Ending Violence in Children's Lives: A Resolution We Cannot Afford to Break

[N'Zinga Shani]

Ending Violence in Children's Lives: A Resolution We Cannot Afford ...
The Huffington Post, Michael Feigelson, 01/08/2013

If we want to transform our collective outrage and sadness into hope and make progress on reducing violence in America, we should start with ideas that have produced results and build from there. Part of the plan needs to be about changing aspects of the way we support families to raise their children. This means starting at the beginning. One example of how to do this is the Nurse Family Partnership. However, long-term strategies for the prevention of violence, like the Nurse Family Partnership, are not enough. Young children learn violence from the older kids and adults around them who model violent behavior. If we want to change the future, we need to find ways to model different behaviors now. Organizations like Cure Violence, a national NGO operating in 15 cities, have shown how this can work.
Editor's Note: Cure Violence and the Nurse-Family Partnership are RWJF grantees. 

This article, linked below, is worthy of our time and attention:  It starts by stating:

“Following the mass shooting in Newtown, expressions of public outrage and sadness have been rampant. The demand for action appears unprecedented. But as we start 2013, we need to ask ourselves why the collective outrage from past tragedies in Aurora, Virginia Tech and Columbine did not translate into the level of action we need. Unlike some of the new ear's commitments we make as individuals, doing something effective about the epidemic of shootings and killings that plagues this country every day is a resolution we can't afford to break.

One place to look for guidance is the study of why we succeed and fail in keeping other common resolutions like losing weight, eating healthier, quitting smoking or saving money. According to John Tierney of The New York Times, by the end of January one third of us will have broken our promises to ourselves. By July, it jumps to more than half.”  Read the remainder of this article.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-feigelson/ending-violence-in-childrens-lives-a-resolution-we-cannot-afford-to-break_b_2426522.html