Back to Annual Meeting

Back to Annual Meeting

APHA Scientific Session and Event Listing

Kate A. Garvey, MSW, Montgomery County Dept of Health and Human Services, Children, Youth and Family Services, 401 Hungerford Drive, 5th Floor, Rockville, MD 20850, 240-777-1223, Kate.Garvey@montgomerycountymd.gov, Luis P. Cardona, Montgomery County Dept of Health and Human Services, Youth Violence Prevention Coordinator (Homeboy), 401 Hungerford Drive, 5th Floor, Rockville, MD 20850, and J. Henry Montes, MPH, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 9028 Paddock Lane, Potomac, MD 20854.

In order to respond effectively to the issues of gang and youth violence in any given community, a collaborative approach must be adopted, political will and leadership must be present, and resources must be made available. The experiences of Montgomery County, Maryland will be examined and discussed to illustrate the importance of these elements. Recommendations of a broad community task force included establishing an implementation group, the Gang Prevention Steering Committee. This group is made up of “Barrier Breakers” on the public and private side and has been charged with responsibility for making the recommendations work and identifying what additional resources are needed. Through its sub groups focusing on community awareness, information management and community action, collaborative efforts are defined by their challenges and rewards. Two other key groups in the collaborative are the Youth Provider Council and the Youth Leadership Council. The Youth Provider Council is made up of non-profit organizations that work with youth and who have a desire to be more effective in their approaches to serving gang involved youth. The Youth Leadership Council is still in development but has as its goal the creation of a mechanism where youth who are impacted by violence and gang activity can provide leadership and guidance on the best methods to help other youth at risk. Actions from decision-makers, practitioners, and the youth themselves increase the chances that there will be true systems change to fully address the public health issue of gang and youth violence.

Learning Objectives: