Contact: Erin Brownfield, 212.465.2044

MAJOR NEW STUDY IS THE FIRST TO ASK YOUNG PEOPLE WHAT THEY WOULD DO TO STOP VIOLENCE IN THEIR LIVES

"Youth and Violence: Students Speak out for a More Civil Society"
Released July 30 by Families and Work Institute and The Colorado Trust
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The Colorado Trust Announces $1.3 Million Grant to Support Safe School Efforts

WASHINGTON D.C.,—Young people describe teasing that goes beyond being playful, put-downs, and cruel gossip as very real violence to them and as triggers for the physical violence that almost half of them endure, according to a new study by Families and Work Institute and The Colorado Trust. Rather than blaming parents or schools as many youth violence experts have done, young people point to an overbearing culture that rejects diversity .

"By listening to what young people have to say about their experiences with violence and what they think will stop it, we learn important truths about ourselves and the world in which we live. Now more than ever, we must pay attention to how the experiences and relationships of young people affect the way they learn to handle and interpret conflict," said Ellen Galinsky, an author of the report and President of Families and Work Institute.

The report-Youth Violence: Students Speak Out for a More Civil Society-is the first study to ask a nationally representative sample of kids: "If you could make one change that would help stop the violence that young people experience today, what would that one change be?" Conducted by Harris Interactive and created by the Families and Work Institute, the study polled more than 1,000 youth in fifth through twelfth grades. A parallel study of more than 1,000 Colorado youth was also conducted.

"The issue of violence in the lives of young people - from bullying to school shootings - is a topic of enormous societal concern. By adding the experiences and thoughts of youth from across Colorado and America to what is known about this critical problem, we hope to further inspire and guide efforts to effectively address youth violence," said John R. Moran, Jr., President and CEO of The Colorado Trust. "In conjunction with the release of these important findings, I'm pleased to announce today that The Colorado Trust has committed an additional $1.3 million to prevent youth violence in our state."

Key findings of the study include:

Almost half of young people experience physical violence.
     - Forty six percent of young people have been hit, shoved, kicked or tripped at least once in the past month, and 18 percent have been physically hurt five times or more in the past month.
     - Thirty seven percent have inflicted such acts of violence.
     - Eight percent have been attacked with a weapon at least once. And eight percent have been sexually assaulted.
     - These statistics mean that in a hypothetical class of 25 kids, two or more of them could have been attacked by a weapon or sexually assaulted in the past month.

Young people who have been harmed are much more likely to harm others.
     - Thirty five percent of those who have been attacked with a weapon attack others, compared with only 2 percent who have not had this experience.

The findings illustrate that while public debates about violence have focused on extreme violence-such as school shootings-as emblematic of a major societal problem, the largest proportion of young people write about teasing that goes beyond being playful; about put-downs and gossip that are cruel; and about rejection as very real violence to them. They say this emotional violence hurts, and that it triggers more extreme violence. In the words of one young person, to stop violence: "The one thing I would change is gossiping/ talking behind people's back in a negative way. That tends to start 90 percent of the violence at school."

While blame and remedies for youth violence have focused on parents and/or the schools (and these relationships are indeed important), many young people have a larger focus: a seemingly inescapable culture that celebrates sameness, the one right way to be "in." One 14-year-old girl's wish is, "that kids got along and didn't care about appearances, money, or ethnic backgrounds. It's usually something like that which makes
kids fight."

In addition, the study found that relationships are important. Young people with better relationships with their mothers, fathers, teachers, and friends are much less likely to experience violence, either as victims or as aggressors. Positive support from important people in kids' lives can be an important factor in preventing violence. As one young person explains, "Support is a big thing. I think one person matters more than a group or clique. Knowing they're going through the same things you're going through. [Then] you're not struggling by yourself." The report describing the study also profiles programs that research has found are effective in stopping emotional violence.

The study was conducted by Families and Work Institute and funded by The Colorado Trust, with additional funding from the Open Society Institute. The group partnered with the National Conference of State Legislatures to help frame the study questions so that the findings could help inform public policy. Young people, educators, parents, communities, government officials, foundations and others working to end youth violence are encouraged to use this new study to help guide their efforts. Summaries and discussion guides containing action steps and additional findings from the national and Colorado Youth and Violence reports are available at www.familiesandwork.org and www.coloradotrust.org.

A statewide grantmaking foundation, The Colorado Trust has committed more than $36 million over the past decade to better understand and improve positive youth development, and to prevent youth violence in Colorado. The new $1.3 million grant will help schools and districts participating in Safe Communities~Safe Schools - a joint effort of The Colorado Trust and the Center for the Study and Prevention of Violence (CSPV) - to put in place safe school plans they have developed through this effort. Additionally, all 1,500 Colorado schools will be eligible for training to implement School Crime Stoppers. This program, endorsed by Colorado Attorney General Ken Salazar and CSPV, provides students with a safe, anonymous system to report threats, fights, substance use and abuse, or other activities that create unsafe situations for young people.

Families and Work Institute is a nonprofit center for research that provides data to inform decision-making on the changing workforce, changing family and changing community. Founded in 1989, FWI is known for ahead of the curve, non-partisan research into emerging work-life issues; for solutions-oriented studies addressing topics of vital importance to all sectors of society; and for fostering connections among workplaces, families, and communities. For more information, visit our Web site at www.familiesandwork.org.

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