JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The Jacksonville Urban League said its Thrive Youth Crime Prevention Summit aims to do three things: Educate, Prevent, and Empower.
The summit was held Friday afternoon at the Ritz Theatre in Downtown Jacksonville.
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Over 300 students from Duval and Clay counties were in attendance. Many of the students belonged to mentorship groups like the 5000 Role Models of Excellence Project.
The event staged several panel discussions centered around knowing the law, mental health, and health and wellness. One panel discussion was centered around students knowing their rights if they are pulled over by police.
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Many teens underscored the importance of an event dedicated to being a support structure for them.
“My grandfather used to tell me that the younger generation is the future, and being at this event helps the younger generation make better choices. If you make better choices as the younger generation, it helps us grow as a society,” Addison Perez II of Sandalwood High School said.
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“Our basis is not so much from a reactive, but we really want to have a proactive approach to it. So if we provide them with all of this education that we have, will it prevent them from engaging in risk behaviors? It may or may not, but if they’re going to be engaging in those behaviors, they’re at least informed about it,” program director Monique Johnson said.
The Urban League’s Next goal is to have a human trafficking prevention summit in partnership with local law enforcement.
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