New Crime Prevention Efforts and Youth Engagement Week Recap
Dear Prince Georgians,
Today, I held a press conference with our Office of Community Relations, our Police Department, Reverend Tony Lee of Community of Hope AME, and several community partners to announce new crime prevention efforts. As you know, jurisdictions across the country are seeing a rise in violent crime, especially among young people. Unfortunately in Prince George’s County, we haven’t seen an uptick in juvenile crime like this in decades.
I have an urgent plea for all of the parents raising their kids in our wonderful County. Please sit down with your children and have a real conversation. Ask them what’s going on, ask them what they need, ask them if they are scared or stressed out, and ask them why. We need to come together to better understand what is going on with the children of our community, and when we ask, we need to listen.
All of us want to reverse this troubling uptick we’ve seen in violence, but the government cannot simply flip a switch and make it happen. Together we need to fully understand what’s happening with our children, and that understanding needs to start at home.
While government cannot do it alone, we are taking every possible step forward to solve this issue, protect our residents, and protect our community. Today we announced 16 non-profits that have received grant funding from our Hope in Action Anti-Violence Project. These non-profits, known as the Hope Collective, will provide school-based and community wraparound services in areas where violent crime is an issue. Programming will include services such as diversion/re-entry, youth mentoring, after-school enrichment, and employment assistance.
We also announced the formation of our Violence Prevention Task Force, another key component of the Hope in Action Anti-Violence Project. The Violence Prevention Task Force, which consists of 20 community members, will help identify areas of need in the County and create a plan to aid in resource sharing between non-profits and stakeholders, while also developing short and long-term strategies to prevent violence. Additional details regarding membership of the Task Force and Hope Collective are further below.
PGPD Police Chief Malik Aziz also provided several updates on crime prevention efforts, to include strategies that specifically target violent crime, juvenile offenders, carjackings and stolen vehicles. Since January 2021, PGPD has removed over 1,600 weapons/guns off County streets through crime prevention initiatives.
Chief Aziz also announced new initiatives to support County youth. PGPD has launched the Youth Round Table Discussion program, which allows youth to engage in an open and honest conversation with law enforcement and community leaders. Youth are given a seat at the table to express the real concerns they have and offer solutions to law enforcement and County leadership.
PGPD has also formed a new partnership between the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Washington and the Police Athletic League, which will provide youth with more targeted programs and activities throughout the year. Programming will focus on several outcomes, to include good character, citizenship and healthy lifestyle choices.
If you didn’t see, last week we recognized Youth Engagement Week in Prince George’s County. Throughout the week, we highlighted some of the many ways the County is creating opportunities for young people to continue to grow and thrive.
To kick off Youth Engagement Week, we announced the official formation of the Prince George’s County Cabinet for Children and Youth. This Cabinet will work to address and respond to the issues facing the County’s children and youth ages 25 years and under. The formation of this Cabinet is yet another important investment we are making in our youth and will allow us to further address their needs in an impactful way while improving their quality of life.
We have also recently launched a Youth Leadership Academy (YLA) through our Office of Human Rights. This unique program helps to educate young people ages 12 to 22 on civil and human rights, as well as social justice issues. The YLA encourages young people to feel empowered and teaches them how they have the power to help make positive change. We are very excited about this program and the impact it will have on how future generations approach human rights issues.
Along with these exciting new initiatives, we also continue to provide opportunities to keep our youth engaged during the summer. Studies have shown that summer youth employment programs and summer recreation programs help keep our youth out of trouble. That is why we created and launched the Alsobrooks Summer Passport Experience last summer. The inaugural program included over 600 participants and provided programming in the areas of entrepreneurship, education, and entertainment.
In addition, the Office of Human Resources Management also continues to spearhead the Youth@Work/Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP). This award-winning program provides job readiness training, career workshops, and entry-level employment for County youth ages 14 to 22. During the summer of 2021, more than 4,400 youth were offered employment opportunities through Youth@Work/SYEP, despite budget constraints due to COVID-19. Applications for this summer’s program open tomorrow, March 1, so we encourage you to learn more and apply here.
Taken together, Prince George’s County is offering our youth a great number of opportunities to engage, to learn, and to receive the support they need to thrive. Helping our young people thrive is a necessary step to stem the rise in violent crime, but it’s not the only one we need to take. We want to work together with parents to provide opportunity for our young people. Opportunity can be a guiding light, one that encourages each of us to walk a good path forward, and to lead a good life.
I want to thank all our community partners who have already joined us in our efforts to reduce violent crime. While we have plenty of work ahead, I know that Prince Georgians are strong and resilient, and we can overcome any challenge by working together.
Yours in service,
Angela Alsobrooks
Prince George’s County Executive
The Hope Collective
The Hope Collective, a key component of the County’s Hope in Action Anti-Violence Project, is a group of 16 non-profits that have received funding to provide community and school-based wraparound services. The Hope Collective will work collaboratively with the new Violence Prevention Task Force to target wraparound services in areas where violence is an issue. The Hope Collective includes the following non-profits and programs:
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Centro de Apoyo Familiar (CAF): Grant supports the Community Transformation Program which provides essential services and resources related to food, housing, healthcare and jobs to minority and low-income communities.
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Community Advocates for Family & Youth (CAFY): Grant supports Mental Health for Violence Reduction campaign which combines community outreach, training, and public education with pro bono mental health services for uninsured and low-income victims.
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Community Ministry of Prince George’s County: Grant will help meet human service needs, reduce achievement gaps in education, and reduce health inequities in selected communities, targeting young people ages 10-24.
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DanceMakers, Inc.: Grant will provide STEAM-based instructional activities for youth, to include tutoring, homework support, and project-based enrichment and recreation that develop teamwork, leadership and academic skills.
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District Heights Youth Development Foundation: Grant will provide a continuum of services that include mental/behavioral health counseling and activities that support flourishing families from the expressive arts to college and career exploration.
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End Time Harvest Ministries: Grant will support ongoing workforce development program for middle and high school students, including summer internships.
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EVOLVE, Inc.: Grant will create PSAs targeting youth and focusing on anti-violence, mental health, stress management and self-care.
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Jacob’s Ladder, Inc.: Grant will support ongoing programs for youth, including Juvenile Reentry, Diversion, Academic Enrichment, Junior Workforce Academy, and TeenPreneur Workshops and Challenges.
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Latin American Youth Center: Grant will support ongoing programming to support youth with a successful transition into adulthood, with a focus on increasing academic achievement, youth protective factors and healthy behaviors.
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Lead4Life, Inc.: Grant will support re-entry services for youth involved with the criminal justice system to decease recidivism and youth transitioning into the adult criminal justice system.
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Maple Springs Community Services Corporation (MSCSC): Grant will help launch a Community Resource Center in Capitol Heights to help eligible community members find, train for, and obtain employment.
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Mission of Love Charities, Inc.: Grant will support the Workforce Development, Education and Job Training Program, which provides training in employable skills, computer skills, language skills, meeting planning, and courses leading to certifications.
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One Love Life Center (OLLC): Grant will provide mentoring, case management, therapeutic/counseling services, recovery supports, and workforce development training to distressed, transitional-aged youth who experience substance use and trauma-induced mental health challenges.
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People for Change Coalition: Grant will support the implementation of a summer career enrichment program (SCEP) for middle and high school students from at-risk communities in the County.
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The Training Source, Inc.: Grant will provide programming to youth ages 14-24 with barriers to success, including community supportive services, job training, job placement assistance and college and career readiness.
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World Arts Focus dba Joe’s Movement Emporium: Grant will support the CreateTEENS program which aims to address the mental health of teens by offering them a safe space to refine social skills, develop a creative mindset and gain the confidence that develops a better sense of self.
Violence Prevention Task Force
 The Violence Prevention Task Force, a key component of the County’s Hope in Action Anti-Violence Project, will work to develop short and long-term strategies to prevent violence in our communities. The Task Force consists of 20 community members and its work includes: Identifying ways to break the cycle of violence for young people and planning community anti-violence events; identifying critical community needs and developing a comprehensive plan to aid in resource sharing between non-profits and stakeholders; and creating strategies for long-term violence reduction, identified via a Task Force report.
The 20 community members on the Task Force are:
- Jeanette Brandon
- Colton Campbell
- Crystal Carpenter
- Andrea Coleman
- Mayor Cashenna Cross
- Cathleen Rozanski-Cruz
- Delonta Davis
- Shannon Diane
- Jeffrey Hammond
- Jarriel Jordan, Sr.
- Lavon Lucas
- Alyson Moore
- Steven Nwamkpa
- Tosha O’Neal
- Lisa Price
- Julius Turner
- Eileen Sutton
- Noah Waters
- Kelly Woodall
- Charlena Young
Cabinet for Children and Youth
 The Cabinet for Children and Youth will work to address and respond to the issues facing the County’s children and youth ages 25 years and under, to include the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, with the ultimate goal of improving outcomes for children and youth in the County. Cabinet members were selected through careful consideration by the Office of the County Executive to ensure that members reflect the diverse nature of the community, offer a wide range of perspectives, and can make decisions that will help improve the overall quality of life for County youth.
The Cabinet includes Prince Georgians from all walks of life, including individuals from County Government, Prince George’s County Public Schools, community and faith-based organizations, residents, community leaders, and, most importantly, youth. Learn more about the Cabinet in a video release here.
Youth@Work/Summer Youth Enrichment Program
 The Youth@Work/Summer Youth Enrichment Program (SYEP) is an award-winning program through the Office of Human Resources Management that provides career readiness and summer employment opportunities to young people ages 14 to 22. Youth@Work/SYEP offers employment opportunities in Prince George’s County Government, Prince George’s County Public Schools, The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, and over 250 non-profit and faith-based organizations, businesses, and municipalities.
In addition, the new Talent Pipeline Program was created to provide County residents ages 18 to 22 with internship opportunities in Prince George’s County Government with the goal of gaining full-time employment. Check out this video featuring Youth@Work/SYEP participants describing their experience with the program.
Youth@Work/SYEP will begin accepting applications for this summer's program starting tomorrow, March 1. For more information or to apply, visit the Youth@Work/SYEP website here.
Youth Leadership Academy
 The Prince George’s County Office of Human Rights, in partnership with the Department of Family Services’ Domestic Violence and Human Trafficking Division, have launched the Youth Leadership Academy (YLA). This new program helps educate young people ages 12 to 22 on civil and human rights, as well as social justice issues. The YLA trains young people to be influencers on civil and human rights issues to their peers. Check out this video featuring YLA participants describing their experience with the program. For more information, visit the YLA website here.
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