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Community Coalition Seeks to Enhance School and Community Safety


University Park, IL–(ENEWSPF)– Governors State University and Prairie State College, working with the Jane Addams Juvenile Court Foundation, the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office, and a coalition of other groups, will convene two free school and community safety events at Prairie State College in January.

These events will focus the public’s attention on restorative justice approaches to conflict resolution and violence reduction by demonstrating how these programs work in school and community settings, and explain how to implement them successfully. Restorative justice builds safe communities by holding youth accountable, developing responsible behaviors, restoring and respecting victims, and empowering communities to meet the obligation of providing for the general welfare of its members.

The seminars are co-sponsored by the South Suburban Mayors and Managers Association, the Southland Chamber of Commerce, and the South Suburban Association of Chiefs of Police. The coalition strongly believes that restorative approaches to school and community violence and conflict can enhance safety and reduce the number of youth suspended and sent to juvenile court.

The Administrators’ Forum on School and Community Safety is on Wednesday, January 14, from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. This event is designed for school administrators, law enforcement executives, social service program administrators, and members of faith based organizations, the courts, and other agencies concerned with youth and community safety.

A follow-up Public Summit on School and Community Safety will be held on Saturday, January 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. This summit is designed for south suburban parents and children so they too can learn about restorative justice and the possibilities for promoting violence and delinquency prevention.

The goal of these events is to raise the public’s awareness about restorative justice approaches to school and community safety. Restorative programs have already been successfully implemented in the Homewood-Flossmoor Peer Jury Program and the school-based restorative justice programs operated by the F.U.T.U.R.E. Foundation in Ford Heights,

There is no charge for either event. For more information or to register, call (312) 433-7020.


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