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Summer Happenings for Youth |
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This summer, visit a community center, YMCA location, or one of our other partners for youth activities of all types. The city is offering a great diversity of programs, from youth mentoring and lifestyle training to sports to swimming lessons to art expression. Don't let your youth miss the summer fun!
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Mind, Body & Soul Summer Youth Program
Therapeutic youth program that fosters strong social and emotional skills through art expression.12 WEEK PROGRAM - 4 Weeks Each SessionYouth Ages 10-18
June 24 - September 16
5:30pm - 7:30pm
The When & The Where:
MONDAY: Portland Community Center, 640 N 27th Street, Louisville, KY 40212
TUESDAY: Parkhill Community Center, 1703 S 13th Street, Louisville, KY 40210
WEDNESDAY: South Louisville Community Center, 2911 Taylor Boulevard, Louisville, KY 40208
THURSDAY: Shawnee Community Center, 607 S 37th Street, Louisville, KY 40211
For questions and information, call the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods at 502-574-2131 or email TRC@louisvilleky.gov
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FROM ADVERSITY TO SUCCESS
OSHN spearheads youth-focused program to recognize and celebrate challenged youth
'Your destiny is not determined by your ZIP code': How an attorney is uplifting Louisville youth
Claudette Patton was a freshman at Fairdale High when she was told her future was set in stone by five digits.
Even at 14, Patton knew she would be an attorney. But toward the end of the school year, Patton — a member of the National Honor Society — said a guidance counselor told her she was "not college material."
Rather than a slate of college preparatory classes she planned to take, Patton would be switched to a cosmetology and food service track.
"But I'm going to go to law school," Patton said she told the counselor.
Decades later, Patton can still remember the counselor's laughter.
"She said, 'Honey, have you looked at your ZIP code? There is no girl from 40118 that is ever going to go to law school," Patton recalled.
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Rachelle Dixon found her way to OSHN after building a diverse resume working as a union pollster, political organizer and in operations and project management.
Her job at OSHN is to ensure contractual compliance from neighborhood-based site operators whose job is to daily navigate Louisville streets and “interrupt” violence before it happens – planned or spontaneous.
“I’m working in a culture I’ve never been a part of,” she said. “I grew up in small towns - mostly rural.”
Her father was in the military and retired when she was very young and moved his small family from Washington DC to Florida and finally to Cynthiana, KY, where her mother’s family owned a working farm.
But Rachelle aspired for a different life. She wanted to go into the foreign services and serve people in desperate situations internationally. “I planned to get there, but made other choices,” she said. After college where she earned a degree in Liberal Arts, she found a job during the Obama campaign and started doing political organizing.
From there, she eventually became an assistant canvas director for working America AFL-CIO where she led teams of civic-minded individuals who canvassed door-to-door. On occasion, her team was shot at. “Tensions were high. We had protocols to stay mindful and to make sure we understood the demographics,” of the neighborhood they canvassed in, she said. “What I learned is that there are people who would rather hurt someone than see positive change."
Professional options led her to Louisville where she married and is raising two children who attend school in Louisville’s Russell neighborhood. “I care about the area because it affects my family and my community,” she said.
“I want my children to have a difference experience. I just want their lives to be authentic and real and for them to be honest.”
“I feel very passionate about what I am doing right now. It’s just important work.”
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Violence incidents are falling from pre-pandemic-era increases
Drawing from its spike, Louisville has seen overall reductions in gun violence. Since 2021 through 2024, the city has shown declines in violent incidents year over year. “Incidents with multiple victims may give the perception that violent crime is up,” said Paul Callanan, OSHN director. “However, having overall fewer incidents over time results in fewer victimizations.”
The graph shows forecasted values for 2024 and 2025 for homicide and shooting incidents based on data from 2020 to 2023, which includes the time in which the city’s violent crime peaked and when programs targeting violence were implemented.
“The line graphs illustrate that we expect to have overall fewer shooting and homicide incidents, which in turn translates into fewer victimizations,” said Callanan.
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100 Day Challenge for Newburg & Parkhill!
For 100 days, OSHN will hold an event in the Newburg and Parkhill communities for residents to become directly engaged in events to help reduce violence in that time span.
Such citizen engagement plays a vital role in crime prevention and fosters trust within communities. You don’t have to be an area resident to participate! You just need to care.
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News Related to Violence Reduction |
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The Annie E. Casey Foundation discussed effective gun violence reduction strategies for an audience of youth justice practitioners, community service providers, local government partners and law enforcement. Presenters from the National Institute for Criminal Justice Reform and The Forgotten Third, Inc., a nonprofit direct services provider in Houston, focused on building a sustainable strategy for reducing gun violence, which includes supporting youth and young adults at high risk of participating in or being a victim of gun violence.
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HHS Environmental Justice Community Innovator Challenge
Community-driven strategies to address environmental and climate change health issues.
Develop innovative and effective community strategies to address health disparities in communities and Tribes disproportionately burdened by environmental and climate change-related hazards.
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OSHN Reports to the Portland Neighborhood
The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods Reports to the Community on June 20, 2024 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm at Shawnee Baptist Church, 2214 Bank Street, Louisville, KY.
If you want to learn more about what OSHN is doing to reduce violence in Louisville neighborhoods, please register to attend this one-hour event. Explained will be how street outreach and hospital intervention works. What mental health resources are immediately available to all Louisville residents. How the city has built a forceful entry for youth inclusion and how citizens have mobilized to fight violence. Space is limited, so please reserve your seat.
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Local Anti-Violence Coalitions meet monthly in the Russell, Shawnee, Smoketown, Newburg, Parkhill, Portland, Taylor-Berry, Algonquin, and St. Dennis neighborhoods.
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Where Gun Violence is Happening in Our City |
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The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods is always for looking community spaces to host our Ambassador Training and Network Nights events. If you know of a community space please email The Reimagine Network.
reimagine@louisvilleky.gov
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OSHN’s mission is to reduce the risk of violence in all of Louisville’s communities. If you have an event or festival that we can table and share what the city is doing to holistically reduce violence and how it affects you and our community - We Want to Come! Please fill out our tabling request form or go to the website at Office for Safe & Healthy Neighborhoods | LouisvilleKY.gov We’ll look forwarding to meeting you!
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There is great work happening here in the Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods, and most importantly, in our community. It is our goal to keep you engaged and co-leading our important work. Our vision for Louisville is a city of safe neighborhoods where everyone is supported, free of violence, and prepared for lifelong success. We can only achieve this together, so stay connected with our monthly newsletters, social media, and visit our website for more information and additional calls to action. |
View any past OSHN Newsletter!
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We would love your feedback. If you have questions or concerns regarding our newsletter, or have a related event that you would like to communicate with our networks, contact the Reimagine Network.
Take care of each other, The Reimagine Network
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Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods
908 W Broadway, 5th Floor, Louisville, KY 40203 | Phone: 502-574-6949
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