2007 MetLife Awards - Latino Community Center and the Milwaukee Police Department
Date Published: 04/16/2008
Publisher: LISC
2007 MetLife Foundation Community-Police Partnership Award for School Safety
Project Name: School Safety Improvement Project
The School Safety Improvement Project, based at a public, central-city school targets students considered to be "chronic disruptors". The youth are referred to the program in an attempt to keep them connected to their school, their family, and their community by offering targeted and tailored social services. Social workers from the school, law enforcement officers, and gang prevention workers from the Latino Community Center work together to prevent the escalation of the youths' behavior into more high-risk/illegal activities resulting in significant improvements in their school participation and a decrease in criminal behavior. The partners work together with youth using an internal approach that creates a community support system for students, preventing youth with minor offenses from getting caught up in the criminal justice system. Program staff go beyond school walls to work with families to clear up problems at home such as lack of food, clothing or heat while building relationships with area nonprofits, connecting youth to after-school programs for needed community services. The programs successful strategies include early identification of chronic disruptors, comprehensive mentoring services and effective relationship building between youth, families, school and law enforcement officials.
Topics: Economic Development & Safety, --Community Safety, Education, Children & Youth
Type: Case study / model practice