In Response to Youth Violence and The Cause
For the past few weeks we have posted different articles, video’s and even a survey in reference to youth violence. In the beginning the youth violence series was actually based on violence as a whole in Grand Rapids, MI. This is no longer the case as we have taken up the angle of “youth violence.” In making this change, we are able to target a specific audience and focus on those involved in preventing it, as well as those who have lived and overcome youth violence. We recently posted a video explaining the cause of youth violence and the response was not only direct but eye opening. It's been provided below in case you have not watched it yet.
One comment came from a local detention center employee who made mention of the absence of a father figure. In her words, “I believe youth violence begins at home. Many of our residents have parents that are either very young or are incarcerated themselves.” She goes on to say that, “a majority of our residents in come from single parent homes and the fathers are completely absent.” The comment was so intriguing that I had to dig for more information.
According to fatherhood.org on the U.S. Census Bureau, “24 million children in America -- one out of three -- live in biological father-absent homes.” The site also stated that, “Consequently, there is a "father factor" in nearly all of the social issues facing America today.” So what about crime? The site breaks down several scenarios involving the “father factor." An excerpt on crime can be seen below.
“A study using data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health explored the relationship between family structure and risk of violent acts in neighborhoods. The results revealed that if the number of fathers is low in a neighborhood, then there is an increase in acts of teen violence. The statistical data showed that a 1 percent increase in the proportion of single-parent families in a neighborhood is associated with a 3 percent increase in an adolescent’s level of violence. In other words, adolescents who live in neighborhoods with lower proportions of single-parent families and who report higher levels of family integration commit less violence.”
This angle on youth violence falls directly under the “roots of youth violence” category. An infographic on the roots of youth violence was displayed briefly within the video above but to get a closer look you can see it below.
More data is still needed for this project. Below you will find a survey that was recently posted on youth violence and bullying (for more statistics on bullying, see infographic below the survey). It targets kids in school but adults can take it as well. Think back to when you were in school. What did you see? Were you a victim? The issue of youth violence has been around for years. It's time to finally put a stop to it and move forward.
