Presentation to the 2012 GCYF Pre-Conference Institute October 9, 2012 Thomas Abt Office of Justice Programs, DOJ

2 “I’m going to continue to work… to arrive at a consensus around violence reduction -- not just of gun violence, but violence at every level, on every step, looking at everything we can do to reduce violence and keep our children safe -- from improving mental health services for troubled youth -- to instituting more effective community policing strategies. We should leave no stone unturned, and recognize that we have no greater mission as a country than keeping our young people safe.” – President Barack Obama, Remarks to the National Urban League, July 25, 2012

About the Forum 3 The Forum is not a program. It is a network of localities, agencies and private partners committed to preventing violence and improving outcomes for youth using a common framework. Seven Agencies: DOJ, ED, HHS, HUD, Labor, ONDCP, CNCS, organized into a Forum Steering Committee (FSC) led by the White House and a Forum Coordination Team (FCT) lead by DOJ Six Cities: Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Memphis, Salinas, San Jose (4 more soon) Three goals: 1.Elevate youth and gang violence as a national issue 2.Enhance capacity of participating localities, others to prevent violence 3.Promote systems and policy change by increasing engagement and coordination

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5 Plans – building capacity in member cities

6 Online Toolkit – building capacity for non-member cities

Elevating the Issue 7 The 2012 Summit and White House Champions of Change events raised awareness of youth and gang violence as an issue of national significance, bringing together national and local leaders; business and philanthropic partners; faith and community-based organizations—and importantly—youth representatives of the communities served. PHOTOS: Clockwise—(1) Attorney General Eric Holder meets with youth representatives from Forum Cities; (2) Mayor Rahm Emanuel discusses youth violence prevention efforts in the City of Chicago; and (3) Summit attendees.

8 Engaging Partners Partnerships are essential to Forum sustainability. Here are some highlights: LEFT: Alicia Jolla, of Target Corporation, speaking about their partnership with the National Forum. LEFT: Representatives of the National Forum’s Faith-Based Partnerships, join hands in prayer. ABOVE: Sue Badeau of Casey Family and Jack Calhoun, of the National League of Cities. LEFT: City leaders learning of an exciting partnership with the Corporation for National and Community Service.

Media Coverage 9 Memphis touted as national leader for strategies to cut youth violence San Jose participating in national summit on preventing youth violence Big stage for Salinas’ anti-gang plan Bing, Detroit officials tout youth initiative in D.C. Menino proposal aims to fight youth violence

10 Evaluation and Assessment John Jay College of Criminal Justice recently released the first independent assessment of the National Forum, reporting that: “Across all six cities, survey respondents reported improved perceptions of law enforcement and social services programs, slightly better collaboration and organizational cooperation, and more support for violence prevention from local officials. Most importantly, survey respondents in 2012 were less likely than those in 2011 to report increasing levels of violence in the community.”

Recommendations for Funders 11