Community-based violence prevention program aims to raise awareness and save lives

Community-based violence prevention program “Cure Violence Philadelphia” is an organization doing crucial work in our community. The structured violence prevention program goes off of the idea that violence is a public health issue and can be prevented. According to their website, their goal “is to prevent violence in North Philadelphia and surrounding areas by using a trauma-informed approach and working closely with the community, especially those at risk for violence involvement.”

June is gun violence awareness month, which is a time for people as well as organizations to raise awareness and issue a call to action. Senior Program Manager at Cure Violence Philadelphia, Quinzel Tomoney, joined us in the PHL17 studio to tell us more about the work they do and how you can get involved.

On their website, they say “Our outreach workers are community members with similar backgrounds and life experiences as their participants, making them credible messengers with a unique ability to reach at-risk youth and young adults. They have strong ties to the community in which they work and are trained to deliver a clear and consistent anti-violence message to the community and their Cure Violence participants. They spend their time meeting participants in their community, schools, or hospitals to provide guidance and work towards positive goals. Outreach workers are trained in conflict mediation techniques, serve as mentors and resource/case managers to Cure Violence participants, and organize the community in becoming involved in violence prevention.”

Watch to learn more.