University of Illinois at Chicago Office of Public Affairs (MC 288)
601 S. Morgan St., Chicago, IL 60607-7113, (312) 996-3456, www.uic.edu/depts/paff

July 11, 2000

Contact: Bryant Payne 312) 355-2523; bpayne2@uic.edu

UIC HOSTS 'YOUTH IN COMMUNITY POLICING PROJECT WORKSHOP'

The Institute for Public Safety Partnerships at the University of Illinois at Chicago will train more than 250 Illinois youth in community policing and public-safety problem-solving techniques during a two-day "Youth in Community Policing Project Workshop," July 21 - 22 at the Rolling Meadows Holiday Inn, 3405 Algonquin Road.

The project identifies Illinois communities that want to involve youth in the design and implementation of youth-oriented community policing projects. To date, 20 communities across Illinois have participated in the program.

"The workshop focuses on self-assessment, community-to-community exchanges and recommendations to policymakers on involving youth in crime prevention efforts," said James 'Chip' Coldren, Jr., director of the Center for Research in Law and Justice at UIC. "As a part of the program, communities have already hosted intergenerational events, attended conflict-resolution training, taken part in youth-police leadership events and initiated beautification efforts in their neighborhoods, just to name a few."

Communities are selected based on their statewide geographic representation, collaborative approach to policing and public safety, existing youth organization and community characteristics, and ability to organize a team to attend the workshop. Teams consist of 10 people per community. Each team is made up of a diverse group of youth all under the age of 19, a minimum of two police officers, community leaders and local government representatives. Communities selected received up to $20,000 in mini-grant funding to support youth involvement in community public-safety problem solving.

Participating communities include:

Aurora	Freeport	Pulaski County	Chicago - District 14
Bellwood	Galesburg	Sterling	Chicago - District 15
Cairo	Kankakee	Wood Dale	Chicago - District 20
Chicago Heights	Mt. Vernon	Yorkville	Chicago - District 21
Elgin	North Chicago	Chicago - District 7	Chicago - District 25

"Teams of youth, police officers and community members have been participating in the project since last year," said Coldren. "They have been very successful in providing assistance in implementing the various community policing projects."

The Illinois Juvenile Justice Commission, a division of the Illinois Department of Human Services, along with the Illinois Criminal Justice Information Authority are funding the upcoming workshop.

With 25,000 students, the University of Illinois at Chicago is the largest and most diverse university in the Chicago area. UIC is home to the largest medical school in the United States and is one of only 88 national Research I universities. Located just west of Chicago's Loop, UIC is a vital part of the educational, technological and cultural fabric of the area.

- UIC -