National Forum on Youth Violence Prevention Communities: Detroit
The Detroit Youth Violence Prevention Initiative (DYVPI) began four (4) years ago as a priority of former Mayor Dave Bing to ensure youth have a path out of violence toward a high quality of life through education, jobs, and careers. The Initiative has been primarily supported by integrating two (2) U.S. Department of Justice grants: Capacity Building and Community Based Violence. DYVPI began with four (4) key programs that remain in existence today: Ceasefire, School Safety Stations, Safe Routes to School (SRTS), and Summer Youth Employment.
After emerging from Emergency Management, Detroit’s current Mayor Michael Duggan realized the importance of the DYVPI. Mayor Duggan and Police Chief James Craig are taking aggressive actions to enhance and expand the various DYVPI programs. As an added strategy, Chief Craig added Children in Trauma Intervention Camp (CITI Camp). The program is currently geared toward middle school students and uses police officers as teachers and mentors. Some of the key coursework includes: character building, anti-violence, safety, and healthy living programming. CITI Camp will also utilize Geographic Information Systems (GIS) training as a pathway out of poverty in coordination with the Summer Strategy for career-focused internships. CITI Camp also includes a family involvement component.
The current DYVPI programs are:
- Ceasefire — driving focus on preventing and reducing youth gun violence
- Safe Routes to School — coordinates community and law enforcement efforts to ensure safety of youth as they travel to and from school
- Success Centers — school-based centers that support the utilization of alternatives to suspension and positive behavior and relationship building activities
- Summer Strategy — provides mentoring, summer jobs, and career development
- CITI Camp — mentoring program for middle school students
Point of Contact
Sheryl Jones
Director, Detroit Youth Violence Prevention Initiative
Detroit Public Safety Headquarters
1301 Third Ave.
Detroit, MI 28336
313‐224‐1098
jones001@detroitmi.gov