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Challenged Youth Get Amplified!
Nearly 300 people showed up to show their support for 70-plus area youth who were nominated as the first cohorts of the AMPLIFY 502 initiative. This unique program recognizes and celebrates youth ages 13-24 who have accomplished and thrived despite being challenged with adult-like issues and circumstances. The AMPLIFY 502 program is housed in the YES! or Youth Engagament Services division at OSHN. This division works to create a network of groups and services that transform social and government systems that repress youth. The program is done in partnership with local attorney Claudette Patton who says early on, others were discouraging her from even aspiring to be an attorney because of her home’s low-income status and working-class zip code. The youth honored have overcome challenges brought by poverty, racism, mental health, and disabilities, among others.
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OSHN’s Trauma Resilient Communities division (TRC) has launched a new initiative “We Heal Together,” which will focus on addressing trauma issues in Louisville’s Black, Indigenous and Other People of Color (BIPOC) communities after recently being awarded a $4 million federal grant from SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services). Collectively, OSHN, mental health experts and BIPOC community leaders are now exploring how best to utilize the grant to address BIPOC community-specific issues that include racial trauma, death threats and micro-aggressions, among others. “Everyone faces traumatic experiences,” said Nannette Dix, TRC SAMHSA manager. “However, BIPOC communities face unique variations of trauma that can add up for them day-by-day.”
The recent initiative launch was held at the Louisville Botanical Gardens and included members of the Somali and Latinx communities.
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Since the beginning of the year, the Community Sanctuary Project (CSP) has reached over 5,000 individuals seeking mental-health resources and counseling or spiritual assistance when gun violence has come close to them.
CSP is a mental health and spiritual counseling triage that goes into any Louisville neighborhood where gun violence has happened. Generally, the deployment happens within 72 hours after a gun violence incident. Once there, participants enjoy a safe, non-judgmental atmosphere where they eat and get easy access to ample opportunities for direct help and resources.
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The YES! Direct - a new youth service providers directory
The YES! Direct is a new resource from The Office for Safe and Healthy Neighborhoods that is a collective, one-stop community database that will enable families and youth to find services and programs to meet their needs and interests.
It is a gateway for organizations and individuals focused on Louisville's youth to be included in the vital movement that promotes and ensures that our youth are prepared for their futures.
If you are a youth service provider that would like to apply to the YES! Direct, you can APPLY HERE. Applicants must be a registered 501c3 organization that administers background checks to all staff and volunteers.
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OSHN outreach case coordinator ReShawn Mucker considers himself privileged because of his nurturing family and the caring environment of good neighbors and friends in the Algonquin neighborhood where he was raised.
"I was raised in a single-parent home. My mother worked a lot, but she was there for me," he said. "And I had two older sisters who were there. My stepfather showed me what a man is and should be. I work within households where young men as young as 13 feel like they are the man of the house and try to take on adult responsibilities. When I was growing up, everyone in the neighborhood looked out for each other. So, I had people around me who were able to pay attention to me and help guide me."
He says a devastating cultural shift has impacted his old neighborhood and its family dynamics. "There are a lot of mental health issues now in one family. There are some households without adult males in them. Plus, back then, our upbringing was in a church environment."
Before joining OSHN, the Doss High School grad served eight years in the U.S. Army and later earned a bachelor's degree in health care management and an associate degree in health information management at American National University and Sullivan University, respectively. He is the father of five.
His job pairs him with youth affected by violence—either as victims, perpetrators, or both. Essentially, he is tasked with lowering their risk for violence. "It's important to connect when they are young or at least at the right time," he said. "Once someone becomes a felon, it's hard for them to get a job. Especially for many young Black males, it's like you get one strike. So, if you mess up, well, you had that strike."
A large aspect of his job is to mentor youth who want options for their lives. "They listen. They want change. Coming from areas considered violent, many of the kids I work with are scared. They don't know what the future holds because their plan for living is literally moment-to-moment."
"Each day they live in challenging environments," he said. "I try to help them realize that they have to keep fighting against and resist what is against them and that their current life is not a final destination. They have a choice, but it's hard work."
"Their influences come from what they see on social media and the music they listen to, but they don't always see the work it takes to get a better life outcome,” without some mentoring assistance.
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Be The One To Make A Difference |
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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.
Follow the links below for or a calendar of events in each neighborhood.
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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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News Related to Violence Reduction |
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Everytown for Gun Safety Applauds Senator Durbin for Introducing the Federal Firearm Licensee Act in the Senate
WASHINGTON – Everytown for Gun Safety applauded Senator Durbin for introducing the Federal Firearm Licensee Act (FFLA) in the Senate. The bill would bring firearm dealer laws into the 21st century by modernizing and strengthening the federal requirements for gun shops. That includes requiring “facilitators” — third parties who host commercial marketplaces where guns are sold, such as gun shows or websites — to ensure that background checks are run on sales, increasing physical security requirements at gun shops, like video surveillance, modernizing record keeping, and requiring dealers to inform ATF of any firearm transferred before a background check has been completed. It will also give law enforcement critical tools to help solve crimes, disrupt firearms trafficking, and hold dealers who violate the law accountable. Representative Robin Kelly introduced the House companion of the FFLA last year.
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OSHN Reports to the Community:
Park Duvalle, Algonquin & Parkhill Neighborhoods
July 25, 2024 from 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Lampkin Chapel CME Church, 2738 Algonquin Pkwy, Louisville, KY
If you want to learn more about what OSHN is doing to reduce violence in Louisville neighborhoods most impacted by gun violence, please register to attend this one-hour event. Explained will be how street outreach and hospital intervention works, and what mental health resources are immediately available to all Louisville residents, and also how the city has built a forceful entry for youth inclusion and how citizens have mobilized to fight violence. Dinner will be provided. Space is limited, so please reserve your seat.
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Reimagine Networking Nights
July 31, 2024 from 6:00pm - 7:30pm
Republic Bank YMCA, 1720 W Broadway, Louisville, KY
This Networking Night will offer discussions on what the local Anti-Violence Coalitions are doing in neighborhoods experiencing a high rate of violence. Also, there will be presentations from Interfaith Paths to Peace and Boys of Color Rise. This is an opportunity for citizens to learn about what is going on in Louisville regarding violence reduction.
Dinner will be provided - Registration is required.
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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. |
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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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