Having watched boys from their developments participate in the YPI program last year,
a group of teenage girls from the PHAs Hartford Park and Manton Heights family
developments approached the PHA Resident Service Coordinators (RSCs), who assist
NAFI in facilitating this violence prevention program, asking that the PHA conduct a YPI
training for girls next. A flyer for the PHAs first YPI training for girls was distributed in
February and 17 girls signed up for the workshops which were conducted in March.
These girls, along with a group of Providence police officers who regularly patrol their
neighborhoods, celebrated the completion of the YPI training program last night at a
graduation awards ceremony and dinner held at the PHAs Thomas J. Anton Community
Center on Laurel Hill Avenue. The month long program was carried out by a team from
the Massachusetts-based NAFI, who work to reduce crime in neighborhoods by fostering
better communication and positive interactions between police and inner-city youth.
In a Press release by the Providence Housing Authority &These girls, some with troubled pasts, together with their police counterparts trained together at the Community Center building in the heart of the Housing Authoritys Hartford Park housing development, participating in facilitated discussions, team-building exercises and reality based scenario trainings& PHA and police officials hope that the initiative will help reduce juvenile violence, gang involvement and tension between police and youth.
By all accounts this program appears to be a phenomenal success, said Stephen
ORourke, PHA director. Simple communication and shared experience can be a great
bridge in helping diffuse confrontations between police and youth and reducing crime in
our neighborhoods. This is also another example of our strong partnership with the
Providence Police Department, continued ORourke. The Providence Police
Department (PPD) covered the cost of officer overtime for the training program.
Facilitator Paul Lewis cited all participants for an &outstanding job. The girls were
incredibly interested in the program. The relationship between girls and police officers
is as important and relevant as it is with boys. Girls need to be empowered and have
as much as a voice as anyone. said Lewis.
Founded in 1974, the North American Family Institute carries out a diverse menu of more than ninety community-based programs in nine states. Since 2005 more than 700 police officers in Baltimore and all recruits from the 2005 Boston Police Department have participated in NAFIs Youth & Police Initiative.
We are encouraged by the success of this first YPI program for girls and are planning to
expand this to our Chad Brown family development in the spring. said ORourke.
Tonights graduation ceremony and celebration was attended by participants family and friends, as well as Police Chief Hugh Clements and District 5 Commander Lt. Dean Isabella.