Safe Night Philadelphia

Posted by on May 13, 2005

Philly Schools Announce “Safe Night”

School District of Philadelphia officials, Philadelphia elected leaders, community leaders and parents have announced details of the first ever citywide ?Safe Night Philadelphia? events, which will be held on Friday, June 3, 2005 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM.

Safe Night Philadelphia is a city-wide effort spearheaded by the School District of Philadelphia to address the issue of youth safety one night at a time. Safe Night Philadelphia reaches and encourages organizations, businesses, communities and public institutions to hold ?Safe Nights? for young people. A ?Safe Night? is an event, planned by young people and adults, which integrates fun with lessons in conflict resolution, leadership development, and anger management.

?On behalf of the School District of Philadelphia and the School Reform Commission, we are happy to be the catalysis of Safe Night Philadelphia,? said James Nevels, Chairman of the School Reform Commission.

?Other cities throughout the nation have been holding Safe Night events for years now and they are highly successful,? Nevels continued. ?We know the concept will be successful in Philadelphia as well because of all of the support we have received from community leaders and groups throughout the city.?

As of today, over 300 events are planned to take place on June 3 throughout Philadelphia for Safe Night Philadelphia. Among the places the events will be held at are Philadelphia public schools, Police Athletic League Centers, Boys and Girls Clubs, Philadelphia Recreation centers and locations that are the home to community groups and faith-based organizations.

Safe Night Philadelphia?s goal is to have 400 participating locations on June 3 who will engage thousands of young people in anti-violence workshops and activities citywide. In order to make sure these Safe Night events are successful, they are being planned in cooperation with young people and adults, which integrates fun with lessons in conflict resolution, leadership development, and anger management.

Diverse, original, and creative Save Night programs are being encouraged. In order to qualify for an event, all organizers must agree to have no weapons, no alcoholic beverages and no arguments at their Safe Night event. Every Safe Night event will designate at least 15 minutes of the event to discuss with children conflict resolution, anger management and leadership development.

?Violence is a horrible thing and the School District of Philadelphia is happy to be organizing Safe Night Philadelphia to start reducing and stopping violence in the City,? said Paul Vallas, CEO of the School District of Philadelphia. ?Safe Night Philadelphia will give thousands of kids the opportunity to participate in fun, safe events and learn about the importance of solving problems through non-violent means.?

The Philadelphia area groups supporting Safe Night Philadelphia are the Anti-Defamation League; Boys & Girls Clubs; Byron Story Foundation; City of Philadelphia; Concerned Black Men, Inc; Deliverance Evangelistic Church; Philadelphia Department of Recreation; District Attorney’s Office; Drug Task Force Ministry; EducationWorks; Jewish Family and Children’s Services – Project PRIDE; Men United for a Better Philadelphia; Mothers In Charge; National Forum for Black Public Administrators; Police Athletic League; Philadelphia Phillies; Philadelphia Police Department; Please Touch Museum; Clear Channel Philadelphia, American Red Cross; Townwatch Integrated Services; United Way; Radio One Philadelphia; Urban Family Council; and Urban League of Philadelphia. The list of supporters continues to grow daily.

Philadelphia Mayor John F. Street, Philadelphia District Attorney Lynne Abraham and Philadelphia Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson are among a host of elected and appointed officials in Philadelphia supporting the event.

?Ensuring the safety of all Philadelphians is vitality important,? Mayor Street said. “Safe Night Philadelphia is a wonderful way to provide our children with the tools they will need to make good decisions.?

?The District Attorney?s Office is proud to join with the School District of Philadelphia in its ?Safe Night Philadelphia? project,? said District Attorney Lynne Abraham. ?This project is a very important step and preventing juvenile crime and protecting the youth of the City of Philadelphia.?

?I?m encouraging that every organization and every community leader participate in Safe Night Philadelphia,? Police Commissioner Sylvester Johnson said. ? Safe Night Philadelphia is a national model that links together families, neighborhood groups, police, educators, health care professionals, youths and businesses to help keep our communities safe from violence.?

The Safe Night USA concept originated in the wake of the tragedy at Columbine High School and was first held in by Milwaukee, Wisc. in the mid-1990s as a response to rising youth homicide rates in the city at the time. This program gives youths the opportunity to be safe and have fun, connect with local community youth organizations, and learn non-violent ways to resolve conflict.

For more information on Safe Night Philadelphia and organizations that want to sign up to host an event, contact 215-299-7840. Information is also available on the Web at http://www.phila.k12.pa.us