Grants will be used to fight gangs
Edited by Chris Graham
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The City of Staunton and the City of Waynesboro will receive over $27,000 to fund gang prevention efforts in the area. The Central Shenandoah Valley Office on Youth in partnership with the City of Staunton Police Department and City of Waynesboro Police Department are eligible for Justice Assistance Grant funding through the U.S. Department of Justice.
Justice Assistance Grant funding allows local governments to support a broad range of activities to prevent and control crime based on their own local needs and conditions. These funds will be used to provide a highly structured after-school program for at-risk middle-school aged youth. This program is designed to provide a mentoring-type setting between staff and at-risk youth. The funds will also be used to employ a prevention assistant at the Office on Youth. Funds are expected to be received by July. Read more
The faces in the logo
The logo for the SAW2010 gang-prevention effort has a teen who is facing pressures that might have him thinking about joining a gang surrounded by adults who can talk him into making the right choices for himself and his life. A picture can indeed be worth a thousand words.
“The idea is to try to catch these young people before they get older, try to instill moral values in them, try to teach them to make right decisions, so that we can give them something to build on, so when they’re confronted with something when they’re older, they can make the right decisions,” said Joyce Bates, the founder of the Staunton Living Room program that gives children and teens in Farrier Court and two nearby apartment complexes an outlet for positive living that includes a Girl Scout troop, a dance team and lessons on life skills. Read more
Videocast | Friday Night Hoops
The Waynesboro YMCA is giving local kids something to do on Friday nights that doesn’t involve walking the streets. AFP editor Chris Graham took part in last week’s Friday Night Basketball and talked with Y executive director Jeff Fife, the Waynesboro Police Department and some area teens to get a sense of how it all works. Length: 3:18. Read more
