Monday Oct 1st at YMCA 7:00-Stop the Violence Transformative Discussion

Tonight Oct 1st there is  a community discussion at the YMCA Childcare Center at 1420 Maple 7:00-8:30. The purpose is to come together to discuss how to deal with impact of Dajae Colemans death and how to move forward as a community working to stop the violence. This is collaborative meeting by YMCA, Family Focus, Y.O.U, James Moran Center for Youth,Advocacy Center, Youth Job Center.  
Dear friends,

We are writing to invite you to what we hope will be a meaningful and transformative conversation. This upcoming Monday, October 1st, we will host a public conversation with parents and youth about the ways in which the death of Dajae Coleman has impacted their lives and about how community members can be involved in efforts to support youth. The event will take place from 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. this Monday at the Children’s Center Auditorium of the McGaw YMCA at 1420 Maple Avenue (at the corner of Maple and Lake Streets; parking is available in the lot south of the YMCA off Lake Street). Click here to RSVP.

Our event will have two parts. First, we want you to hear the stories. Over the last three days, our staff members have worked to support grieving youth and families. We believe the stories that have emerged shed light on issues that exist every day in our community (and our country)—issues that are particularly apparent in moments of tragedy. We have heard stories of youth who cannot sleep at night because they worry about being the next victim of senseless violence. We have heard stories from parents who fear they cannot protect their children from harm's way. We have heard stories from teachers and mentors who can deal with the death of an aging parent, but just don't know how to handle the death of a 14-year old.

Second, we want you to know about our community’s efforts to support youth and prevent future violence. Evanston is fortunate to have many resources to support youth and, yet, the above stories point to urgent issues that our community (and our country) must—and can—address. We’ll share information about a number of community initiatives, as well as information about how you can get involved.

We hope the stories to be shared on Monday night move you as much as they have moved us. If you would like to join us, please click here to RSVP.

Sincerely,

Bill Geiger
President and CEO
McGaw YMCA

Seth Green
Executive Director
Y.O.U.

Kathleen Lyons
Executive Director
The James B. Moran Center for Youth Advocacy

Karen Singer
President/CEO
YWCA Evanston/North Shore

Sacella Smith
Executive Director
Youth Job Center of Evanston

Dorothy Williams, Ph.D.
Center Director
Family Focus - Evanston