Youth Crime Watch of the Mid-Atlantic

According to an article published in The Washington Post in December 2008, the number of youth arrested  for homicide, rape, robbery/carjacking and burglary in the District of Columbia has increased by 124% from 2001 to 2007.

In Maryland, the Juvenile violent crime arrest rate is at 499 (per 100,000 youth) vs 283 for the national average, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation.

Also, according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation, 14% of the adolescent ages 13-17 referred to intake in a Court Service Unit for a complaint in Virginia. This figure reaches more than 50% in some regions of the state.

YOU can play a role to change this sad reality ! ! !

Join Youth Crime Watch of the Mid-Atlantic by one of our nine key components:

1) Crime reporting: Help adults to clarify a crime that has been comitted or would have been committed and to find someone who has been involved in committing the crime.

2) Youth Patrols: Patrol the campus of the school in pairs or small groups, acting non-confrontationally to help maintain order, enforce rules, and report crime or crime-threatening situations.

3) Crime, Violence and Drug Education: Teach your fellow classmates about the problems of drug-abuse, violence, and crime.

4) Bus Safety: Help keep the bus safe without undermining the driver's authority.

5) Mentoring: Be connected with youth in need as a positive friend and role model. By mentoring, you can change a young person's life. And you benefit too!

6) Conflict Resolution: Help everyone feel better about just going to school, both students and adults, by stopping conflicts.

7) Mediation: Help your "disputing" classmates to create their own solutions to their conflict.

8) Peer and Cross-Age teaching: Teach other students and listen to them when it comes to issues like drug use and criminal activity.

9) Action Projects: Help solve a problem situation and strengthen your school or community against crime, drugs, and violence.