FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   

Daniel Stolkowski

Youth Organizer

Asian Community Development Corporation

888 Washington St., Suite 102

Boston, MA 02111                                                                             

: 617-482-2380 ext. 206                                                                         daniel@asiancdc.org

Chinatown Youth Lead the Way in the Fight for Safer Streets

CHINATOWN, BOSTON- The Asian Community Development Corporation’s Young Leaders’ Network and Chinese Economic Development Council’s Mentoring Program co-hosted the Chinatown Youth Safety Summit this Saturday, April 30^th, 2005 at the Metropolitan Community Room from 11am – 3 pm. Through our Safety Summit, we aimed to engage, educate, and inspire youth leaders in the community to create a safer Chinatown. Looking back on the youth violence that erupted in South Boston between white and Asian American teens in the summer of 2004, ending in the tragic death of a 16 year old boy, we presented a sustainable model for youth violence prevention.  The goal of this Summit was to set the foundation for future collaborations among community agencies so that the Summer of 2005, and each summer that follows, is free of such painful events.

The Young Leaders Network (YLN), a youth driven initiative, seeks to provide an open forum for youth empowerment to create change in the Asian American community of Greater Boston.  We utilize our creativity and enthusiasm to develop leadership while providing a network for social action and community development.

The CEDC Mentoring Program matches young adults with Chinatown youth between the ages 6-17 for the fostering of beneficial and lasting friendships, with the objective of providing guidance and support for the often underserved youth of this community.

Concerned with the declining safety of our community, we have been collaborating for months in the planning of the Safety Summit. With recent support from the Community Health Neighborhood Alliance, we are able to move ahead with this youth-oriented safety initiative that will continue to meet and work on taking back our neighborhood even after the Summit. This unprecedented event encouraged young people to address issues of crime and violence in their community.

Speakers/Presenters on the day included the Boston Police Department, Chinatown Youth Workers, LEAP Self Defense, and members of the Young Leaders Network.

 ###

888 Washington Street, Suite 102 | Boston, MA 02111-1426 | 617-482-2380 t | 617-482-3056 f | info@asiancdc.org