The Safe & Sound Strategy
Dec 12th, 2008
Safe & Sound, Inc. is a non-profit organization committed to the mission of reducing violent crime in communities and among youth by blending law enforcement, neighborhood organizing and youth development. Safe & Sound’s vision: “Making Milwaukee neighborhoods safe places to work, live and raise families.”
VIDEO: Barbara Notestein, Executive Director, gives a brief overview of Safe & Sound.
Safe & Sound is a community-based, anti-crime strategy designed to reduce crime and violence. It utilizes the interdependent strategies of positive youth development at Safe Places, neighborhood organizing through Safe & Sound Community Partners, and tough law enforcement. It is a unique, collaborative approach to fighting crime, violence, illegal drug and alcohol sales, and other neighborhood problems. Safe & Sound’s collaborating partners empower youth and adults to work together, creating a better, safer community for all.
Crime Reduction through Youth Development, Community Organizing and Law Enforcement
After-school Safe Places for youth operate during the hours when youth are most apt to either commit crime or be victims of it. Engaging more than 20,000 young people every year, the Safe Places involve them in youth-led crime reduction and neighborhood improvement projects, drug and alcohol prevention activities, gang resistance and violence prevention. Safe & Sound Community Partners are community organizers who contact residents in high-crime neighborhoods door-to-door year round, listening to, and addressing, the individual concerns of residents. They recruit youth to attend Safe Places and work with youth leaders to implement community anti-crime initiatives. Community Partners work with residents to organize block watches, building relationships and communication between residents, law enforcement and city services. Partners develop neighborhood-based initiatives, enhancing safety and reducing crime, positively impacting the community and improving the overall quality of life for residents.
