From the Home to the Streets Community Forum Addresses the Cycle of Violence

A public forum to examine the issues of family and community violence in Cincinnati is geared toward building a strategy to calm the violence in Cincinnati neighborhoods. This panel discussion on the cycle of violence takes place from 6-8 p.m., Tuesday, Jan. 29, in the Harriett Tubman Theater of the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, located at 50 East Freedom Way downtown. The event is free and open to the public and begins with a reception at 5:15 p.m.

The public forum is sponsored by the University of Cincinnati Institute for Community Partnerships (UCICP), the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati’s Family Violence Prevention Project, the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center, the Uptown Consortium, the UC Urban Center for Peace Education and Research, the UC Peace Village, and the United Way and Community Chest of Greater Cincinnati. The event is also part of the professional development sequence being offered for credit or CEUs by UC's Urban Center for Peace Education and Research.

Esther Erkins, associate director for the UCICP, says in addition to discussing the development of a community-wide strategy to address the issue of community violence, the forum will address the root causes of violence and also examine how to strengthen violence prevention programs.

Keynote speaker Dr. Deborah Prothrow-Stith, M.D., is a nationally recognized public health leader and is associate dean and professor of public health practice at the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH). As a physician working in inner-city Boston, she broke new ground with her efforts to have youth violence defined as a public health problem and not just a criminal justice issue.

Other experts on the panel include

• Charlene Ventura, executive director and CEO, YWCA of Greater Cincinnati – An advocate of domestic violence prevention and women’s issues, Ventura led efforts to build YWCA shelters for battered women in Cincinnati.
• Gregory Baker, executive manager, Police Relations, City of Cincinnati Police Department – The Police Relations unit develops policy relating to public safety and policing issues.
• Dr. Victor Garcia, Children's Hospital

For more information, contact the UCICP at 513-556-2309, or the YWCA of Greater Cincinnati Family Violence Prevention Program at 513-361-2141. For more information about the professional development credit, contact the Urban Center for Peace Education and Research at 513-556-3608.

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