STAND TOGETHER: ACT's Campaign for Youth Success

April 21, 2007  |  Download PDF

Young people are dying on the streets of Sacramento in growing numbers. More
and more youth are going to prison and are entering the juvenile justice system.
More and more families are in mourning.

No community in Sacramento is immune from this violence. More and more
young people live with fear for their own safety and have friends or relatives who
are victims.

In 2006, ACT convened a group of youth leaders, parents, clergy, youth ministers
and educators over a period of several months to develop a response to youth
violence in our community.

We not only discussed violence among youth but also explored root causes. We
looked at the high school exit exam and the reality that far too many of our youth
are not completing high school—30% in some communities. We discussed the
growing strength of youth gangs and their recruitment of children as early as the
6th grade.

We came to see that violence is a product of hopelessness and alienation among
young people.

To address this violence,we began to explore strategies that would help young
people integrate into our community, to develop leadership skills, and to be more
successful in school.

We called this effort Stand Together.