Youth 360: Cleveland Rape Crisis Center's Youth Programming Board
CRCC is currently accepting applications for the 2012-13 school year. Download the application on the right. Deadline is June 15!
About Youth 360
Last year, two students started violence prevention clubs at their schools. Two more led school-wide assemblies to teach their peers about sexual violence. Another coordinated a community-wide Take Back the Night rally and yet another encouraged students to create an art project using the theme of sexual violence prevention.
Fifteen teenagers from every corner of Cuyahoga County have learned to teach their friends and fellow students about sexual violence prevention after participating in a new, innovative program developed by Cleveland Rape Crisis Center called Youth 360.
Youth 360 is an inclusive, youth-led violence prevention program launched by CRCC’s prevention specialist extraordinaire, Alex Leslie. Based on the resiliency theory and best practices in violence prevention, the program helps young people foster leadership growth, attachment to the cause of sexual violence prevention and project management skills.
But…CRCC is not stopping there. The program has been such a success that CRCC is currently engaging in the rigorous application process once again, to select a new group of 15 young leaders from schools throughout Cuyahoga County to participate in the monthly leadership development programs where they too will learn about sexual violence, oppression, media literacy and more. Each participant will choose an adult mentor to share ideas. For meeting monthly requirements, each participant will be paid a monthly stipend. After the “residency” part of the program, students will choose and plan community education projects of their own.
“Youth 360 serves to successfully integrate sexual violence prevention into the everyday lives of teenagers, encouraging them to promote healthy attitudes and behaviors and serve as peer educators in their communities and schools,” said Alex Leslie.
Youth 360 complements many other violence prevention programs coordinated at CRCC, including classroom-based programs and Men of Strength Clubs.
For more information on Youth 360 or any of CRCC’s other prevention programs, please contact Alex Leslie at 216-619-6194 x121 or alexl@clevelandrcc.org.
