recognized the growing concerns about safety within school environments. They expressed a desire to explore policy solutions to address issues such as school shootings, insufficient staffing, a lack of cultural competence among staff, and a breakdown in relationships between students, parents, schools, and communities.
They emphasized the need to develop policies that can effectively tackle these worries and create safer and more supportive school environments.
Holistic wellness
Throughout the discussions, a prominent theme emerged around emotional and mental health. Participants highlighted unmet needs in terms of youth, family, and community well-being.
There is a need to further explore how policies can address these needs, not just for the youth but also for families and the community as a whole.
In future conversations participants will aim to identify policy interventions that can effectively support emotional and mental health at various levels, creating a more holistic approach to well-being.
Accessible Resources
Participants emphasized the need for a centralized platform, such as a website or app, to consolidate resources and facilitate information exchange in the context of youth violence and safety. This platform would serve as a hub for all youth-related materials, providing access to essential resources and creating a space for young individuals to freely share their experiences, thoughts, and input on relevant topics. The youth specifically desire a platform that includes features such as information on free or affordable programs, resources, forums, access to Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) content, location-based organization, a calendar of events, and the potential for real-time interaction with professionals, coordinators, programs, and organizations. They maintain that the platform should be youth-led in design, content, and in collaboration with the community, organizations, and other stakeholders to ensure the accuracy and relevance of the provided information.
What Next?
The next steps involve continued support for the youth in their pursuit of creating the safe and inclusive communities they desire. This support includes building the youth board, engaging in policymaking processes, fostering meaningful community engagement, and creating the envisioned platform. By prioritizing these actions, the youth's vision for a safer and more connected environment can be realized, empowering them to shape their own future and contribute to positive change.
YOUTH BOARD
Continue recruiting members for the youth board, with the aim of gathering diverse perspectives and ensuring comprehensive representation.
Efforts will be made to reach out to a wide range of individuals, considering various backgrounds, experiences, and demographics throughout Northeast Denver.
POLICYMAKING
Deep dive into policymaking to identify the specific need for policies or policy reform. A thorough examination of the existing landscape will highlight gaps and shortcomings in current policies related to youth violence and safety.
Through research, deliberation, and stakeholder input, evidence-based and effective policies will be proposed to create a safer environment for youth.
ENGAGEMENT
Identify and engage key stakeholders, as well as explore effective methods to involve the community in the process. Emphasis will be placed on reaching out to individuals and organizations that have a significant impact on youth violence and safety. This will include community leaders, educators, law enforcement agencies, and representatives from relevant social service organizations.
By involving these stakeholders, valuable insights and perspectives can be gathered, fostering a collaborative approach to addressing the issue and ensuring active participation and input from the community.
PLATFORM
Incorporating input from the youth board and stakeholders, this collaborative effort will aim to determine the best strategy for creating a centralized resource for youth, encompassing comprehensive information and programming.
By leveraging the expertise and perspectives of various stakeholders, a user-friendly and inclusive platform will be developed, serving as a valuable resource hub for youth and enhancing access to relevant resources and programs.
Want to get Involved?
Involvement plays a vital role in the success of the youth in achieving their desired outcomes. By harnessing the power of collaboration, community engagement, and unwavering commitment, they can drive meaningful change. Working together with various stakeholders, including community members, organizations, and decision-makers, the youth can amplify their voices and influence positive transformations. Through collective effort and shared responsibility, the youth can make significant strides towards creating the safe, inclusive, and thriving communities they envision.
Emerging & Young Adults
If you are between the ages of 14-26 and wanted to be apart the youth board or are interested to learn more click here to fill out an interest form.
Orgs.
Does your organization work with youth, in policymaking or provide support to youth programming click here to contact us and grow the community.
Stakeholder
Do you or your network have skills, access, programming, or the ability to assist the youth in their efforts to create policy, marketing materials, grow soft skills, or something else click here to connect and join in.